Well, we all used IE (was using 6.0) - the spyware, the popups, the infinite windows opening.

Then I used Mozilla because I was told it was lightning fast, then I couldnt login to yahoo mail.

Then I used Mozilla Firefox because it was supposed to be a cleaner implementation to Mozilla.

Then I still wanted more speed, and I found out factually that Opera is the fastest browser ever @ Browser Speed Comparisons. Opera also has some super features in tabbed browsing that Firefox does not have etc.

So, the long and short is: Opera is my current choice.

Opera is good but its interface is too bloated for me, the hand gesture system is cool in it though

Welcome to the best kept secret on the Internet. I have been using Opera right from the first time it was launched. Call me a rebel, but I always like using alternative stuff. I never got used to IE, then the fact that am a power browser, and it leaves donkey pages on my desktop, made me look for alternatives: Opera, Avantbrowser, Netscape, etc.

Opera is the fastest, and also the smallest to install. To be honest, I never really use the mouse gestures. What I love most is that it stores all my passwords for all account names and with the magic wand, presto, it logs me in. Long before Firefox, Opera was the same on all platforms MacOS, Linux, 'Winbloze'

Thank you for spreading the word. Now I can't keep Opera to myself. And did I mention that it has an in-built mail client?

@Hidden_hunter: when I freshly install Opera, I just close the side bars. This makes it better.

Thunderbird makes a great email client though

Opera just never really grabbed me, besides it's not free (well legally )

[center][img]http://www.nairaland.com.nyud.net:8090/img/opera.png[/img]
Nairaland, the Nigerian Forum on Opera[/center]
I don't like Opera browser as much as Firefox. It's pretty good, pretty fast, but not the fastest by any means. It used to be lightweight compared to Firefox but now they're basically the same.

I dislike the fact that the Opera browser works so differently from Internet Explorer, and the free version uses some of your valuable screen estate to display ads. But as the screenshot above shows, you have the option of displaying lightweight text ads instead of images.

Hidden_Hunter:

Thunderbird makes a great email client though

Opera just never really grabbed me, besides it's not free (well legally )

I dont like Thinderbird cos it doesnt leave my mails on the server. Since I sometimes access my mails from two different computers I need this funtionality. I currently use Evolution http://www.gnome.org/projects/evolution/ and Opera is free. Thats why it has ads on it. If you want to, you can buy it, but I hardly notice the ads anymore

seun, thanks for the hint on text ads, and Hidden_Hunter, your website is most lovely.

i agree opera is a lil bloated and to tell the truth, i still use IE and Firefox. Also, multiple browsers allow 3 different people to log in to the same website at the same time blah blah..

IE is buggy...... I get errors all the time so it's a failure... IMO

I prefer Firefox and Opera(cos it works with wap sites)

I have tried most of the available browsers am yet to find any that's as good as Opera. The following are one of the basic reasons why i like it so much:

1.) You can save your session, this enables you to continue from where you stop whithout needing to have many bookmarked sites.
2.) The tabbed browsing is not rivaled.
3.) It's super-fast and i can even get to see how my Internet link is going through the progress bar.
4.) I get to use some nice skins too.
5.) Automatic saving of sessions, this is really helpful when you use NEPA without UPS.

So Seun can u beat that. Though Firefox is the flagship of open source but i will rather go with Opera. The only drawback i have found with Opera so far is the Java thing, and i don't really give a fuss about that again since most interactive sites are now using Flash.

One last thing about Opera is the inbuilt RSS support, it's just dam too good. I have Nairaland on my RSS list now, so no separate RSS reader.

I like konquer out of linux though as well, it ranks fairly highly in my book

Konquereor is also a very good browser. And the fact that I can tweak KDE to open it from where I was last when I shut down makes it so much more useful. And it is also a very good file manager

more reasons why i love opera?

1. you can drag a tab from one window to another window! infact you can drag an image from a web page to another web page or window..
2. when it crashes, you can restart exactly from where you stopped, all your windows, all your tabs, all your pages loaded as if nothing happened!

i confirmed all these today. there are many other features i cant list now. i am beginning to feel it is one of the best software i've used! and nairaland is one of the best sites i've used to. these are good times

I think I'm quite conservative. I'm already used to IE and don't feel familiar with other browsers. I tried Firefox and Netscape, but I don't seem to like the dialog boxes, I mean UI. In short, I don't feel at home with other browsers.

Opera is currently giving away free registration codes to mark their 10th year anniversary!

Visit http://my.opera.com/community/party/reg.dml

Hurry, the offer will only last as long as their currently running 10th year anniversary party!

@IAH, I guess you have not been attacked by spywares yet. Besides, having explored the tab browsing capabilities of other browsers. Well I used to be crazy about IE too, till i discovered linux some years back, and since then, I have been a loyal user of firefox or Mozilla.

