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launderess

launderess

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Opera, and one quite fancies it!

Am still using Windows 7, with no plans in immediate future to upgrade into Windows 10. However IE11 is "obsolete" and was getting tired of various websites telling one so, and or refusing to operate properly. Then started reading that even Microsoft wants people to stop using their buggy and unsafe IE, with even their newest (Edge) going away in near future.

So here I am with Opera. Rather like it as it opens up a new world of what it's like web surfing with a modern and up to date browser.

Thus far haven't had a chance to dig into all the various features, but am loving the built in ad blocker. Most importantly neither my operating system nor anything else has crashed yet, which always is a good thing.
 
I had mentioned ......

Opera in a thread a year ago or so. Ive used it for a few years and love it. Light weight on the OS and loads very fast. No issues with sites that has embedded video content and the built-in ad blocker is a bonus.

One other you might give a go is the beta version of Chrome, called Chrome Canary. Once loaded, add an extension called AdBlock and in the settings enable all of the lists that are maintained by users that instructs the adblocker of all known ads. YouTube, Facebook, ebay, all the news sites, ..... you name it ..... every site that I normally frequent are so much more pleasant with no ads peppered at the top, down the sides or throughout.

One more extension to add is called Flashblocker. It disables all those auto playing videos. It prevents them from auto playing until you click on them to then allow it to play. Sanity restored!

If you are worried about Google keeping tabs, replace the default search engine in settings with duckduckgo. It does not track and record your search and gives good search results like google.
 
How are either Opera or Chrome Canary with retaining all of your bookmarks/favorites, etc.?  The one thing that keeps me from switching is that with some browsers, it's like starting from scratch.
 
As part of installation process with Opera it asks if one wishes to import bookmarks/favorites from current browser. This or one can simply scroll through the "set up/settings" tab later on at any time and do so. Can also export same from Opera to wherever.

Didn't import at first, but after installation was complete typing out ones favorite sites in search bar got old fast, so did an import. Took less than a few seconds....

There are just so many features I don't know where to start. Will slowly go through everything as days go by to add or customize.
 
I've run Firefox for several years now since Netscape went away.  I put the Adblock plus on both mine and Tony's computers and we are happy with their performance.  I use Chrome at work...it's ok but I just prefer Firefox.  Have never used Opera so curious to know more about it in the coming days.
 
I use several different browsers, Opera is one.  I'm not enamoured with it though.  It does not like to play videos, at least on my Linux machines,  I'm mainly using a Firefox derivative called Pale moon as it still supports the bottom bar with my weather radar app and my All-In-One sidebar that I use all the time.  I just roll the mouse over to the left edge and my bookmarks are all listed there. Also have Chrome and Firefox installed.

 

Couple of other things.  I back up my bookmarks all the time, I simply export them as a file.  They can easily be imported into any browser with no risk or loss.  Second I stopped using Ad -Block and use u-block origin, works better for me, I see ZERO ads on my computer.  Hate it when I use someone else’s computer and all the crap pops up and ads block half the screen.  Using a VPN on my phones and tablets that blocks ads there too, life is so much better....
 
Opera works well for me with Windows7. It does give me a little pause that the Norwegian founder sold out to a Chinese tycoon, however. I am not doing anything financial-related with it as a result, but for general browsing it’s fine.

Not an expert on Firefox, Ralph, but when I use it I frequently get pop up boxes from news sites asking me to disable adblocking. The LA Times, for instance, will do that.
 
Tried Chrome once some time back, it wormed itself into nearly every aspect of my computer, so it had to go.

After uninstalling still had to do a "system restore" to get my computer clean of Google's tentacles.

Never again......

Everything am reading gives Opera an edge over Chrome and Firefox, but the latter is making good strides.
 
 
I used AdBlock Plus plugin with Firefox for some years, switched last year to UBlock Origin.  I see complaints in comments on YouTube about ads interrupting videos ... I don't see any ads on YouTube.

Latest FF version blocks audio for autoplay embedded vids ... I think the vids play but with audio muted, I haven't consciously noticed if it works consistently.  There is also a manual Mute button on any tab that has audio content playing.
 
John, yes -- I get those newspaper site pop-ups that ask me to turn off the ad blocker.  I just hit the X and the pop-ups pop down. 

 

At first I felt bad about it since newspapers are having such a hard time these days, but then I think about how annoying and unrelenting the ads were on my local newspaper's site and the feeling of guilt shifts to triumph.
 
I tried Opera some years ago. Settled on Firefox. I also use Chrome, mainly for when FF locks up on some sites, and for streaming from "free" video sites. I might give Opera another look some day but for now I'm good.

Oh, and I'm on W10.
 
 
The one time (and only incident of which I'm aware) that my nephew caught a virus on his laptop was after Chrome installed from some unknown source (he said he didn't actively install it).
 
Simply ....

Go to chrome settings and select to turn off "third party" cookies. This comes turned off by default in FF. That is the only difference between the two in the oh so spooky article about privacy. The author fails to mention this. Let's skillfully omit this little tidbit and he knows good and well that was the case, but hey, then he won't have anything to write about and not make a wage that week. He even mentions "3rd party cookies" as the culprit to begin with.

FF can be enabled to accept the same cookies that track. Chrome and FF aren't the ones creating the tracking cookies and both can allow and reject cookies just the same .... only diff, FF comes disabled by default. Also, if you are worried about Google tracking you, stay off google.com.

Like I said earlier, don't use Google search as your default browser search. If you do, Google servers record and then customize your search results based on tracking cookies previously placed on your machine (if you haven't turned off third party cookies) from news, shopping, etc.

Amazon and ebay are notorious for pushing and using cookies. Ever shopped on ebay and then go to amazon and see suggested products .... you just looked at in ebay? Spooky!! Not really, just annoying. But again this won't happen if you simply turn off 3rd party cookies.
[this post was last edited: 6/22/2019-11:24]
 
Three browsers

Windows 10 converted from Windows 7. I use Chrome only for my GMail account. Keep all of the spying in one system. For most of my internet I use Firefox and with automatic updates. It does block most ads and can be set to block most automatic videos. For my search I use Bing, not Google. Also sometimes go back to Yahoo but I almost always use Bimg on Firefox. I also use Microsoft Edge for Washington Post because WP will not let me use Firefox because it is blocking ads. Also I have all browsers set to delete cookies upon closing. Except for Chrome which I do not want to log in just to check my email. I do have to log in to websites because the cookie is not retained. I have auto log in for a couple of websites, this is one.
 

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