Opera Doesn’t Respect Users (aka Lost Vision)?

By | June 26, 2008 | 15 Comments

Opera Doesn't Respect Users (aka Lost Vision)?Some time ago there were some Mozilla bashing regarding users tracking and disrespect. Well, today I’d like to criticize Opera Software a bit.

Let’s begin with the quote from Opera’s Vision page:

We believe in respect for our users.
… Opera Software will never forget that its main focus is the user.

Why I’m posting that? If Opera’s main focus is user but not money (Google and Opera special search deal), then why they are doing something like this:

Opera Mini Default Search

Opera Mini Default Search 2

I meant, if you were a software developer and respect your users… Would you block them from using their favorite search engine as a default one? Wouldn’t you respect their own choice for a default search provider? By default one, I meant the one which is in the top.

[digg-reddit-me]


About (Author Profile)


Vygantas is a former web designer whose projects are used by companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and departed Westood Studios. Being passionate about software, Vygantas began his journalism carrier back in 2007 when he founded FavBrowser.com. Having said that, he is also an adrenaline junkie who enjoys good books, fitness activities and Forex trading.

  • Nico Zandberg

    I think this is a bit harsh. Sure you would want to use your default search engine. But more than 50 percent of peoples default search engine is google. And you must remember opera mini is free and uses terrabytes worth of bandwith each month that they have to pay unlike with a desktop browser. So i’ll gladly take one click more to use a different search engine than the norm.
    If they don’t make that deal mini would become payware or worse include adds, now that’s not looking after their users.

  • http://www.favbrowser.com Vygantas Lipskas

    I don’t mind clicking an extra button myself. Maybe they should sign a deal with other search providers as well, but when they say that “Opera Software will never forget that its main focus is the user” and doesn’t do 100% that, it’s worth posting.

  • Nico Zandberg

    You must also remember the deal was with yahoo first and worth a lot more money. Then a large portion of the users asked to rather have google since it’s much more widely used. Opera ended the contract with yahoo losing millions and the negotiated with google for deal at a lot less in it for opera. Now saying that’s really listening to their users no other company i know of would have done that.

  • http://sunnybeachrealestate.net/ sunny beach

    They used to charge for their browser as they are a small company and cannot compete with the other browsers financially. Google pays them an extremely small amount to make their search engine the default. I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind using Google as my default. It’s fan-freaking-tastic. And if you know Operas address bar shortcuts, then you can practically ignore that window all together. g search term – Google z search term – Amazon e search term – Ebay … etc…etc…etc…

  • http://www.andresruizsays.blogspot.com/ andresruiz

    If you want to use software the way you want, you’ll haveve to pay for it, but if you like it for FREE you must think that Opera folk don’t live from eating fresh air !! they need money to give YOU that great software for free, they use their servers to pre-render web pages in order to SAVE YOUR MONEY…they pay for EVERYTHING and you just enjoy. So in order to keep it free they must do things like those kind of deals with “(in this case): Google.
    If you don’t like it, just don’t use it. Opera Mini is not the only mobile web browser.
    Is the best and it’s free…but only if you like to use it the way it is.

  • Nico Zandberg

    Just another tip opera mini does set the last used search engine as the default on the start page and keeps it as default untill you close mini. So you can in fact have a different search site as default. And if your phone can minimize you never have to close mini and thus your selected default would remain. Google is only default at startup. ;)

  • Daniel C

    Well, I don’t know about Opera Mobile, but on Opera desktop, you can change your default search engine.

    Just click Tools, then click Preferences, click the Search tab (you can also add or delete engines from this tab), click on the engine you want to make your default, click Edit, then click Details, then check off the Use as default search engine box.

  • http://myopera.com/fatal FataL

    I fully agree with your post.
    If person don’t like Google, he will never use it, even if Google is still on first position in search engines list.
    That just adds some inconvinience to a end user, that’s it, i.e. not completly friendly.

  • http://www.bluecirclet.com/ ameo

    i didn’t notice that although i have opera mobile installed but i just don’t use it that much as the PC version , but i can say that this issue really made me a bit angry it’s all about freedom and not being enforced to use certain thing !!!

  • Nico Zandberg

    you guys are getting confused here. This is only in mini all the othes opera browsers give your freedom. But mini is the only browser that cost the provider money when you use it for free. They even try and save you money. I still don’t understand how you guys can say opera does not listen to their users because of this. And they said users are their number one focus not their only. Nobody on opera’s forum has complaint about this so how would opera know. You trying to mix two subjects that is completely unrelated.

  • http://www.bluecirclet.com/ ameo

    i know what you mean . I’m devoted user to opera just as the rest of others , I’ve tried all other browsers you can imagine and opera was my choice ,
    i never used opera mini but i think if opera wanted to set google as it’s main search engine , then it should have at least allowed changing it .
    i use google and it’s fine with me as opera choses it
    i even use ask.com search in the speed dial [ sometimes web search doesn't really differ ]
    but it’s about the principle here

  • The-Doc

    Default engine can be changed in the Preference so I don’t understand why you guys are complaining.

  • Christopher

    Well, i agree with ameo, when i found Opera 9.5 IT WAS GREAT! even know i still liked Safari, but Safari has no taste is coler, but Opera does with it’s different skins, AND NEVER EVER NEVER EVER GET INTERNET EXPLORER, becouse it is horribly bad at security, and other stuff, but Opera 9.5 is the best EVER

    So if you want to get the worlds most Fastest, safest, and colerful web browser
    Get Opera 9.5

  • Whiners with entitlement issues.

    The post is false. The commenters joining in the Opera bashing are also incorrect.

    The default can be changed. Nuff said?

    Well, no. This should be pointed out: this post has no respect for businesses that pay for equipment, people, and other resources to give you a fantastic piece of software for free. Much respect, Opera ASA.

  • Vijay

    Hello,

    I am using Opera for 1day now.
    I have a problem: by accident i erased the google search engine as default search engine.

    i was trying to change it from http://www.google.com to http://www.google.nl (CTRL+F12). but there it went wrong, i erased the whole url and now i don’t know what the url is.

    for yahoo i see this: http://yahoo.opera.com/search/?q=%s&fr=opera2
    for amaozon: http://redir.opera.com/amazon/?q=%s
    for wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=%s

    can you please tell me the url adres is for http://www.google.nl that i have to put there (CTRL+F12)????

    regards,
    Vijay

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