According to Nate Lanxon at CNET UK, yep. I’m not going to quote the whole “article,” but here are my thoughts:
- A new Javascript engine is on its way from Opera. But even if it weren’t, who bases his or her choice of a web browser based upon Javascript speed benchmarks? Nobody I know. All that matters is real world results. (Haavard makes the same argument here.) That Safari or Chrome or Firefox may or may not load a given page .3087 seconds more quickly than Opera surely won’t be noticed by me.
- “[S]o I really don’t see what the Opera fans are clinging on to.” Obviously, Lanxon is not an everyday Opera user or the answer would be quite simple. For some, it’s Mouse Gestures (done right, without a buggy extension). For others, it’s enhanced keyboard navigation. (Spatial Navigation ftw!) Or maybe it’s the ability to synchronize bookmarks across multiple installations and platforms with Opera Link. Or maybe it’s the “full page zoom” feature that so many people for years said was dumb – that is, until Safari recently decided to include it. Or maybe it’s the ability to run custom Javascript and CSS on a per site basis. All of these things and more are included in Opera “out of the box.” They just work. And if your counter argument is “but that makes the browser all bloaty!” then explain to me how Opera’s installation exe file is 5.4 MB (4.8 MB for Classic Installer), while Firefox’s is 7.1 MB (before any extentions added!) and Safari 4 Beta’s is a whopping 25.5 MB!? (That’s without Quicktime bundled!)
- Look at the hot, new features of Safari 4 and tell me how many of them were Apple innovations. (Don’t quote from the Apple site – they lie. More on that here.) Opera innovates, and other companies incorporate those features into their browsers. This is not a bad thing. But Lanxon is forgetting that competition breeds innovation.
- Even Asa Dotzler, one of the faces of Firefox, knows it makes no sense for Opera to abandon the desktop.
Opera’s desktop browser means millions and millions of desktop users logging hours and hours of testing and providing lots of feedback to the Opera team. That feedback allows them to keep their rendering engine, javascript engine, and other bits of the browser as functional as possible across as many Web sites and Web apps as possible. Take it away, and the Opera mobile efforts will slowly but surely fall behind the “one Web” as Opera calls it.
- And even if Opera were to concede it will never gain a significant foothold in desktop browser market share, why abandon software that saw a 117% increase in revenue from one year ago? Opera Software actually makes money at a time when many companies across the globe are hemorrhaging it.
So no, Mr. Lanxon. Opera will not abandon the desktop browser. Thanks for the advice, though.
Read Lanxon’s opinion here: http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/natelanxon/0,139102300,49301254,00.htm
See Opera’s Haavard respond here: http://my.opera.com/haavard/blog/2009/03/02/cnet-uk-opera-should-give-up-on-desktop-browsers
Entire text of Asa Dotzler’s response: http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/2009/02/opera_should_gi.html
If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to my RSS Feed.
using
Never give up and keep on Inovating Opera
using
Because I didn’t want to read a few boring chapters from a study-related book this afternoon, I added some content to the sandbox Wikipedia article. It’s indirectly referenced above, but I figured a direct link couldn’t hurt.
using
Should Mr. Lanxon abandon writing stupid reviews?
My answer is YES, ASAP!
using
There are a number of reasons to maintain the desktop.
One from my own personal testing under adverse bandwidth conditions Opera is STILL the fastest. True it does use more of the local bandwidth but still…
Two Opera STILL leads as an innovator. They are willing to play with new ideas an new ways of doing rendering. The ONLY other browser to really try this is Chrome.
Three as of this post Chrome is Windows Centric (though Mac and Linux ports are “in development”), unlike Opera which on the desktop is avail for Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD, and Solaris… with older releases for “outdated” platforms easily available. A quick look at the Opera Knowlege Base reveils that Opera for Windows STILL supports ALL Versions of Windows from Windows 95 on up. This is contrary to IE or Chrome which needs Xp minimum in their latest versions, and Firefox which recently dropped support for Windows 98. I am assuming that Safari is much the same in this. While the ablity to run on older version of Windows may not seem that big a deal there is a niech market of people who rebuild old computers, or are unwilling to get new ones who want a MODERN browser.
