Thoughts on Opera GX?

Quackers101 · February 10, 2022

some shady marketing as well, but do like the ideas around the browser and maybe trying something "new". Wouldn't mind them sponsoring a video on themselves, with a deeper look into it, since it has been accepted before around the time of that video? (might be mistaken). But would like to know if its a browser one could trust at all, where you have chrome, firefox, edge or brave.

Mr.Meerkat · February 11, 2022

I'm personally a fan of Opera. Back when I started using it (solid 7 years ago), it offered many features that weren't available on other browsers. Mind you, this was also before it got taken over by the company that will not be named (where all the privacy issues suddenly started popping up). I personally don't really care for the privacy concerns and whilst it may not be the best browser ever, especially how it's the complete opposite of simplistic, for me, it still offers additional features where Chrome or Edge doesn't offer. Some of them are:

- Built-in messaging apps, actually do use them. The windows FB messenger app is notoriously crap where Opera's implementation is probably the best way of accessing messenger on a desktop.

- Built-in screenshot function with basic editing and a straight-forward UI

- Pin-board and workspaces, yes, you can add these to like Chrome but having it built in is just less buggy.

- Opera flow, the most important reason why I don't think I can change. MacOS, Windows, Android, IOS, you want easy file, text, link or photo sharing between your own devices, well look no further than Opera flow.

Given you can also use pretty much all chrome extensions/apps, there's pretty much nothing you're missing from Opera, minus the previous privacy concerns. Of course, said features do add quite a bit of bloat but if you do use them like me, it's sooooooo much better than adding a million extensions onto chrome just to have the same functions, but worse.

As for the elephant in the room, the ~~VPN~~ proxy, it's pretty useful if you don't use it as a VPN. Due to EU's GDPR and co, it's pretty common for me to be unable to access certain websites across the pond where just a quick flick of a switch, open the website, do whatever and turn it off again. As I don't use a VPN in the first place, having the ability to quickly change the region so you can access certain sites is pretty useful (especially when a microcontroller company goes "haha, nah mate, you ain't accessing documentation from the EU").

On 2/9/2022 at 10:30 PM, Lord Szechenyi said:

Other than for Privacy, why would anyone use anything else than Chrome?

This is my personal reason. Files, text, link, photos ect. sharing across Windows, Android, IOS and MacOS. Of course, I don't use it for anything sensitive but when you just want to quickly share a screenshot or something to another device (which I do a lot), it's just so nice to have.

Sarra · February 11, 2022

I used Opera on and off for the past 16 years. There's a reason I've switched away from it, back to Firefox. I've still got it on my second machine, but my gaming/rendering machine uses Firefox only.

The occasional ad getting added to my home screen is, in itself, enough to make me stop using it. I tried OperaGX on my phone, and... Didn't bother using it a second time. I don't like it, though beyond ads and performance issues, there's privacy questions, and I just don't care to use them anymore.