I've been tagged! Rowan Mulder wants to know what five things I'd like to see in Opera. The tagging game began with Daniel Goldman (see his post for the rules) and I'm going to go ahead and tag Timothy Luoma, Rijk van Geijtenbeek, Eirik Stavem, Allan Clements, and Ian Hickson.
Picking out five things I'd like to see in Opera is actually a bit tricky for me. I spend a lot of time listening to what others want in Opera. Often when I talk about what I want in Opera, I'm just echoing what I've heard from others. After some thorough brainstorming, I hope I've filtered off the bias and will present a list that's truly my own. Since I have a unique perspective as an employee, I've bent the rules a bit and included some things that I think (and hope!) Opera Software as a company could do better in the future.
And without further ado, five things I'd like to see in Opera:
- A better icon - Really, Opera's icon isn't very good. There are a number of design problems with it and it really can't compare to its competitors.
- A publicly accessible bug tracking system - Opera's users are awesome. They tirelessly figure out problems on web sites and find ways to reproduce really odd issues. To get the most out of their expertise, it makes sense to make the Opera Software bug tracking system publicly accessible. Our users are one of our greatest assets and I know that'd be thrilled to help kill some bugs.
- Better changelogs - When an Opera user takes the time to report a bug, the least Opera Software can do is inform them it's been fixed by listing it in the build/release changelog. Changelogs typically include less than 10% of the actual changes, though many are included in blanket statements like "improved stability".
- Opera Mail as a separate application - Opera Mail gets no respect, even less than the Opera browser. Opera Mail in Kestrel is leaps and bounds better than Opera Mail ever has been and it's going to get even better in Peregrine. I already use Opera Mail as if it were a stand-alone application, but few users probably know how to do so. Thus, I'd like Opera Software to release Opera Mail as a standalone application so others will be able to experience its greatness!
- Developer tools - One of the best ways to get more users to use Opera is to fix web site problems. One of the best ways to fix web sites problems is to provide superior tools for developers. If developers developed their web sites using Opera, then fixed the problems they find in other browsers, Opera would work out of the box. I think one of the main reasons that Mozilla and Firefox caught on is because it was early-on the defacto geek/developer browser. Those geeks/developers made their web sites work in Firefox, then spread the word and now Firefox has 10+% market share, while Opera is still hovering in the single digits.
- Bonus: Extensions - Face it, the Opera browser can't please every user. Opera Software can try to find the right balance between features and clutter, but I think that's a losing battle. What's the answer? Extensions. Let users make, rate, and install the features they want. Let users take the Opera browser to places Opera Software never imagined. They already try to do so now with various skins, toolbar setups, and hacks. If Opera Software gave them the right tools, the possibilities are almost endless. Extensions will also open the door to features from third-parties, such as the Google Toolbar and applications like RoboForm. I really want to see how much better Opera could be if the Web could apply their talent to it.
Note: The opinions expressed here are my own and are not meant to represent my employer, Opera Software.
Note: Comments with a light blue background were made by the site owner.
Here's mine
http://tj.tntluoma.com/opera/five-things-id-like-to-see-in-opera has my list.
mail standalone
When you say standalone email client, do you mean to separate mail from the browser or to release an internet suite (as Opera is now) PLUS the mail client extra? But the mail client would also require rendering capabilities to be able to show HTML email and such. So it would make more sense to just offer Opera with three separate default settings: one optimized for email, one optimized for browsing (the hugin and mugin approach) and the last optimized as a suite. Or not?
I'd say a separate mail
I'd say a separate mail client from the browser. The technical method of doing so is not really relevant. But I'd really just like to use Opera as a stand-alone mail client and I'd like for it to be recognized as such a product, similar to Firefox and Thunderbird.
Great list! I agree on
Great list! I agree on (nearly) all points.
The icon thing had really intrigued me, I changed my icon long ago... using one of SerbianFigther's, imho. I like company logo very much, though.
And the BTS does indeed need to be more open. Your idea with changelogs including the bugs that have been fixed (i.e. numbers) is splendid for a start. Or an email from the BTS that informs the reporter of the fixing. At least *some* kind of feedback.
I for one would like M2 included in Opera. Dunno if you wanted this or not. If it was also available as a seperate mail client, allthebetter :)
Extensions: Generally I like more functionality. The thing is, if you "do" Extensions, do them right. And implement reasonable restrictions for security. Also useful extensions should be maintained, not left somewhere forever and fixed-up occasionally once a version produces something *very* bad. I don't know if these problems *are* solvable at all. We see it with FF extensions, and imho a good few UJs are not maintained (also we need a central place to look for them!).
My idea (I don't say it's a good one) is to have an auditing process like with widgets to make extensions comply with UI/code design. Also features to mark them as "unmaintained" or "dangerous", or something of that sort. Maybe even involving revokable keys? AIM uses revokable keys for the extension mechanism in "Boxely", afaik, and I haven't heard one negative thing, yet.