Four I have yet to use a browser with a download manager quite like Opera’s. Gecko (Firefox and related) FAIL CONTINUOUSLY for me on large downloads and NEVER restart properly. The same went for IE when I used to use Windows.
Five basically reinstating the testing point. Many dedicated fans (myself was once one) run the “weeklies” which increase the quality of the engine… an engine pretty much shared in common with mobile, ds, and wii users.
Six saving tabs has finally been intregrated in Firefox but Opera still does this better!
There are tons of other reasons why Opera should continue releasing a desktop version. I will state that its only drawbacks have been it can use more ram, and it mail client is shockinly outdated. However, focus on improving the mail client is now underway and is included in Opera 10 (I am not currently doing any testing on Linux, and certainly not with my email.)
using
This guy has no idea about he was talking. Opera is really strong BECAUSE is omnipresent in several plataforms, EVEN and MAINLY the desktop.
using
I like the fact that Opera is Independent – many good things stem from this.
Kc4
“This is contrary to IE or Chrome which needs Xp minimum in their latest versions, and Firefox which recently dropped support for Windows 98. I am assuming that Safari is much the same in this.”
I find it shocking that the only Mac browser which will work on my iMac (OSX 10.29) in the current version is Opera – this problem includes Mac only browsers such as iCab and Camino.
using
Steve Barker
“I find it shocking that the only Mac browser which will work on my iMac (OSX 10.29) in the current version is Opera – this problem includes Mac only browsers such as iCab and Camino.”
Wow so there you go Opera DOES HAVE A MAINSTREAM NEED!
using
This made me realize how great this browser is.
I really dont get why it only have 1% market share.
Keep up the wonderful work!
Opera is by far the best browser!
using
lmao posted while using firefox
again just another great thing about Opera
in general we don’t suffer from the exclusive usage snobbery present in other browsers
go ahead use Opera, and Firefox, and Safari,… hell we will even put up with IE on occasions just use Opera as well
using
oh geese I just found out that my “website” link had a typo
allwell
now back to our regularly schedualed programming
using
Kc4 I have also noticed that Opera works well even under bandwidth issues. When I get a poor wireless signal or the net is slow Safari can’t handle the slow speeds, but Opera does well at both slow and fast speeds.
using
Hi, everyone have a safe weekend…see ya soon!!!
using
ooooo a Nokia user… first I have seen that ever pop up
using
@Harald
It does?
Really?
using
Pertaining Mr. Nate Lanxon:
Extract of: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Transwiki:Fachidiot
And my twopents:
To Mr. Lanxon’s benefit: He has just not yet lived long enough, and unfortunately very few people in the uptownish world of artificially educated business have the slightest hint on life’s effect on their decisions.
‘
Before abandoning the desktop is considered I expect Opera to make the donating process a whole lot more attractive – by RESPECTING users via transparency and giving them visual feedback of their contribution’s value:
We need a credibly worded and administered “Donations-Tachometer”, that shows the approximate costs (red limit needle) and donations (blue indicating needle). Although tested and prooved to work very well, it has nowhere been implemented yet.
using
I should correct myself. The Tachometer has been used, but not in this scale. Considering the scale I suspect, and the situation Opera Desktop YET is in, it would be natural to have the limit needle show Opera’s expectations instead of the actual costs. Transparently. I mean with mention of this fact.
using
Never give up, never back down, that is our ninja way.
using
I think the success of one product will help drive the success of the other. So as Opera Mobile becomes more successful, so will Desktop. Even if Desktop never makes a significant dent in the browser market, it’s existence is still of value. Whilst most people may never use Opera desktop, a lot of people know the name. To remove Desktop would be to weaken the Opera brand.
using
Nate Lanxon should suck himself. He doesn’t deserve more words.
using
@IANAL, you seem to be SERIOUSLY confused!
Donations?
Opera doesn’t get donations.
Opera makes actual money, not through donations, but through forwarding search traffic to Google. As in, Opera is not making money through individuals donating money, they are making money through business contracts.
using
http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-RU-daily-20090101-20090305-bar
using
I haven’t read such good post for a long time. Congratz!
