Opera is malware not a browser!

[taltamir]

1. I installed opera cause I heard it was awesome.
2. Address bar forces me to search from google, bing, yahoo, amazon, or wikipedia (all spyware). Custom search engines which allow privacy (duckduckgo, startpage) can be added but you are not allowed to make the searchbar use them. According to internet search customization used to be possible but was removed in v13.
3. New page window (aka "quickdial") forces a google search bar on me regardless of what options I choose elsewhere.
4. Exist opera, try to uninstall. Error, can't uninstall because opera.exe is running
5. Open windows task manager, terminate process. access denied! wtf do you mean access denied i am the administrator!

This is malware not a browser. I am sorely disappointed.

 

[ninaholic37]

Yup. I think most people moved away from Oprah when it started to become a Chrome wannabe.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

1. I installed opera cause I heard it was awesome.

It is...if you forget all its shortcomings.

2. Address bar forces me to search from google, bing, yahoo, amazon, or wikipedia (all spyware). Custom search engines which allow privacy (duckduckgo, startpage) can be added but you are not allowed to make the searchbar use them. According to internet search customization used to be possible but was removed in v13.

You can, you just use the key that you can enter in for yourself. For example, for Duck Duck Go I use d. Just like for wikipedia I use w, Wolfram Alpha I use wa, and Pubmed I use p.

3. New page window (aka "quickdial") forces a google search bar on me regardless of what options I choose elsewhere.

It is not at all "forced" on you. If I had a gun lying on the dining table, does that mean you're forced to use it?

4. Exist opera, try to uninstall. Error, can't uninstall because opera.exe is running
5. Open windows task manager, terminate process. access denied! wtf do you mean access denied i am the administrator!

I had no problems terminating opera.exe nor uninstalling the program. If you posted on the Opera forums people might be able to help you, instead of whinging about it on here.

 

[taltamir]

You can, you just use the key that you can enter in for yourself. For example, for Duck Duck Go I use d. Just like for wikipedia I use w, Wolfram Alpha I use wa, and Pubmed I use p.

But I can't make it the DEFAULT. so if I forget to type "d" in front of my query it goes to google. I cannot set the actual DEFAULT to something differnt.

It is not at all "forced" on you. If I had a gun lying on the dining table, does that mean you're forced to use it?

You made an analogy, but one that is completely unrelated to the issue at hand.
I cannot disable or remove that search bar, nor change it to something else, hence it is forced on me.

I had no problems terminating opera.exe nor uninstalling the program. If you posted on the Opera forums people might be able to help you, instead of whinging about it on here.

I wasn't asking for advice, I was pointing out its deficiencies.
Like all malware I was able to remove it by restarting in safe mode.

 

[Virgorising]

I have two words: PALE MOON.

 

[taltamir]

I have two words: PALE MOON.

I use many browsers simultaneously for different things. Based on which browser is better for what.
I wanted to add opera to browser stable but it was unsuitable.

However, Pale Moon is, I added it. I was already using waterfox and the two can live side by side quite well (unlike the waterfox/firefox issue where they try to use the same profile)

Thank you for recommending it. However this thread is really not about what browser alternatives out there, but about opera specifically.

 

[Virgorising]

I use many browsers simultaneously for different things. Based on which browser is better for what. I wanted to add opera to browser stable but it was unsuitable.

Above is clear.

However, Pale Moon is, I added it. I was already using waterfox and the two can live side by side quite well (unlike the waterfox/firefox issue where they try to use the same profile)

Given what you've been thru I am delighted by the above.

Thank you for recommending it. However this thread is really not about what browser alternatives out there, but about opera specifically.

There are no straight lines in nature. Those are all man made and preclude richness. It is in the organic
journey, always including non gratuitous free association and perspective......we find the goodies. Certainly including within human exchanges.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

But I can't make it the DEFAULT. so if I forget to type "d" in front of my query it goes to google. I cannot set the actual DEFAULT to something differnt.

As DEFAULT, I type in the keyword for my required search engine every time I make a search, to remove ambiguity. If you made use of the feature, maybe you'd know what I was talking about.

You made an analogy, but one that is completely unrelated to the issue at hand.
I cannot disable or remove that search bar, nor change it to something else, hence it is forced on me.

It is by no means completely unrelated. You are a human being; you have some measure of willpower. Exercise it.

I wasn't asking for advice, I was pointing out its deficiencies.
Like all malware I was able to remove it by restarting in safe mode.

Just saying. Maybe you'd have a more positive impact on the future of the browser if you posted this somewhere else.

In your thread title you made a claim. You have failed to demonstrate any compelling evidence supporting this claim.

 

[Virgorising]

As DEFAULT, I type in the keyword for my required search engine every time I make a search, to remove ambiguity. If you made use of the feature, maybe you'd know what I was talking about.


It is by no means completely unrelated. You are a human being; you have some measure of willpower. Exercise it.


Just saying. Maybe you'd have a more positive impact on the future of the browser if you posted this somewhere else.