@Seun: You should've started a new topic about the 10th anniversary. Now everyone has to scroll to the bottom before they see it Btw, the offer ends midnight, 31st, their time or so. I guess it's just a few hours left now.

@kazey, What has browser got to do with spywares? I think it's the OS that matters and not browser. Educate me more on this.
BTW, I know where to kick those spywares' asses.

When you browse using IE, activex controls are enabled by default, which means any site that has a activex based malicious script can automatically be installed into your hard-disk.

The embedding of ActiveX into the Internet Explorer web browser created a combination of functions that has led to an explosion of computer virus, trojan and spyware infections. These malware attacks mostly depend on ActiveX for their activation and propagation to other computers. Microsoft recognized the problem with ActiveX as far back as 1996 when Charles Fitzgerald, program manager of Microsoft's Java team said "If you want security on the 'Net', unplug your computer. ... We never made the claim up front that ActiveX is intrinsically secure." [1] ActiveX as it is currently implemented is intrinsically insecure and is the biggest weakness of Internet Explorer not addressed by Internet Explorer Service Pack 2.

hope you undertand.

ActiveX is very good as it give developers some cool features, i really like it. But i think MS should remove it since they are now touting .NET as it's successor. Anyway it can't be done overnight, backward compatibility issues is a huge task.

Opera is good and so are all other softwares., it all depends on end user's preference(s).

What destroys technology is its abuse. Once its abuse, the main propose is useless.

kazey:

When you browse using IE, activex controls are enabled by default, which means any site that has a activex based malicious script can automatically be installed into your hard-disk.

IE is now improved...it's because you've not been using it. It actually asks you that this website is about to install an activeX control onto your computer and you can choose whether to allow or deny. For that reason, I am going to test Opera/firefox by using them to browse some notorious warez sites known for such mal-wares and see if they would install on my computer or not.

You can still make Windows not to display that box if you want and know howto.

Those of you who are used to working on IE, and find Opera too heavy,
Firefox too unconventional or unfamiliar I suggest trying out Avant Browser (http://www.avantbrowser.com/).
It's free, uses IE interface minus all security vulnerabilities, supports multiple tabs, multi-windows since ages,
is faster, is now available in [glow=red,2,300]41 languages [/glow] and most importantly, has served me well for years now. No limitations. No Adware. No Spyware. You can donate if you want, but it's certainly not required. It has built in search engine, Ad/pop-up blocker, supports Real Full Screen Mode and Alternative Full Desktop mode, safe recovery in case of abrupt termination, with excellent control over privacy settings.
It's a must try for those who feel shy of using firefox for whatever reasons.

uses IE interface minus all security vulnerabilities, supports multiple tabs, multi-windows since ages,
is faster,

Avant is as vulnerable as IE since they are both using the "control". What Avant developers did was just to add tabbed browsing feature and other to IE "control".Don't let them fool you.

Even now IE support tabbed browsing once you install MSN Desktop Search.

I only said that people who miss IE for any reason, and are uncomfortable migrating to Firefox, Avant is the best choice. I am not out here comparing browsers. Though I like Firefox as well, we should always keep one thing in mind. No browser is free from vulnerabilities, including Firefox. Firefox has yet to resolve its memory related issues. At least Avant comes up with new versions immediately they come across any issues. It's also true that if you get the right plugins, FireFox can be the only browser you'll ever need. Firefox has its own vulnerabilities, and from what I look, their timeframe to release the fix is even worse than Avant's. Both have security issues--whether one is more secure than the other makes very little difference. One major advantage that Firefox has enjoyed over IE is that..it's not a Microsoft product.

By the way, I have been advocating open source movement, it will not be out of place to mention this PCWORLD report on slipping market share of Firefox at [url]http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122213,00.asp[/url].
Well, no arugements over popularity again, as a general rule use what one feels most comfortable using, and serves the purpose well.

Thanks for your suggestion! Actually, I have the Avant browser installed. It's pretty fast but lacking in features. A registered version of Opera would have been the best browser choice for me, but for the fact that it doesn't support the use of a custom User-Agent string.

Do you know that Opera 8.5 is now free? See www.opera.com/free/

Do you know that Opera 8.5 is now free? See www.opera.com/free/

First they remove ads now they are offering it for free, is Opera a company or a charity LOL.

I hope they get to pay their developers or are they turning it (Opera) into a community effort.

They have made so much money from licensing the mobile/phone version of their browser that they don't need the money from the desktop version anymore!

I think I still prefer Firefox because Opera is just too different. I like that it's compact and efficient, but I can't bear the sharp differences from the way IE and Mozilla work!

They have made so much money from licensing the mobile/phone version of their browser that they don't need the money from the desktop version anymore!

Investors investment in there are more or less doomed. It's just like MS giving Windows away for free! The ecomomics of this act does not seem too appealing to me.