Andrew Gregory

Five Opera Wishes

Wednesday, 25. July 2007, 14:43:57

I've been tagged by Hallvord. Thanks. I think.

Now, I could quite easily make a list a lot longer than just five items. I did an Opera 10 Wishlist last year and most of those are still relevant. Some I've reconsidered.

This time around, I'll concentrate on usability aspects of Opera:

An automatic update facility. I retract my assertion one year ago that this isn't needed. I now think it is. It's always important to try to get as many people as possible always running the latest version. This is from a functionality (bug fixes, new features) viewpoint, as well as the security viewpoint. So that this isn't too hard, I'm not expecting a fancy patching system, just something that will download the usual install executable and be able to run that such that no user intervention is required. i.e. no asking for install folders, etc. Update? - Yes - Wait - Done!
Further to the above, skins, widgets, panels, userjs (and any other installable things I've missed) should be enhanced with a versioning system, and also be able to be automatically updated. There should also be a way to indicate that an item is being abandoned, so people aren't left waiting for an update that will never happen. Of course, there would need to be a user interface to manage all that.
Since I'm in the mood for automation, Opera should be able to perform proxy auto-discovery (when possible), and Opera's BitTorrent client should support UPnP and NAT traversal. Basically, those things that Opera can figure out for itself so that users don't have to.
When users view a page that requires a particular plugin, Opera should provide a link to a page that explains the plugin, what it does, where to find it, and how to install it.
Finally, a repeat from last year. Default to web page toolbar buttons with the little triangles that indicate drop-down menus are available. The existing defaults give the appearance that Opera doesn't support back-button history, and it's a frequent question/complaint on the forums. Opera has hidden a vital part of the UI self-discovery process. A feature people expect is no longer visible, and therefore might as well not exist. Many new users seem to think so.

Now, apparently I'm supposed to tag five other people, but everyone I can quickly think of has already been tagged. If anyone feels left out and would like to be tagged, PM me! (IOW, I'm lazy and can't be bothered playing the tagging game...

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CSS 2.1 becomes a Candidate RecommendationSVGs on web pages

Comments

IceArdor # 25. July 2007, 22:29

About the automatic update functionality:

I like the current update model. I like seeing that Opera recognizes my Opera install (D:\Opera\) isn't in the standard location (C:\Program Files\Opera\), and that I could choose to install it in a different place easily because of the option it gives me.

I don't think it's ethical to update or download content without a user's permission. If I were on 56k or I was paying by the megabyte, if Opera automatically downloaded the installer or update patch, it'd cost me money I might not be willing to pay. Fortunately, I'm not on 56k or pay-per-meg, but yeah.

I don't like Firefox's update prompt. I _think_ that I've opened up the browser, and so I go back fiddling with my media player or back to Opera. I check on Firefox a couple minutes later and it still isn't loaded because Firefox is stuck on the "Would you like to install these updates?" screen. It makes Firefox seem slower and more annoying.

Andrew Gregory # 26. July 2007, 13:13

The problem with the current model is that it leaves many people with older versions that have bugs or security issues. It's far too easy to put off updating. I'm doing it right now with my Java runtime! It's been reminding me for months!

Of course, it should be possible to disable an auto-download, but I think the people who'd complain are a tiny minority. The vast majority would benefit.

IceArdor # 27. July 2007, 00:55

Yeah. I myself like to run weeklies. If Opera implemented the automatic update functionality correctly, I'm sure it'd be great.

"4. When users view a page that requires a particular plugin, Opera should provide a link to a page that explains the plugin, what it does, where to find it, and how to install it."

That also would be REALLY nice--auto-update feature for Opera's plugins, so I don't have to manually download the updates for those. Navigating Adobe's site is just a real pain.