|
Opera Lover?
|
 |
July 25, 2001: 8:28 a.m. ET
You may become one if you're seeking a faster, sturdier, more basic browser
By Liane Gouthro
|
NEW YORK (Entrepreneur.com) - When it comes to a Web browser, you probably think you have only two options: Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. But you might want to consider trying the new version 5.02 of Opera from Opera Software.
This alternative browser runs not only on machines with slower processors, but also on just about any operating system your departments may be using. It's a bare-bones, non-Java version that's available as a 2MB file, so it requires fewer system resources. That means you won't have to upgrade those older machines just to improve the browser's performance.
As mentioned, Opera runs on a wide variety of operating systems: BeIA, BeOS, EPOC, Linux, Mac and Windows. If, say, your graphics department is Mac-based and your engineering team is using EPOC, Opera could provide a little commonality among your company's computers, which would be particularly helpful for applications like logging on to your company's intranet and extranet.
Click here for other software stocks
Opera is also designed to load pages more quickly and to be more stable than its larger competitors. Testing it over a dial-up connection, its speed wasn't mind-blowing, but it did perform very consistently without any crashes.
Opera also features some handy tools, such as a built-in, stripped-down version of the ICQ instant messenger. It can send and receive messages, but it can't handle file attachments. It also features a built-in search query form right on the tool bar.
The default search engine is Google, but you can also opt for AltaVista, GoTo or HotBot. Opera also comes with some real drawbacks, not the least of which is the cost of the premium version of the browser-Opera charges $39 per year. A free version is available, but it's advertising-supported. That means a banner-sized ad is always residing right on your toolbar, taking up some valuable screen real estate.
The browser now offers support for more Web-building technologies, including DOM, DHTML and WAP. If you want to add Java support, Opera grows to almost 10MB in size. Still, if you're looking for a common browser to use across multiple operating systems and on older machines, Opera could be worth your time. 
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
