Opera 15
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em
For years, Opera’s development team championed strict web standards
through their own rendering engine called Presto. Maintaining a relevant
rendering engine is a massive undertaking, so for version 15, Opera
Software made the decision to swap out Presto for Google’s Blink engine,
which is a fork of Webkit and the same one driving Chrome. It’s a
significant change and one that allows the Norwegian browser maker’s
small team to narrow their focus on Opera’s complementary features and
security.
What’s New
A new rendering engine is just one of the many changes in Opera 15, not
all of them positive. Bookmarks have vanished (Opera Software plans to
return them in a future release), and the integrated M2 email and news
client played a disappearing act just like Presto. In their place is an
overhauled UI that more closely resembles Chrome, along with a combined
address and search bar.
Opera’s Speed Dial feature lists thumbnails of saved web pages on new
tab windows, and new to Opera 15 is the ability to group and search
entries. Also new are Stash and Discover entries in new tab windows.
When you click the heart icon in the address bar, Stash will take a
snapshot of the website, while Discover lists news clips from around the
web.
Finally, Opera 15 introduces an Off-Road mode that adopts server-side compression technology found in Opera Mobile.
Security
By making the transition to Blink, Opera 15 becomes the beneficiary of
security protocols included in the Chromium project, such as running
tabs in separate processes and sandboxing. Opera also adopts a rapid
release schedule for more frequent security updates, both as it pertains
to Blink as well as parts of the browser not related to Chromium
(everything but the engine).
Privacy
Opera 15 retains the ability to open a private-browsing window, which
you can run alongside a non-private session. The feature is more easily
accessible in Opera’s main drop-down menu. Opera 15 also supports Do Not
Track requests, though the feature is turned off by default.
Performance
The Blink rendering engine gives Opera an instant speed boost that puts
the browser nearly on par with Chrome. In our benchmark tests, Chrome 29
still edged out Opera 15 in most tests, though Opera was faster in
Microsoft’s Lawn Mark 2013 test. Furthermore, neither browser ever left
the other one in the dust. That’s an impressive testament to Opera’s
upgraded code, since Chrome ended up being the fastest of the bunch.
 |
| Opera 15 does away with traditional bookmarks, but you can
“Stash” websites with screenshot previews that appear on the Start page
and new tab windows. |
Chrome 29
All hail the new king
Chrome recently celebrated its fifth birthday, and though it required a
few coats of polish to really shine, most users today couldn’t or
wouldn’t want to fathom a world without Google’s quick and nimble
browser. To wit, Chrome did what no other browser could do—it dethroned
Internet Explorer in market share, at least according to StatCounter’s
data. NetMarketShare still has IE in the lead, but the mere fact that
Chrome is even in the discussion is a remarkable achievement for such a
young browser.
What’s New
Google decided early on that a rapid release schedule made the most
sense, so like Firefox, individual updates typically lack hordes of
killer features to make you pump your fist in excitement. Over time,
however, the experience gradually changes. In Chrome 29, Google added an
immersive mode that hides the toolbar and shelf in full-screen mode
until you hover over the top. There’s also a “Reset browser settings” to
restore Chrome to its original state. If you’re in love with Windows
8’s touch-friendly interface, you’ll also adore running Chrome in
Windows 8 Mode, which replaces IE as the default browser in the process.
Security
Chrome 29 came with more than two dozen security patches, an unusually
large amount. Part of the reason is because Google routinely rewards
external security researchers with financial bounties for discovering
bugs. Combined with Chrome’s automatic updates and sandbox approach to
browsing, you’re about as protected as you can get outside of a virtual
machine.
Privacy
Up until version 23, one of the few criticisms you could make about
Chrome was that it didn’t have a Do Not Track feature like IE and
Firefox. Google took its sweet time adding DNT code to Chrome, but it’s
there, only you have to hunt down the setting and manually turn it on
just like in Firefox. Even when you do, the effectiveness of DNT hinges
on whether websites honor your request or essentially tell you to go fly
a kite.
For browsing on the sly, Chrome’s Incognito mode erases the past more efficiently than Stephen King’s Langoliers.
Performance
Even Michael Jordan didn’t win every game he played in, and though it
wasn’t a clean sweep for Chrome either, Google’s browser had the best
score in more benchmarks than any of the other four contenders in this
roundup. And unlike in our browser cage fight from two years ago, Chrome
now boasts hardware acceleration.
Power-User Tips
1. Install the Omnibox Timer extension to set reminders in the Omnibar
while you’re at your PC. Once installed, activate a timer by typing TM
in the Omnibar and then something like, “15 stand up and take a break”
to be reminded in 15 minutes to move around. (Protip: Sitting for long
stretches is bad for your health.)
2. Google isn’t your only search option in Chrome. Type Amazon in the
Omnibar followed by the Tab key and then type in your search query.
You’ll see the option to bring up search when you start typing in
websites you’ve previously visited. Alternately, type the name of a site
followed by a colon and then your search query (e.g., MaximumPC:
Intel).
3. Fancy yourself a code junkie? Right-click a website and select “Inspect element” to spy a site’s code.
1) If you’re not digging Internet Explorer in Windows 8’s Modern UI, you
can swap it out for Chrome. Once you do, it always runs that way, even
if you launch Chrome from the desktop.
2) There’s no need for a dedicated search bar in Chrome. The Omnibar (or address bar) also functions as a search bar.
3) Type chrome://flags in the Omnibar to
bring up a wealth of experimental features to play around with. As
always, be careful flipping switches willy-nilly, lest Chrome start
acting in unexpected ways.
4) Signing into Chrome allows you to sync your settings and data from
one PC to another. Just sign into the same account when you get home to
bring up your work PC’s Chrome session.
~ Paul Lilly
