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INTERNET INFO: Opera - a Browser

By Bob Brand

If you currently use two (or more) browsers such as Netscape 3.03, Netscape

4.01 and Internet Explorer 4.01 for surfing, do I have a product for you! Most

people on the Internet have not heard of Opera yet. Its reputation spreads

only by word of mouth. Here are the details.

Opera was developed in 1994 in Oslo, Norway, by two programmers, Jon

Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsoy. The latest version, 3.1, just

released, now includes the efforts of many more programmers. Opera is not

perfect. Frankly, it is a bit quirky. However, it has some compelling

features. I use it every day in combination with Netscape and IE Explorer.

Small is Good

Opera is very small. With a compressed size of just over one megabyte, it

expands to under 2 megabytes. The Opera.exe file is only 25 to 35 percent the

size of Netscape and Internet Explorer. Right from the gitgo, Opera's tiny

size offers several strong advantages: 1) it loads very fast from the hard

disk, 2) it runs fast, and 3) it executes on older 386 computers. As a bonus,

when multiple programs run concurrently (word processor, HTML editor, graphics

editing software such as PaintShop and others), Opera does not gobble scarce

resources. Right away, this is a big plus for the serious Internet user. If

you are getting GPF (General Protection Fault) errors because your system has

less than 16 MB RAM, Opera may be just the right product.

Opera handles all the normal browser functions: back, forward, stop, refresh,

the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) window, file display (enter filename in the

window) and much more. The screen icons and their locations are different from

the more popular browsers. Thus they require some adjustment on the part of

the net-ster. For example, the URL window is found at the bottom of the

screen.

Opera can be easily modified for speed. When the first website comes up on the

screen, Opera comes up in text mode. This means that the words appear and the

names of the pictures (not the graphics) appear. To turn on the graphics,

click on the camera with the red X through it. The graphics then appear. When

visiting a graphics-laden site that loads like molasses in an ice-storm, turn

off the graphics with one mouse-click. When a URL is entered, the status of

its delivery (size, speed, and elapsed time in seconds) over the Internet

displays in the URL window. When the full file has been received, the URL

again replaces the status information. Nice touch.

Have you ever been in a cyber-black hole and you cannot tell what is going on?

The Opera browser overcomes the problem.

At times, webmasters use text that is either too large or too small. When this

happens, text either overflows the screen or it is difficult to read. Opera

can reduce or enlarge the size of the text with two mouse clicks. This is very

convenient and very helpful to people with poor eyesight.

Mail

Opera cannot handle incoming mail in its current version. However, it can send

mail after loading the proper settings. Use the Netscape/Explorer browser

information. I find it convenient to send mail from Opera with the messages

showing a return address of my JUNO account even though I use the mail

protocols of the ISP (Internet Service Provider). This is slick. The next

version of Opera will have additional mail functions.

Newsgroups

Opera sports a Usenet Newsgroup reader. Before Opera, I used the newsreader in

Netscape 3.03. I found the readers in Netscape 4 and IE 4 too confusing. The

Opera newsreader has quirks and idiosyncrasies, some of which I have not

figured out yet. However, it is smoothly integrated with website viewing and I

have learned to use it effectively. While Opera admits to some bugs in the

reader, I have found my way around them.

Free Agent (a popular newsgroup software client software) can be integrated

easily with Opera. I have not tried this, although, most serious `newsies' go

this route.

Problem Areas

The current version of Opera supports Javascript but not Java. For some people

this is not a problem, although Java support is promised in Version 4. I ran

into a problem where I lost Opera's menu bar at the top of the screen. This

was most annoying because I did not know a convenient way to get it back. By

exiting the program completely and getting back in, the menu bar returns, but

this radical procedure can be avoided. The command to get the menu bar back is

CTL-F11. If it ever happens, you will remember reading the instruction here.

Real Audio (and other helper programs) as well as plug-ins work with Opera.

Cost

Opera is not free. You can try it for 30 days before making a decision. The

cost is only $35. It is not perfect, so if you are just getting comfortable

using a browser, this is not for you. However, seasoned surfers will find a

lot to like in Opera.

In Closing

Helmut Rudolph in South Africa provides excellent technical support for Opera

users. In addition, a Usenet Newsgroup (news://opera.nta.no/opera.general) is

an active area where Opera users exchange ideas and secrets. If you try Opera

and experience a few problems, just drop me an e-note. I'll try to help.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.operasoftware.com/

http://webreview.com/wr/pub/98/02/06/imho/index.html

http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reviews/Compare/Browsers5/?ibd

(Note: This is the 91st of a series of elementary articles designed for

surfing the Internet. Next, "More Women on the Net" is the subject on tap.

Stay tuned. Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace.

Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People (including links to sites

mentioned in this article) can be found at http://www.thebee.com. Please

e-mail comments and suggestions to rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)