Why I like the new Opera browser

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Moocat
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Post by Moocat »

Those speedtest sites:

"http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html

Check that out and there are also some speed checks there.

You can test your current browser javascript speed speed here...

http://www.24fun.com/downloadcenter/ben ... nchjs.html "

were BS. 17 seconds for a cold boot of Firefox 1.5? I haven't had a 17 second cold boot on ANY program I've run since 1995 or so. Even on 300mhz machines. I don't think I'd rely on info from that site to be correct. I can load Steam (the valve game portal) in less than 17 seconds.
Roja
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Post by Roja »

Moocat wrote:You can test your current browser javascript speed speed here... http://www.24fun.com/downloadcenter/ben ... nchjs.html "
Notably, it has been widely discussed that Opera in fact *cheats* on this test - it claims to be finished, while the javascript is still processing.

Worse, the test is highly rigged. The javascript has errors, and it tests numerous events (like statusbar updates and moving windows) that aren't a major factor in most websites today.
Moocat wrote:were BS. 17 seconds for a cold boot of Firefox 1.5? I haven't had a 17 second cold boot on ANY program I've run since 1995 or so. Even on 300mhz machines. I don't think I'd rely on info from that site to be correct. I can load Steam (the valve game portal) in less than 17 seconds.
Grin. Thats why I say your mileage may vary. Benchmarks are often offered up when real-world use gives unfavorable results. Or put another way, ignore the benchmarks, try both yourself, and see how it feels.

One thing I would mention about the benchmark page is that they are running the tests with XP, on an 800mhz machine, with 256mb of ram. Those are not even remotely close to the average specs for a machine in use today, let alone the specs of computers for most php programmers.

My experience is substantially different from both the benchmarks and the claims some users make. I do find Opera to be fast, and I do use it as a secondary browser. But the comparisons have to be reasonable, and on *my* machine, its a very close competition for my daily use. The numbers on that page aren't even close to my results, so I have to (like you, Moocat) call BS on the results.

Give them both a try for your own use. Opera *does* have some amazing things going for it. But hiding behind skewed, biased benchmarks and ignoring functionality it doesn't offer isn't reasonable.
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s.dot
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Post by s.dot »

I've liked opera since before I knew what internet standards were. Unfortunately I have lots of browsers and I keep going back to IE for my general use. I guess it's because I'm so used to the "feel" of it.
Set Search Time - A google chrome extension. When you search only results from the past year (or set time period) are displayed. Helps tremendously when using new technologies to avoid outdated results.
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Benjamin
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Post by Benjamin »

I reformatted my windows partition to solve that problem. :twisted:
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Moocat
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Post by Moocat »

I use Firefox generally because I like the look and feel. Also, Opera acts differently than BOTH Firefox and IE while not containing a majority share of public browser usage which only slows down testing. I would use Opera if it had a larger user base, but alas, it's like voting for a third party canidate, you may as well eat the paper your vote is written on for all the good it will do.
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