By the way… Lanxon fask yourself and try to use your head properly – it doesn’t hurt.
using
There wouldn’t have been much innovation without Opera, but’d possibly still be opening one browser window per site. I prefer some features in other browsers, but overall, Opera is IMO the best desktop browser around. Nate doesn’t seem to have followed browser development since the late 90’s. Keep on truckin’ Opera team, can’t wait for 10!
using
2Chuck Monroe: +1 I dont c how browser world would live with out Opera… All they do is take from opera and say that they have best browser. Cant wait for Opera 10 aswell i bet there will be some new awesome features
using
Please don’t abandon Opera, none of the other browsers out there provide the functionality and simplicity of Opera.
I’d hate having to use Firefox or Chrome as an alternative… and I’d stop using the internet if I had to browse using IE or Safari.
using
I think that Opera is the best browser that exist now in all platform without any doubt. The best security, consume a few CPU and RAM, Firefox and Safari consume a lot of this resources, has a lots of features than other browser copy from Opera, mouse gestures, tabs browser, bookmarks sync, etc. Opera is the best the other alternatives simple are insufficient and litter to me…
using
I completely agree with this post, EXCEPT this part :
“But even if it weren’t, who bases his or her choice of a web browser based upon Javascript speed benchmarks? Nobody I know. All that matters is real world results. (Haavard makes the same argument here.) That Safari or Chrome or Firefox may or may not load a given page .3087 seconds more quickly than Opera surely won’t be noticed by me.”
well, this surely sounds quite a bit of hypocrisy, as back then when Opera leads the pack and was the fastest in Sunspider, people were also quite proud of it, for example:
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001023.html
So it’s really quite hypocrisy to now turn back and downplay Sunspider and JavaScript performance when you currently is not the lead. A few years back, Opera always boasted its JavaScript performance as the basis for its “fastest browser” claim, and I’d guess Opera will boast its JavaScript performance again when Carakan get implemented and Opera get back to be the JavaScript performance king. So please don’t trash Sunspider and JavaScript performance when you have also praised their importance in the past.
using
I find it surreal agreeing with Asa Dotzler for once. I just wish Opera’s growth was more exponential than linear.
using
Opera has style…i use both firefox and opera for the moment, but it seems that opera is going to win:)
using
Opera is by far the best browser on the planet, but if it won’t get an attention from the most popular web applications’ developers (expecially Google needs to stop ignoring it), it may slowly lose its users. Like myself – I love Opera so much…but I do need Google Calendar, Gmail, YouTube, Facebook and many other sites to work without having to open another browser all the time…
using
By the way, I was using Chrome on Windows XP to post the above comment, funny that it says I used Safari on Mac OS X.
using
lmao indeed
using
@Michal Stankoviansky
Yawn. People have been saying this forever, and Opera still doubled its desktop user base in a couple of years, and revenues are increasing more than 100% QonQ.
using
firefox has some fine automatization plug-ins that seem to be very useful… and is much more advertised than opera…
using
Indeed, there is a growing cliche group that dosn’t care.
Regarless Opera is 100% W3C compatiale this means that it is the developers fault their apps don’t work!
If they made W3C compliant apps then they should work anywhere.
using
@heh:
That may be true and I wish Opera the success it deserves, but also, I consider myself one of the biggest Opera fans around and yet for the last couple of weeks and with the increasing use of the Ajax heavy applications I am mostly using Chrome these days. Am I the only one? Unfortunately, I really doubt that.
But I can die happy, because I converted at least 4 people to Opera and they’re still using it.
using
well untill chrome gets ported to linux then yes you are :p
no I don’t actually beleive that, but this all goes back to googles slow porting
they are slow to port their desktop apps to non-windows platforms and are slow to port their web apps to opera
using
On the symbian platform, opera is the best there is.
using
But ofcourse i can’t before the full opera browser..
.. It transfers toomuch data compared to mini.
using
I have just used opera recently. The 1st impression is that our great browser is fast, really fast. This is the most worthy advantage compared to another browser. It’s aslo beautiful. One more thing, it doesnt slow down my old pc
using
Michal Stankoviansky:
That’s interesting because in even the heaviest Ajax apps today, only about 10% or so of CPU cycles are spent on JavaScript stuff. Clearly you bought into the hype based on a couple of artificial JS benchmarks which are irrelevant for real web usage.