Zen Internet Support Forum

Hello,

Just to let you know that the latest version of Opera is now available. Opera version 9.50, I have to say that first impressions are extremely positive. WOW!! its fast.

**Installed & upgraded from 9.27 > 9.50 was simple, smooth & straight forwards.

Ivan

Hi,

Opera 9.5 has been released and is truly the best web browser I've used. Its extremely fast to load, & fast to load web pages. But don't believe me see for your self. http://www.opera.com/

Today FireFox version 3.0 was released. http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html

Ivan

Firefox's website is lagging under the strain! I've been using FF3 with Ubuntu Hardy for a few weeks and I've found it a little clunky. there's been a few interface tweaks which to me haven't been an improvement and although they've corrected a few of them with some minor pre-release updates it's still not as good as FF2 for me. Ubuntu updated to the final release in the last week or so and I've still experienced a few crashes which really shouldn't be happening though that may be related to plugins which aren't really ready yet.

I may give Opera a go, I've not used it much but when I have it's always been very very good. 

---

David Nelson
Team Leader
Business Support Unit
Zen Internet

I have been trying the various beta's of Firefox 3 and have been a bit disappointed as there are quite a few functions that dont work and still dont in the final version (ala Microsoft) I shall be sticking to ff v2

I did however use Ivans link to Opera, which I have never used before and it is certainly faster than ff2,&3 and IE7 & 8 on my machine anyway.  I have downloaded and will give it a good try.   It didnt do too well at posting this reply (text wouldnt  appear in message box) so reverted back for this to ff2

Roger 

Had the same problem as previous reply when using Opera 9.5, cursor not showing up in the message box.

Downloaded Opera 9.5 a couple of days before Firefox 3 was released and, I have to agree that it is certainly fast. So much so that I am using more than Firefox 3.

I like the mouse shotcuts, eg, hold right mouse button and left click to go back to previous page.

Well worth a look at.

Hi,

YES! I have to agree with much of the comments made here about Firefox 3.0, it is a little clunky in places that's true and I think some of that disappointment is due in part to the hype & fan fair generated by Mozilla themselves (although you cannot blame them I suppose).

**YES! I'm really really liking Opera 9.5 too & also using it more than Firefox 3 now.

 

Ivan.

 

That's the problem with Firefox for me, back when it was Phoenix it was the light-weigh browser-only alternative to the Mozilla Suite and they spent a lot time stripping it down so every release was a smaller and smaller download. Now I get the feeling it's going the other way and it's not so much about speed and agility anymore. Too much time trying to be one step ahead of the competition I think.

---

David Nelson
Team Leader
Business Support Unit
Zen Internet

Hi David,

Ah! Yes I know that feeling well and it just goes to prove the old adage that not all upgrades are equal?

**Meaning just because an upgraded version is offered it doesn't neccessarily mean it IS better than what came before. In my experience of application development, software evolves over time & often reaches a pinacle or apex. Where the balance between functionality, user features, navigation & performance are about right, then what happens next is that the following version tends to be a step backwards (how do you improve on a VERY good product, of course you cannot and this is extremely true of MS Windows in my opinion).

**In that light I would say having used literally every version of MS Windows since it was created that currently windows XP pro is quite possibly the best version of windows ever. And that MS Vista is a retrograde.

Ivan.

I agree with what you say about Windows XP Pro. Microsoft are incorporating the new touch-screen technology into their future version of Windows and it would be nice to see Microsoft take the opportunity to completely re-think how humans and computers interact with one another much like what Nintendo have been doing for games consoles. This would effectively end of line "Windows" and start something entirely new. It would be bold but we're still using computers today how Gem Desktop worked on my first PC from the 80's and there's been a lot of ideas and developments since then. Otherwise we will be stuck with Windows in decadence, which is the same subject bouncing around the Gnome developer community at the moment as they have realised that their currently fundamental concepts are running out of road for the very same reasons.

---

David Nelson
Team Leader
Business Support Unit
Zen Internet

Hi David,

YES! I have to agree with you entirely about the future of Microsoft Windows. It would be very sad if Microsoft only just added touch-screen technology ontop of some form of windows client (in other words just re-arrange the deck chairs on the Titanic once again as per usual?). I think windows as a concept for a desktop OS is looking very old & rather tired now a days. No! matter how you dress up windows its still windows. I agree with you its a dilemma but if computing is going to move forwards into a better future then windows or the desktop OS as we know it also has to change. How or what that will be I have absolutely No! idea.

Ivan

After a few days now of using Opera 9.5 I like it even more, the only thing I dont like is the occassional freezing

which looking on the Opera Forums others seem to be having.  

I am still using Firefox 2 on one machine due to ff3's inability to load some sites (again others having same probs)

and add ons and themes that dont work on on ff3