I regret to say, I ditto all of the above.:|

 

[HeXen]

I had no trouble with Opera when I used it and uninstalled it. I had no issue using Yahoo to search either by default, I was given the option from the get go. Calling it Malware would mean it's malicious, I seriously doubt it's code is responsible for any OS woes, if anything, it's the infamously fallible Windows OS configuration to blame but you didn't say it did anything malicious other than your configuration's inability to remove the software. I would call Windows OS to be Malware long before any I would any browser.

Only thing I didn't like about Opera was it's lack of proper bookmark import and not fond of the dash thing. Most all modern browsers seem very similar to each other really.

 

[Virgorising]

I had no trouble with Opera when I used it and uninstalled it. I had no issue using Yahoo to search either by default, I was given the option from the get go. Calling it Malware would mean it's malicious, I seriously doubt it's code is responsible for any OS woes, if anything, it's the infamously fallible Windows OS configuration to blame but you didn't say it did anything malicious other than your configuration's inability to remove the software. I would call Windows OS to be Malware long before any I would any browser.

Only thing I didn't like about Opera was it's lack of proper bookmark import and not fond of the dash thing. Most all modern browsers seem very similar to each other really.

Fine contribution.:thumbsup:

 

[taltamir]

As DEFAULT, I type in the keyword for my required search engine every time I make a search, to remove ambiguity. If you made use of the feature, maybe you'd know what I was talking about.

I know what you are talking about.
And it has absolutely nothing to do with the issue in question

If I type "s stuff I don't want tracked" I will search startpage for "stuff i don't want tracked". If I just type "stuff I don't want tracked" it will search google instead and I will be tracked. There is no way to disable the latter part, I can only switch between google and 4 other tracking engines that I don't want. There used to be a way and they removed it intentionally.

1. It is PITA to always have to type in s before every search.
2. If I don't pay attention then I can accidentally search google.
3. It can be mistyped, for example I could accidentally type "f stuff I don't want tracked" and then it searches google for "f stuff I don't want tracked" because I don't have a search engine whose shorthand is f.

It is by no means completely unrelated. You are a human being; you have some measure of willpower. Exercise it.

I exercise it by kicking you out of my house for putting a gun on my table and refusing to remove it. Because it is MY HOUSE and I refuse (in this hypothetical example) to let you put a gun on my table (IRL I would not do so, but you made the analogy where I somehow am against it)

AKA uninstalling opera because it puts a google search bar that it refuses to allow me to remove. It is saying to me "my way or the highway". Highway it is.

I had no trouble with Opera when I used it and uninstalled it. I had no issue using Yahoo to search either by default, I was given the option from the get go. Calling it Malware would mean it's malicious

being forced to use spyware like google is malicious.

 

[Morbus]

Just use Firefox (or Pale Moon, actually) and customize it exactly how you need it. There's NO OTHER BROWSER that comes anywhere close to Firefox's customization, even after the massive chromification that's coming up.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

I know what you are talking about.
And it has absolutely nothing to do with the issue in question

If I type "s stuff I don't want tracked" I will search startpage for "stuff i don't want tracked". If I just type "stuff I don't want tracked" it will search google instead and I will be tracked. There is no way to disable the latter part, I can only switch between google and 4 other tracking engines that I don't want. There used to be a way and they removed it intentionally.

1. It is PITA to always have to type in s before every search.
2. If I don't pay attention then I can accidentally search google.
3. It can be mistyped, for example I could accidentally type "f stuff I don't want tracked" and then it searches google for "f stuff I don't want tracked" because I don't have a search engine whose shorthand is f.

Wow. Do you complain about having to say "hello" to people when you first meet them?

I exercise it by kicking you out of my house for putting a gun on my table and refusing to remove it. Because it is MY HOUSE and I refuse (in this hypothetical example) to let you put a gun on my table (IRL I would not do so, but you made the analogy where I somehow am against it)

It was actually my house. Why on earth would I go into your house?

AKA uninstalling opera because it puts a google search bar that it refuses to allow me to remove. It is saying to me "my way or the highway". Highway it is.

Again. Nobody is forcing you to use any part of the browser. The fact that you can so easily remove it kind of proves my point.

 

[Morbus]

Wow. Do you complain about having to say "hello" to people when you first meet them?

You obviously have no idea how fast you can browse in a decent browser. My browsing speed is huge compared to a casual (i.e. non-professional browser, I'm a web developer) and it's ALL because I can do loads of stuff fast. From simple stuff like double clicking a word to select it and dragging it into the search bar while selecting the engine I want to use (that's during the dragging) and have it automatically open the results in a new adjacent tab, to the fantastic procedure of F6 > type website name (not link) > ALT+ENTER to have stuff open in a new tab. That's where real speed is at, not microseconds in javascript performance.

I don't mean this personally against you or to spite you or anything. It just kind of rubs me the wrong way when people act as if the user needs to adapt to the browser. That was true with IE6, sure, but Firefox changed that almost 10 years ago. There are bigger and better ways for web browsing.

