Let’s face it – even though Opera Software has done an amazing job on their web browsers – with recently released Opera 10 and Opera Mini 4.2 available for use on almost every operating system and smartphone under the sun, not everyone might be open to using it. There are some who, despite the great advantages Opera has over competitors, for one reason or another, just couldn’t be bothered to use it. Let’s have a look at some of those!
10. You enjoy having spyware on your computer.
As useful as computers are, they might become mundane through the experience of everyday use. However, thanks to all the malicious software and
spyware out there, there are all kinds of ways to keep things fresh, with popups that make you aware of
drugs you didn’t yet know you wanted, and software that (for a price) is available to remove the “virus” that somehow got on your computer. When you decide that you tire of these things, it’s often quite an exercise to exorcise these handy dandy hidden programs from your PC. Sadly, I’ve almost never encountered them on my own computer. Why? I’d be willing to bet that a large part of that reason is that my web browser for many years has been Opera, and not Internet Explorer which is much more prone to this malware.
9. It’s not made by Apple.
Apple is a company that’s created some great, well designed products, and are often lauded for their quality standards. So much so, that there are more than a handful of people out there who have an almost religious devotion to the company and their products, and could not conceive of using anything else when an Apple alternative exists. If your devotion to Apple is this strong, you may want to overlook the great features, slick interface, and speed of Opera and stick with
what your favourite O/S vendor gives you. If you try Opera, we won’t tell
your god, er... Steve Jobs. Promise.
8. You have a phobia of the letter O.
Opera has long used their trademark stylized red O as a logo for their company and the icon for their browser. With Opera 10, the icon has undergone a redesign and now looks great as a high resolution icon under Windows 7 and Vista. But perhaps that letter O just reminds you of something too unbearable – a long lost love (Olga? Ophelia?) or that chemistry class where you forgot that O represented oxygen on the periodic table and were thus humiliated. Believe me, it’s worth letting go.
7. You haven’t figured out how to install apps on your smartphone.
Own a smartphone? A better mobile browsing experience awaits you with
Opera Mini. Yet, some people with their BlackBerries and Windows Mobile phones are blissfully unaware of this fact, and persist in using the limited, clunky, and slow browsers that shipped with their phones. I assure you, installing it is not a difficult process, and no, it will not cause your phone to explode. Simply navigate to operamini.com and install!
6. You are contracting by the hour, trying to maximize profits.
If you’re in the
industry I’m in, a web browser is an important tool for doing research, systems administration, and keeping in touch. I’ve even almost convinced my boss of that! Personally I find things like mouse gestures, tabs, integrated search, speed-dial, and having all my bookmarks accessible wherever I go via
Opera Link helps to make me that more efficient. Of course, I do get paid by the hour when I’m on client sites as well, so perhaps I’m cutting into my income. On the other hand, clients are often quite impressed with how quickly I can get things done, so perhaps it’s a good trade-off.
5. You are a Microsoft employee concerned that Steve Ballmer will threaten your phone.
A recent
bit of news has brought to light an event where an employee attempted to take a picture of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at an event, who then snatched his iPhone and proceeded to feign stamping it to smithereens. Who’s to say that he’ll stop with iPhones? If you work for Microsoft, and have a healthy proclivity for delusional paranoia, you might be concerned that by running Opera, Ballmer will seek out your phone or notebook and stomp it to death for having the “audacity” to use a competing product. I think it’ll be okay – really. Just don’t go out of your way to show it to him at a public event where he can get
a lot of attention.
4. You are my eighth grade English teacher.
Of the more intelligent people I know, few feared the information revolution and the advancement of technology more than my neo-luddite eighth grade English teacher. He actually prohibited us from using computers to complete our homework and write our essays. Why? “Because spell-checking causes mind-rot!” He had a concern that by using computers, you’d not learn to handwrite and spell properly. Opera 10 includes a great in-line spell checking feature for when you’re writing in your browser. It makes me just that much more “artificially intelligent” when writing email or forum posts. Deep down inside I think Mr. S was just jealous that he wasn’t the smartest at something, but if you too fear that spell-check will make your mental muscles atrophy, you can always
turn it off.
3. You are still upset about “face gestures” merely being an April Fools joke.
I’m only slightly ashamed to admit that after I saw Opera’s
impressive demonstration of Face Gestures on April 1st, I sat in front of my webcam for at least 10 minutes holding F8, wondering why no matter how many times I licked at my screen, it wasn’t favoriting web pages. Eventually the sadness subsided; I still have faith that someday, Opera will make it happen.
2. You are a picture of patience, and wouldn’t want Opera Turbo to ruin your image.
You’d never dream of using a microwave, driving over the speed limit, or running with scissors – you are a patient person and can wait for things. Thus, despite ubiquitous, cheap broadband in your area, you’ve even kept your dial-up internet because it would obviously be silly to spend an extra $4.95 a month to basically get the same thing, right? Although
Opera Turbo compression technology could make your browsing experience many times faster, you’d never want to spoil the experience that waiting patiently gives you. Your appointed sainthood is still pending.
And finally here is absolutely the best reason for you to not use Opera as your web browser:
1. You are a hermit living in isolation and haven’t yet heard of the internet.
Odds are not good that this one applies to much of the readership of this article, but there are those who, no matter how good it is, simply won’t have much use for Opera (or any web browser). If you, like my great-uncle Ted who hasn’t been heard from for a decade or two, have managed to remain blissfully unaware of the existence of the internet, then odds are Opera isn’t for you. And neither are telephones... and perhaps electricity and other silly excesses of modern society. Of course, for the rest of us, I’m pretty glad that we have options like Opera to make our daily use of the web more enjoyable.
This article is my submission for the Opera Writer Internship Competition. If you enjoyed it, please click "Add post to favorites" above!
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