[OT] Which one is better: Opera or Firefox?

[karlchen]

[...]a free Opera license[...] I got one, but I don't want to use an inferior browser, even if it costs the same as Firefox.
Roman

This, sir, is illogical
Opera is not only a superior browser, but a powerful internet management system.
If you do not believe me, you can verify my words here.

So, Opera is definitely and undoubtedly the most efficient browser.
Resistance is futile, your browser will be assimilated.

Karl
--
P.S.:
(1) Will I be banned from the forum for contradicting a moderator?
(2) Will this most enlightening thread go on forever?

[norfie]

(1) Will I be banned from the forum for contradicting a moderator?

Yes off course, because all extraterrestrials will be banned from the whole of our solar system -
Borgs especially.

[petermad]

So it's settled then - fire the fox!

And become a phantom of the Opera

[Hacker]

karlchen,

Will I be banned from the forum for contradicting a moderator?

No, but your posts will change subtly once in a while, as to insult random other members, Christian, or even yourself...

Roman

[SQUIRE]

Ghisler:

Do not ask "what's best" because this question cannot be answered objectively. Each and everyone has their own view about what's best in a certain area. The best is what works best for you!

So your worst misgivings are realised - this thread has degenerated into a bandwidth-gobbling, bitter argument over the merits of Vogon poetry. But it is informative, educational, and entertaining, which is what a forum should strive to be (I think).

Norfie:

Yes off course, because all extraterrestrials will be banned from the whole of our solar system - Borgs especially.

Yet again the dreaded hive-mind of the fans of singing generously-proportioned ladies reaches out to sow FUD into the heart of the disbeliever!

karlchen:

Resistance is futile, your browser will be assimilated

So Hacker, I implore you, hands up and avoid the terrible fate of the lurgid bee. Sit back and relax, light up a nice warm blaze stoked with a convenient fox, break out the Petrus and enjoy a pleasant weekend at the O_p_e_r_a. She'll bewitch you yet, see if she don't!

[SQUIRE]

I reckon many of the denizens of this forum are also Opera lovers so this would be a good opportunity to repeat some simple tips to improve your browsing experience.

In general, unwanted advertising, spyware, 1-pixel transparent web-bugs, pop-ups, etc. all gobble up your bandwidth, slow down page rendering and generally spoil your day.

[1] If you haven't already done so, remove many of these problems by configuring your HOSTS file to block nasty IPs by re-directing them to 127.0.0.1. The effect is global and will affect all DNS lookups in the list across ALL browsers.

(1.1) You can download a pre-configured HOSTS file from Dan Pollock or
(1.2) Use the one provided by Spybot Search & Destroy if you have it installed (see under Tools) or
(1.3) Use Bluetack's Host Manager
(1.4) Get a HOSTS file administrator from Rekenwonder if you need one.

[2] Apart from adding your personal list of undesirable IPs to the HOSTS file, you can also speed things up by entering the canonical names of frequently-visited web sites there as well. This saves your browser from having to perform a DNS lookup from an external DNS server. Again, this effect is global e.g.

Code: Select all

204.157.1.65      ghisler.ch
64.124.179.116    improbable.com

[3] IMHO there's nothing so distracting and maddening as a Flash ad , so reduce your blood pressure by using a Flash blocker. The Flash content is still viewable at a click if you so wish.

[4] Block banners, ads, etc. in Opera with Adblocker.css. Essential.

[5] Floating DHTML images and ads are an absolute curse and sometimes difficult to exterminate. Zap these and other page elements with the satisfying smiley PACMAN KILL power button

[6] Visit Numion for some fun measuring your surf speed and maybe decide which browser is quickest?

If you know of any other useful tips and tricks to make browsing safer and more pleasant, do please share them with us. Have a good surfing day!

[majkinetor !]

thx Squire for summing this up.

You also want to add to that list, script that show embeded images as notead by icfu

Opera 9 Beta 2\scripts\links-2-images.user.js

Code: Select all

(function () {
	var links = document.getElementsByTagName ("a");
	for (var i = links.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
		// search for all links with href to image file
		if (links[i].href && links[i].href.match(/^.*\.(jpe?g|png|bmp|gif|ico)$/i)) {
			// convert <a> into <img>, and href into src 
			var img = document.createElement("img") ;
			img.setAttribute ("src", links[i].href) ;
			img.setAttribute ("class", "image-link") ;
			img.setAttribute ("alt", links[i].getAttribute('title')) ;
			links[i].parentNode.replaceChild (img, links[i]) ;
		}
	}
})();

In opera 9 you can "Edit site properties" to include this only on some pages.

[icfu]

Some additions:
1. Instead of HOSTS file you can also use filter.ini blocking in Opera, it is more flexible as wildcards can be used:
http://www.schrode.net/opera/url_filtering/index.html

The file in Opera 9 is called urlfilter.ini now! It is also created as soon as you are using the new content blocking feature for the first time.

2. If you want to block ads for all browsers, I'd use a DNS proxy instead of HOSTS file, have a look at DNSKong, it's very powerful, supports wildcards and other gimmicks:
http://www.pyrenean.com/?page_value=-1

3. You can even block IPs directly with the console command "route":

3.1 Enable TCP/IP Forwarding, reboot:

Code: Select all

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters]
"IPEnableRouter"=dword:00000001

3.2. Example to block/allow access to 216.73.92.112, which is the doubleclick server:

Code: Select all

route -p add 216.73.92.112 192.168.0.1
route -p delete 216.73.92.112

Icfu

[majkinetor !]

i prefere global method.

For instance, some apps periodicaly check if you are valid registred user. If you ban its server ip from the Opera, it will stil be able to connect. If I use hosts, or route they can do nothing.

thx for route info... I never used it this way.

btw, I think that above script can be succesifully used to delete adds from the page with little modifications (those can be find around). All firewalls have some list of keywords... so essentialy why do I need separate app when Opera can handle that alone... of course, updates can be problematic, but I think they are not so needed for this kind of job.

[SQUIRE]

Useful stuff, icfu, thx. I knew about DNSKong but filter.ini and the route command are both news to me.

In the good(?) old days of ancient laptop with Win98/Pentium 1 90 MHz/33K dial-up, I found the DNS proxy blockers like Internet Junkbuster a real lifesaver.

Nowadays I find the HOSTS file cum ad-blocker scripts works well for me with the least hassle. Those who prefer a per-browser (as opposed to global) proxy solution with fine control might like to look at Privoxy which is the updated version of IJB.

Many users also swear by Proxomitron, but I've only ever used it briefly and don't have an opinion one way or another. Update: it appears the author released the source code into the public domain and modified versions have been created containing spyware. Be careful.

[sas2000]

 
OPERA 9
 

[Xtrician]

Opera was the best, but then Firefox come and show to everybody what is Gecko Engine and how use it.

And the extension of Firefox, i cant witout them.

After a lot of my tests here is the best i can to give you:

Best Browsers:

1. Mozilla Firefox.
2. Opera.
3. Maxthon.

[LorenSparks]

(1) Will I be banned from the forum for contradicting a moderator?

Yes off course, because all extraterrestrials will be banned from the whole of our solar system -
especially.

Chrome is best and more smooth to work than opera and firefox.