Page 63 of Opera 12.15 | General Discussion (off topic) Anything and everything...

Something I posted at the blog of the Desktop Team and I would like to share here as it voices my and probably other long term user's concerns:

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I am a long term user of Opera. I started using it with v7.0x and have been using weeklies and snapshots since v9. That makes me very much one of the dinosaurs around here.

The removal of various "non core browser elements", for lack of a better word, worries a lot like a lot of long term users who are concerned about typical Opera features. These features may be more popular than assumed or are valued much higher by a may be small group of users than understood.

Usually I am an unconcerned dinosaur who goes through the motions and may have voiced some not too rottenly written comments on changes not as big as these and was never bothered by "a lack of responsiveness" from Opera's side. Actually I have seen Opera listen to user feedback.

With these new developments at the MAC platform and watching the comments from other concerned netizin dinosaurs I am sorely starting to miss feedback from Opera.

By not communicating anything Opera's development is starting to come across as rudderless. It is not clear if the removal of "non core browser elements" is only a thought provoking step or something that is to be extended to the other platforms as well. Nor is it clear what Opera's long term view is on what a browser would encompass.

In short I am missing serious interaction with the user base.That does not mean Opera should agree with us 100%. But it would be very much appreciated to learn more about Opera's vision on future browser developments and learn in discussion why it wants to ditch these things and find out if Opera would be willing to maintain certain things because of popular demand by their long term user base. That same userbase that are often serious Opera evangelists.

When reading reviews about new Opera releases on big sites it is always seen as an innovative browser coming from a company who, in a good sense, stubbornly and independantly brings new cool features to the world of browsing. That is something to be proud of and cherish.

I understand that competition tends to unify certain aspects of the browser. I mean the ones that meet the immediate eye. And that would be both the performance loving eye which indulges in benchmarks as well as the eye that tends to judge the book by its cover.

But getting past the immediate eye that is where browsers really should differ because otherwise browsers just become minor variations on a theme to but use a musical metaphor. Opera has always excelled at setting new themes rather than making minor variations on a contemporary themes.

To voice it differently. Competition tends to equalise leaving competing contestants to fret and needlessly and ferociously fight over the little difference. Opera has always managed to stay away from this type of regressive form of competing. Opera used to lead innovation and it seems to choose to opt for the undesired form of competition.

In short: please talk to us, discuss with us and deliberate on what the dinosaurs and other species bring to the table. We want Opera to stay leader in innovation while keeping "legacy elements".......

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