 

[taltamir]

It is absolutely true that, as you say, I am not FORCED to use opera. I can choose not to use it. But how is this an argument for opera being good?

If I do choose to use opera, opera forces me to do things their way.
Morbus wrote a good explanation as to why this is bad.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

You obviously have no idea how fast you can browse in a decent browser. My browsing speed is huge compared to a casual (i.e. non-professional browser, I'm a web developer) and it's ALL because I can do loads of stuff fast. From simple stuff like double clicking a word to select it and dragging it into the search bar while selecting the engine I want to use (that's during the dragging) and have it automatically open the results in a new adjacent tab, to the fantastic procedure of F6 > type website name (not link) > ALT+ENTER to have stuff open in a new tab. That's where real speed is at, not microseconds in javascript performance.

I don't mean this personally against you or to spite you or anything. It just kind of rubs me the wrong way when people act as if the user needs to adapt to the browser. That was true with IE6, sure, but Firefox changed that almost 10 years ago. There are bigger and better ways for web browsing.

You know, it's really not that big a deal to type 2-3 letters before each search string. It really is like saying "hello" to someone before you start a business meeting.

And I rest easy knowing that my livelihood does not depend on my browsing habits, and that the time taken by the minutiae that you have described is positively dwarfed by other time-consuming aspects of my experience (such as, for example, actually consuming the content I navigate to).

It is absolutely true that, as you say, I am not FORCED to use opera. I can choose not to use it. But how is this an argument for opera being good?

It's not. It has nothing to do with whether it's good or not. But what does have to do with whether it's good or not is people inflating their personal preferences or disinclinations to the point of labelling a piece of software "malware" simply because it follows a different design philosophy. Did you ever think for a second that maybe you have a choice in the browsers you use? That maybe not every single piece of software ever made is targeted at you? That some people prefer to use Google?

If I do choose to use opera, opera forces me to do things their way.
Morbus wrote a good explanation as to why this is bad.

No, he wrote a specific explanation for why what I do would be bad for him. He did not provide an explanation for why Opera is bad.

 

[taltamir]

It's not. It has nothing to do with whether it's good or not. But what does have to do with whether it's good or not is people inflating their personal preferences or disinclinations to the point of labelling a piece of software "malware" simply because it follows a different design philosophy.

Its not malware because its design philosophy differs from my own.
Its malware because its design philosophy is malicious.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Its not malware because its design philosophy differs from my own.
Its malware because its design philosophy is malicious.

So you are claiming that Opera is DELIBERATELY intending to do harm to anyone who uses their browser?

Seriously?


ma·li·cious
məˈliSHəs/
adjective
adjective: malicious
1.
characterized by malice; intending or intended to do harm.
"malicious destruction of property"
synonyms:spiteful, malevolent, evil-intentioned, vindictive, vengeful, malign, mean, nasty, hurtful, mischievous, wounding, cruel, unkind

 

[lxskllr]

So you are claiming that Opera is DELIBERATELY intending to do harm to anyone who uses their browser?

Seriously?

Proprietary software, nonfree software, is software that doesn't respect users' freedom and community. The developer or owner has power over its users. That in itself is an injustice, but it often leads to further injustice.

Power corrupts, so the program's owner is tempted to put malicious functionality into the program — that is, to make it malware. Malware means software whose functioning mistreats the user. This page gives examples of widely used proprietary programs that are known to be malware.

Proprietary back doors
Proprietary insecurity
Proprietary sabotage
Proprietary surveillance
Digital Restrictions Management

The way to avoid these forms of abuse is by insisting on free (freedom-respecting) software. Since free software is controlled by its users, they have a pretty good defense against malicious software functionality. Users of proprietary software are defenseless.

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary.html

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Its not malware because its design philosophy differs from my own.
Its malware because its design philosophy is malicious.

Encouraging people to use Google is not malicious, you dope.

 

[Raghu]

Opera13+ is not at feature parity with Opera12. The search customization is WIP and you will get the ability to change the default search engine in a future version.

I think the google search bar on the speed dial page can be removed, not in a very easy way though. There is some switch in the settings page.

Opera.exe does take a lot of time to close, might have to wait a minute before restarting. I havent had any trouble killing the process though.

Chropera has been a disaster so far, but theres some sign of progress.

 

[JEDIYoda]

being forced to use spyware like google is malicious.

no!! Making claims that are not backed up by others on these forums and elsewhere is malicious!!

You are malicious!!

 

[frozentundra123456]

I have a complaint regarding opera that seems more like spyware than making you use a google or yahoo search.

Somehow when I installed it, it took over as the default browser for downloading files without my telling it to. Quite annoying, but I still would not really call it malware, because I dont think it is doing anything malicious. I havent tried to uninstall it.

 

[zCypher]

Opera isn't malware. I've tried a few different versions of it and never really stuck with it. Never found a browser that can actually replace all the functionality and customizing you get with Firefox, so I always end up coming back to it. If you don't like Opera, you don't use it. But to call it malware, lol. Maybe you haven't encountered actual malware?