I’ve been using the latest Firefox 3 Beta 3 release and I must say that I am seriously impressed. Not only because I didn’t have to compile it in order to run it in Linux but because the speed difference is incredible. I’m serious, where before my ff would be laggy in switching some tabs or when clicking, this version is lightning fast.
Also the bookmarks and Location bar functions got a major overhaul and became very very useful now.
Seriously, give it a look. It’s quick and painless
I don’t think that 10 or so extension will reduce the speed of firefox that much, I’m using this number right now and there is hardly any difference. Also, not everyone needs the built in functionality of Opera. I for one prefer the fact that I can choose what I need instead of getting what the developers think I need.
I, on the other hand, am the opposite. I value my freedom more than the extra “bling” I might get currently from Opera. I consider the philosophy more important than the development model.
You’re jumping to conclusions. I never said that they are all evil, nor did I say anything negative about Opera in any way. However the fact remains that it is propriertary and thus I am left at the whim of the developer. If tomorrow Opera goes under, then I am certain not to get any more updates for my browser. It’s not always about being evil, it’s about making the better choice.
For me, firefox is a just a better choice. And also since the development of firefox is progressing at a rapid pace, it’s only a matter of time before Opera is left in the dust like IE has.
BTW, Opera is unlikely to bring back ads. Its primary money makers are contracts with device manufacturers (like cellphones) and search engine tie-ups.
And the Windows version works with Wine, I've tried it. But that's an implausible scenario, as a lot of Opera developers use Linux. The GUI itself uses the Qt toolkit.
Not all closed-source software companies are "evil" like Microsoft, despite what people may have read from GNU, FSF or RMS.