Opera vs. Firefox

[D]

Opera has too many compatability issues with sites. Back in the old, old days I used to use Netscape Navigator. It really did rule over IE with it's speed. I started using IE again for a while, but got bored with it installing stuff without me knowing, so I switched to Mozilla Firebird, but found it had memory leak problems, so went to just the normal Mozilla browser. I did use Opera for a while, when it was on version 5, but got annoyed with all the messed up shit on the page.
I've now been using Firefox consistantly for about a year, and have had no trouble at all with it, and it is much, much faster than IE could ever hope to be.
As I haven't used Opera for 3-4 years, I can't base a proper opinion on it now. If it still has the compatability issues, where you have to switch identities and crap, then it can lay there and die.

[cayden]

Opera gives me java errors sometimes. Maybe im missing a plugin or something but this never happened to me when i used Firefox. So i think im just gonna stick to firefox for now.

[Str8Ba11a]

All i've ever used is IE...yeah...so what....*dies of computer virus*

[GODJonez]

Opera is just following standards. Sites using non-standard methods work only for IE. *hates non-standard*

And Java errors go away if you had Java
If they were JavaScript errors, Mozilla-based browsers have more of them

[Norgus]

I used Opera for 2 years prior to switching to Firefox, about 6 months ago, so I think I can give a fairly good run down.

Opera is quite a nice package, for ~10mb you get tabbed browsing, gestures, email client, IRC chat, oodles of other features, including a decent and powerful rendering engine. The downsides are, it takes AAAAGES to load up, it feels clunky, it isnt as responsive as the competition, there wasnt (when i was using it) a way to get rid of features you dont want, and so you were actually stuck with say, POP3 mail support, when you dont want it. The biggest downside is that it is closed source, and not free. When I had it, one would have to pay $25 to register, taking the advert banner off, which was a waste of bandwidth and an eyesore.

When I first installed firefox, I was suprised at its loading time, faster than IEs. I started to get pissed off at the lack of features though, then I found out you add xpi's (or extensions to the common man) to add functionality, much like plugins. Within a week FireFox had all the features I liked about opera (gestures, proper tab support and more), and it was a hell of alot faster than Opera. Also being Open source and free, means I dont have to pay a penny for it, and bugs get fixed alot quicker than commercial companies. Opera crashed on a good few pages, which meant I had to use IE instead, firefox on the other hand, doesnt, I only use IE for testing websites I build nowadays. Downsides to firefox? Erm... Java apps slow it right down, some XPIs dont work all that well, but it is just a case of disabling it and finding an alternative.

So incase you couldnt be bothered to rtfp, long story short; out of my experience, I favour Firefox, it can be as good/better than Opera, faster, smaller, more features, prettier. But out of the box, Firefox isnt great, Opera on the other hand isnt half bad, even if it is 3-5x bigger.

P.S I would like to add as a final note, IE based browsers (MyIE, CrazyBrowser, Avant and AOL browser to name a few) are utter shite. They add a small amount of functionality to an already crap browser. This means instead of having a bug ridden browser, you have a bug ridden browser with a popup blocker. The Microsoft Explorer rendering engine has decades to go before it is as good as the next one. Put simply, dont use IE or a derivative.

*ahem* all you Opera fanboys should really actually spend the time to READ this post, it about the most fair opinion in this entire thread and if anything, due to time difference, it should be swayed in Opera's favour.

[GODJonez]

I read it and still I'm using Opera

[Frozen Sky]

Never used Opera, so I won't know

[Grim Reaper]

I read it and still I'm using Opera

Same

[Norgus]

My main point was that its the fairest post in the thread I don't expect something like that to convert you people

Anyway something that should be agreed on is that almost any browser that is not running the IE engine is well worth getting as large a user base for. This is because we want OPEN STANDARDS not exclusive to whatever the fuck microsoft wants to run. If the majority of web users used opera then websites would be designed to good standards and anyone running a half decent web browser would have a perfect experience. Same if firefox were to become most popular, not only users of the popular browsers but anyone using a complient browser would be happy.

[Schutzstaffel]

Opera? Firefox? ...I use IE.

[GODJonez]

Opera? Firefox? ...I use IE.

You use <span style="font-size: 5em;">WHAT?</span>
(<-- IE being shotted)

[D]

All i've ever used is IE...yeah...so what....*dies of computer virus*

Yes, but you probably got your first computer for Christmas.

[KnightofNachos]

Firefox is becoming increasingly popular, and popularity brings viruses. Firefox's appeal was that it had built-in protection in that relatively few people used it.
Trojans, spyware, pop-ups and such are programmed for IE because about 90% of people still use it. However, hackers have already found vulnerabilities in Firefox and the threat has already begun.
For now, I still use Firefox, but it will eventually change.

[D]

There is much more chance of Firefox actually being updated to prevent these things than IE though. IE is just a bucket with huge holes in, and they slowly patch it up, but as they do this, new holes open up and it's a neverending circle.

Oh and remind me of your MSN, and go on it, fatboy.

[Str8Ba11a]

To whoever said i got my first computer for christmas...That aint true. I've been around computers since i was about 9 (7 years ago) And my first computer had 350 mb of free space and probably not a lot of ram (Back then i didnt know of such a thing) I just was unaware taht there were good alternatives to IE til now. (Also, ive learned a lot about computers over the yeras as a relative of mine went to the Computer Learning Center here and taught me everything he knows) So please...dont make generalizations based on an elitist opinion of others.

EDIT
I feel i gotta say...I Just made the switch to firefox. Still getting used to the slightly different GUI, but all in all I'm impressed