C is for cookie
....and cookies are annoying, when you're using Opera
I had originally downloaded Opera so that I could surf the web using a browser other than Microsoft Internet Explorer. Opera has many things to recommend it:
In the end, this all boils down to efficiency. I get more and better websurfing done with Opera than I would with IE, and with fewer irritations. I am now so dependent on certain aspects of Opera that I find myself somewhat lost without them--the mouse gestures, in particular, have become as natural to me as typing, and on the occasions when I have to use browsers other than Opera, I find myself uselessly using the Opera mouse gesture commands....
Again, Opera's great for reading on the Web. On a functional level, it makes life easy for the researcher, especially if he's mucking about academic journals online, such as JSTOR or electronic collections of documents such as are held by the National Security Archive at George Washington University.
In my case, it also means much more efficient shuffling about ebay --or it did until recently. Lately ebay has gotten less Opera-friendly, and begun showing up bizarre "your browser does not accept cookies" error messages at me when I tried to log in on Opera. Never mind that I have duly instructed Opera to accept all cookies from all servers. Never mind that I specifically instruct it to accept cookies from ebay. Never mind all of that--ebay now REFUSES to let me in.
No such bullshit from IE...and the change seems to have occurred this week. I'm disappointed; ebay used to be pretty browser-neutral, but increasingly it seems to have fallen into the IE or 'owt trap of so many other otherwise-good websites. C'mon, people. Let's have some STANDARDS here!
....all of this is probably just as well, since I can't really afford that Rolleicord that I want, anyway. If anybody out there is generous, I'm wishing for a Rolleicord Vb for Christmas. Or even aRolleiflex 2.8 Planar , if you can swing it. I've been ever so good.....
I had originally downloaded Opera so that I could surf the web using a browser other than Microsoft Internet Explorer. Opera has many things to recommend it:
System resources. Yes, I know that IE is 'integrated' into the whole "Windows XPerience." But the fact is that Opera works just as well for MUCH less RAM. To quote an Amazonian explorer, Opera's pared-down multimedia abilities "...might make other [browsers] sick with laughter..." but, on the other hand, it carries with it "not one thing that is superflous..." If I want multimedia, I'll install the various plugins as I need them--just like in the old days. Opera, less the Java Runtime Environment, will fit on a floppy diskette--how many of your frequently-used applications can say that ?
Quick Searches Google is right on the address bar--just type g, a space, and your serch terms. All the other major search engines are also likewise easily accessible. This makes for extremely fast, information-at-your-fingertips convenience. At least it does for me.
Fast HTML rendering. If you're chewing through lots of webpages that are mostly text--a reality when you're dealing with online journals--Opera gets you there faster and more efficiently than IE.
Superior interface Mouse gestures and keyboard shortcuts make for more efficient browsing. Want to go back? Hold right, click left. Forward? hold left, click right. Spacebar will somehow find the "next" link and get you to the next page in a sequence--very useful. IE, with it's now haul the cursor up to the BACK button AGAIN interface is slow and clumsy and irritating by comparison.
In the end, this all boils down to efficiency. I get more and better websurfing done with Opera than I would with IE, and with fewer irritations. I am now so dependent on certain aspects of Opera that I find myself somewhat lost without them--the mouse gestures, in particular, have become as natural to me as typing, and on the occasions when I have to use browsers other than Opera, I find myself uselessly using the Opera mouse gesture commands....
Again, Opera's great for reading on the Web. On a functional level, it makes life easy for the researcher, especially if he's mucking about academic journals online, such as JSTOR or electronic collections of documents such as are held by the National Security Archive at George Washington University.
In my case, it also means much more efficient shuffling about ebay --or it did until recently. Lately ebay has gotten less Opera-friendly, and begun showing up bizarre "your browser does not accept cookies" error messages at me when I tried to log in on Opera. Never mind that I have duly instructed Opera to accept all cookies from all servers. Never mind that I specifically instruct it to accept cookies from ebay. Never mind all of that--ebay now REFUSES to let me in.
No such bullshit from IE...and the change seems to have occurred this week. I'm disappointed; ebay used to be pretty browser-neutral, but increasingly it seems to have fallen into the IE or 'owt trap of so many other otherwise-good websites. C'mon, people. Let's have some STANDARDS here!
....all of this is probably just as well, since I can't really afford that Rolleicord that I want, anyway. If anybody out there is generous, I'm wishing for a Rolleicord Vb for Christmas. Or even aRolleiflex 2.8 Planar , if you can swing it. I've been ever so good.....