dW

Opera Mnemonic

There are few computer programs out there that inspires a following like Opera does. Opera’s followers are like the Star Trek and Star Wars fanatics of old. I would consider myself an Opera Fanatic. That might be an understatement in my case.

Opera is a program you could use for years and yet learn something new to do with it from time to time. Just recently I read a log post by Øyvind in which he outlines how to use Opera’s custom search function to navigate websites, creating a custom search in which you can type my EspenAO in the address input box and it’d bring you to Espen’s My Opera page by using the My Opera username as a search term. I’ve been using Opera’s custom search feature before there was a way to do it using the GUI where I had to manually edit the search.ini file with my custom searches. I never even considered using Opera’s search feature like that. That’s what makes Opera great in my opinion. I immediately showed my sister how to use that same method to navigate through Myspace (converting her to My Opera is a WIP).

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with Jeff where we were discussing things similar to this. The conversation led to us attempting to figure out just when we started using Opera. We knew it was a good while back and having logs of our conversations back then would be next to impossible. The oldest logs I have date to the day before Christmas of 2004, dating long before I used a Mac (I converted the logs). Luckily Jeff is a packrat and had logs from way back. I think he found the exact point in which I decided to use Opera (even when it’s not obvious based upon the conversation) five years ago TODAY:

Khadgar:

oddly though with my new programming the site displays best in Opera 7.

MTKnight:

Is that so? Hmm. :)

MTKnight:

Is it in /temp/?

Khadgar:

no on my hd.

MTKnight:

Ah, no PHP yet?

Khadgar:

nope

MTKnight:

What’s it look like?

Khadgar:

a website

* MTKnight laughs.

I believe it was at that point I decided to use Opera. I remember that it took a bit getting used to as I was used to opening a new window and just typing the address there. I had to break that habit and return to the idea that the web browser was that red O, not the OS itself. I remember meaning to click on Opera quite a lot but instead falling to my habit. I broke many habits to improve my productivity, recently breaking a habit of having multiple search inputs in my personal bar to using the address input box exclusively for searches.

Since I started using it I’ve gotten into the habit of annoying persuading people to use Opera. I didn’t have to do any persuading to convert my friends to use it. Many of them saw me blazing away on it and decided to try it for themselves. It didn’t take long to convert my brother, either. He wanted to reduce viruses on his Windows machine he used for work, so I suggested Opera. That computer took a shit, so when he replaced it with an iMac Opera went with him. Five years ago I started using Opera, and it took me about four to convince my sister to use it. While she was doing artwork on my father’s old Mac Mini she started using for such after he died she’d run into situations where her memory would run out. Firefox and Safari eat too much memory to be used in that situation, but Opera doesn’t. That’s how she started using it. I walked into her shop one day and was startled to see her using Opera. I’ve showed her tips and tricks to using Opera more productively; she’s like I am, wondering what she ever did without it. She’s since then converted many of her friends to using Opera, mostly by just showing off Speed Dial. She’s now wondering when her big box of Opera pens are coming in after forcing me into giving her the ones I won by drawing Operaman and Speed Dial. I much prefer my mechanical pencil anyway.

Opera’s just one of the best programs out there, and I’d like to say thank you to all of the developers of this great program. I really don’t know what I’d do without Opera.