The Chronicles of Takehiro

We have been friends with our internet browsers ever since we learned how to use a computer. I am quite sure that all of us started with the juggernaut but useless Internet Explorer. It was utterly one of the worst browsers ever produced by man, or I mean, a “window.” This monopolist tried to hog every computer available in the planet, and we had to endure its long loading times and multiple windows opened in one session. It took up a lot of our RAM, thus slowing our computer’s performance, not to mention its “excellence” in warding off worms and viruses.

Then came the competitors like Firefox, which uses the multiple tab session. Your taskbar will not be flooded with 10 IE windows opened at the same time anymore. Of course, Microsoft followed suit, but it still can’t beat Mozilla’s faster loading time and its introduction of plug-ins. Then Google Chrome came in with its minimalist design and even faster loading time. Also, Chrome brought searching into a whole new level by allowing users to search and type keywords through its address bar.

Of course, Opera will not allow itself to be left behind in the ongoing browser wars. Believe it or not, Opera came in first with the multi-tab session. They also innovated the start-up screen, like Chrome, in which your 9 favorite sites can be accessed in a click of a mouse, or should I say, “speed-dialing.” Unlike Chrome, which it predicts your favorite tabs through the number of visits, Opera allows you to actually choose and customize which 9 sites you want to visit conveniently. It also allows you to only click from Ctrl+0 to Ctrl+9 for your favorite sites. Talk about incorporating telephone functions onto the web!

Another thing that I find useful is the mouse gesture found in Opera. It has been added in Opera since version 5. Not even Chrome has this yet. Mouse gesture is a way of combining mouse movements and clicks as a command. For example, you can return to the previous page through a simple hold and drag command. No more clicking on the back button found on that very top left corner of the screen!

So there you have it folks… these are only some of the things Opera has introduced to this modern age. Who knows, we might be using brain waves in Opera’s future versions!