Opera Browser?

[joseluisjazz]

I'd like to see a version of Opera running on Pandora. I can guess I'm not the only one that thinks it would be faster and would allow more open tabs than firefox. The only drawback is it being closed-source. Although they're usually friendly towards linux & handhelds, have many versions and listen to the users. Maybe we should contact them and ask them about their thoughts on this subject. A port for Pandora would open them the doors of an incoming market of omap3 linux devices.

For now, I just noticed they just released Opera mini 4.2 for Android. When we have Android's java engine ported (some time in the future), this could be another option.

 

[sindbad]

I don't think it will be that useful on a small device. Either firefox customized and with extensions for small screens or, better yet, some webkit browser.

 

[ledow]

I don't think it will be that useful on a small device. Either firefox customized and with extensions for small screens or, better yet, some webkit browser.

Er... Opera is much better suited to embedded and small platforms that almost any other browser. It runs on everything from Linux and Windows to the Wii and any java phone. And it performs just as well on all of them.

Opera's main selling point is it's nice rendering on narrow screens, hence being the browser included on the Nintendo DS and many mobile phones or handheld devices (Symbian, Windows Mobile, Java ME, etc.). It would be perfect.

That said, it's closed source, so you're looking either at an official port (I wouldn't rule it out because they do support a lot of similar gaming platforms, but you're probably going to have to pay for it) or bodging one of the existing versions to work.

The JAR versions are necessarily limited because they are designed for old phones (like my Series 40 Nokia) so they won't be much use, and won't take advantage of the keypad. However, I would hold out hope that they make an ARM version for Linux, which they may already have - I know that they develop in GCC and it's merely a matter of changing the compiler version if you're targetting ARM Linux with x86 Linux source code. Hell, they still support QNX and OS/2, so an ARM Linux version would be a cinch and there's a real business case behind it besides just the Pandora.

 

[sindbad]

The java ones are useless for the pandora and the Qt desktop one is closed source. If it were open source, sure. But I doubt opera will bother making a custom interface for such a niche device.

 

[craigix]

There is a version which runs on the GP2X, so you might be able to get it running.

Firefox is quite happy on the Pandora too though, just a case of setting it up well.

The more software the better though!

Oh PS did look in to licencing opera about a year ago but it required 50,000 units.

 

[Tor]

There's definitely an ARM version of Opera in existence already, included on the Nokia 800x480 screen systems (770/N800) up to and including OS2007. But it's not free or freely available.

 

[joa]

When the pandora comes out i'm sure they'll be a nice little guide on getting pages on firefox to optimum size, settings and any performance tweaks.

 

[lulzfish]

Firefox really doesn't look horrible at 800 by 480, though I am doing lots of scrolling.
And some sideways scrolling, which is odd. The "Add Reply" form seems to be around 850 pixels wide.

 

[craigix]

FF3 has the zoom function, how does it look if you adjust it to fit?

 

[Hotcooler]

Theoretically Opera Mini should work fine on some JVM's and should work fine with keypad if JVM is aware of it But I dont think we'll ever see Opera mobile.. =( ButIf this happens I'll be really happy since I'm opera fan.

 

[joseluisjazz]

Theoretically Opera Mini should work fine on some JVM's and should work fine with keypad if JVM is aware of it But I dont think we'll ever see Opera mobile.. =( ButIf this happens I'll be really happy since I'm opera fan.

I like Opera Mini too, in fact I'm now writing this post from that precise browser on my nokia 6110 navigator, which will play the role of a bluetooth HSDPA modem once I receive my Pandora.

So talking about Opera Mini, what I like the most of it is that it's configured for receiving the images already reduced in size, while browsing, and therefore I pay less for the phone data transmission, I'd like to have that possibility on the pandora too for those moments when I have no wifi access and I must connect to internet via mobile phone. Maybe it's just a proxy which you can use with any browser, but I've just seen this system with Opera Mini. Does anyone knows anything similar for firefox? Or a proxy that I can setup in my server for having that functionality?

