Quote Originally Posted by Identity X View Post
But Opera is so much better. Have you ever used Opera in any serious capacity, at all?
I haven't tried Opera seriously, and I have no specific criticisms of it (other than the aforementioned fact that it's proprietary software). I know you've advocated it over Firefox in the past, and I was interested to learn why.

Quote Originally Posted by Identity X View Post
First of all, that it is proprietary software does not bother me. I can understand why it bothers others, but I don't care. So that's not a disadvantage to me - I'll never look at Firefox's source let alone modify it - I don't need that freedom.
Fair enough.

Quote Originally Posted by Identity X View Post
I prefer Opera's GUI. The side panel where you can stick mini versions of websites and the like. The integrated IRC client (Chatzilla isn't integrated; it's a seperate window), e-mail client, refined tab system (true MDI (you can cascade windows, view two side-by-side very useful), the fact that you can maximise and restore tabs from seperate window back to tabs, the graphical preview when you hover over tabs, the bin where you can retrieve closed tabs for later (yes, you can do that in Firefox but it's well hidden)). The fact that you can search from within the address bar, without need for keywords (my address bar functions as one big YubNub command line), the integrated notepad, the excellent integrated download manager (not some crappy minimalist window (FF2)) with transparent BitTorrent support. The fact that this is "out of the box" without need to go trawling for extensions. The responsiveness. Speed dial. Mouse gestures out of the box. Session management (that predates and exceeds much functionality of FF3's offering).
You can do most of that with Firefox, but like you said, a lot requires extensions. Firefox's implementation of keyword searching is sufficient for me (and I doubt I could live without it), but using YubNub as a replacement looks awesome. Its extra capability definitely seems to outweigh its lack of customizability. However, the differences in default tab behavior between the two browsers doesn't matter to me because the only thing I do with tabs is create them and close them. I control my browser almost entirely from the keyboard, and any time spent using a mouse or trackpad is a loss in productivity. By the way, the download manager was greatly improved for Firefox 3. I guess I'll continue to use Firefox for its simpler GUI, and you'll continue to use Opera for its richness in out-of-the-box features.