I made a post in jest on HeavyInk about Opera, and no one got it. People flipped out that I had insulted their precious Firefox. Oh well, I’ll answer you and explain why Opera is better if I really have to explain it.
We can go about this two ways. First, why you shouldn’t use Firefox. Second, why you should use Opera (as opposed to the gobs of other browsers out there).
Why should you not use Firefox? Firefox has memory leaks. It’s notorious for this. Firefox 3 did not fix this. New upcoming versions will not fix this. Why? Because Mozilla considers this a feature. Wait… what? Apparently, this makes Firefox faster to begin with and when you’re using a small number of tabs. When you start opening up many tabs (I have 8 open right now by chance), and even after you open a lot and close them, that’s when the memory problems start.
Why should you use Opera?
First and foremost, FF and Opera are browsers so the job they should do the best is browsing the internet. Opera gets an 83 on Acid3, while Firefox gets a 71. If you want a browser, get a browser that does the job right. Okay, so the highest score was from Safari, but Safari did everything but browsing wrong (it’s from Apple), and you’ve gotta find a balance somewhere. 
Next, are the extras that make browsing more enjoyable and easier.
- Opera Link This is a sycronization function that keeps all my bookmarks, notes, speed dial (more on that later), and some other settings saved and in sync from computer to computer. I don’t even notice it happens. I have the three computers that I own all in sync. Also, I’ve installed Opera at work and instead of auto syncing there (I don’t want to), I log onto my Opera Link account, the settings appear, and then I log off. Also, if I want to pull up my bookmarks on another computer I can go to my.opera.com and either see the ones I’ve made public (I haven’t made any) or log on and explore all of them. Opera has rid any desire I have for del.icio.us.
- Speed Dial. When you turn on Opera, there is a screen of 9 squares, like the buttons on your phone, that you can set to your top 9 favorite favorites. You can either press Ctrl+T (new tab) and then click on the squares with your mouse, or press Ctrl+1 to open your first speed dial. You’ll quickly memorize where they are, trust me.
- Visual Preview When you mouse over a tab, it shows you a preview of the screen. Hey, I like it.
- Content Blocking. Obviously, you can block pop up ads. But you can also block ads that are embedded into the page. It’s not worth it for a page you’re going to see once, but it’s definately worth it for Facebook. I control what I see.
- Wand. Opera will remember all of your passwords for you. It’s not like in FF or IE where it remembers half the log in and you have to type the rest. Opera remembers everything. What you have to do is remember one keystroke. The default is Ctrl+Enter. Depending on your keyboard, you may want to change that (particularly on an eee). And Opera will ask you “Remember,” “Not this time” or “Never” so you can always tell Opera to stfu. But I love the wand.
These are just my top favs. There’s no way I could write a whole paragraph about everything Opera does (and that’s probably why Opera’s website doesn’t even do that)! Some more include a bittorrent client, an email client, rss aggregator, skins, keystroke control, something with voice (Windows only, that’s why I don’t know), IRC client… and I know I’m forgetting stuff.
Firefox users have been jealous of Opera (notably of it’s Speed Dial and syncing functions… and that it’s a better browser) and have made extentions to try to recreate it. Why would they work so hard to keep their Altzheimer’s browser? I’ve not the faintest clue. But here’s the thing… extentions will never be as well integrated as something that’s actually part of the browser. So no matter how hard Firefox users try to turn Firefox into Opera, Opera will still do the job better.
Oh, and Opera has widgets and Dragonfly for developers.
So why DO people keep Firefox? Okay, I’ll say it, though the newest version of Opera (9.5) is faster, the SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark found it slightly slower than Firefox 3 Release Candidate 3. This is always going to be the case before Firefox goes into its memory leak cycle, during which it brings the whole computer down with it.
Some Open Source people don’t like the fact that, though Opera is free as in beer, it isn’t free as in source. Thing is, Open Source is wonderful until too many people start working on the project. Then, it’s too many random crazies in the kitchen. Firefox, being so popular, is a fabulous example of this. It just started crapping out when it turned into a mosh pit. Similarly, I hear worries that the “big corporate Opera people” aren’t going to listen. Opera people aren’t corporate people. As opposed to Firefox, the mosh pit that couldn’t care less if it’s stepping on your toes or if you have a memory leak, Opera makes sincere efforts to see the Opera Community as a voting group. What features do you want next? And they’ll throw in some creative surprises, too!
Also, changing to a different browser can be hectic. Let’s face it, you get on the computer to get on the internet. Changing browsers can be as stressful as changing Operating Systems. You have everything about that browser exactly how you want it. You have all the buttons just how you want it, you know what all the keystrokes are (most of them are the same by the way). And, if you don’t have browsing habits that give your Firefox memory loss, the old “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” saying may be in your ear.
But, my friends, there is something better on the other side. The grass is greener! Go… eat some grass! Go download Opera!
* This is all Opera 9.5 and Firefox 3. <3