 

[fuzzypinkunicorns666]

Another alternative is Midori, a nice little webkit-based browser. There's also a hildonized version for the nokia internet tablets, and an angstrom package is already available. It's got some nice features like zoom, a fullscreen mode, an easy way to reopen closed tabs, and even support for greasemonkey scripts. Should run quite nicely on pandora. Actually, I'm even considering switching over from firefox on my desktop (but not until I can switch tabs with ctrl+tab, as it currently uses ctrl-pageup/down. should only require changing a few lines and recompiling.)

EDIT: I went in and changed the '<ctrl>page_up' part to '<ctrl>tab' in the midori source, recompiled it, and it still behaves exactly the same (ctrl+pageup still switches tabs). Does anyone with more C experience than me (read:any) have any insight as to why that is and how I could fix it?

And here's an 800x480 screenshot I made:

 

[Kyo]

Lol, I remember a few years back I tested all kinds of versions of IE and firefox with the acid test with a friend and they all failed. Then I was like "oh, I have opera installed as well, but what chance does that have at succeeding..." and it passed flawlessly. Opera is a really nice browser, the only reason I didn't use to use it is that at some point they implemented this "feature" that takes you to some random page if you scroll click on anything but a link, so if you miss one, you're somewhere you don't want to be. This pissed me off so much, I switched back to FF, which now has this "feature" as well. I can't figure out how to turn it ooooofffffffffff

Anyway, my point is, I'd love pandopera

 

[fuzzypinkunicorns666]

Opera is a really nice browser, the only reason I didn't use to use it is that at some point they implemented this "feature" that takes you to some random page if you scroll click on anything but a link, so if you miss one, you're somewhere you don't want to be. This pissed me off so much, I switched back to FF, which now has this "feature" as well. I can't figure out how to turn it ooooofffffffffff

In about:config, turn off middlemouse.ContentLoadURL.

 

[Kyo]

that's for firefox, huh?

Thanks. (Though I'd rather know how to do it in opera)

 

[Eolair]

[..] at some point they implemented this "feature" that takes you to some random page if you scroll click on anything but a link, so if you miss one, you're somewhere you don't want to be.


Huh? You don't use mouse gestures on Opera or what? :blink:
As far back as I can remember clicking with the scroll click activates the panning control.

Anyway, I would love to have Opera on the Pandora. I never use anything else unless I'm forced to.

 

[Hotcooler]

Eolair Yes it activates panning controls or quick scroll as you might say. And I really love this feature.
Kyosys You can edit mouse behaviour in Tools-Preferences-Advanced-Shortcuts-Mouse setup-Edit or use opera:config instead.

And BTW there is much more cool gestures. Like scroll while holding RMB to select tabs and while holding RMB click LMB to switch one tab left (LMB-RMB to switch right) and much more cool stuff.

And another BTW fuzzypinkunicorns666 /. in opera will open http://slashdot.org/ =)

 

[rikisg]

I'd also love to use opera on my pandora, because I am really used to the layout and needed 10+ plug-ins just to get to the same functionality as opera has.

 

[fischju2000]

Opera is on the Archos 605, and it is EXTREMELY minimalistic.

It has a single line for tabs that also shows connection status, battery, volume, and time. There is a tiny box the size of the "x" in the bottom right corner that brings up a menu for settings, enter url, search, favorties.

Edit: Oh! The point of the post is that Opera is great and we need a customized browser to have a tiny footprint like the 605's.

 

[fusion_power]

I love Opera and I only use this Browser at home. It is the best browser to surf with a 56K Modem! You can disable images onto Homepages with one museclcik and with F12 you easily can disable Java(script), Plugins, Animations etc... speeds up extremely. This is not possible with Firefox, at least not without Plugins.
And you can load a couple of pages, go forward through links and then you can go offline. Opera still has the pages in cache and don't need to reload 'em online, this is perfect when reading Forum Threads with many Pages.
I would welcome a Opera onto the Pandora, of course I would use DSL and WLan.