A quick look at Opera and how it compares to Firefox
The versions compared are Firefox 2.0 and Opera 9.02.
Part 0: License
Opera has a proprietary license. It is available free of charge. Firefox is tri-licensed under the MPL, GPL, and LGPL. It is open source software. However, the Mozilla/Debian issue should be noted.
WINNER: Firefox
Part 1: Install
There is nothing to note about the install. The only thing that come close to being of importance (IMO) is that Firefox has a smaller installer. The difference is very small and not very noticeable even on dial-up.
WINNER: Both
Part 2: Customizatibility
Opera allows the user to have some control of the themes included with it and a few third-party themes not mentioned on the Opera site. Firefox, however, has numerous themes available and they are searchable from the Firefox site. Both Opera and Firefox have ways to add features. Opera does this with widgets, which float and can be opened and closed. Firefox uses extensions, which can be in toolbars, the status bar, in menus, or a few other places. Extensions are able to have more effect on the browser.
WINNER: Firefox
Part 3: Features
Both Firefox and Opera have a search bar and keyword search (though Opera has more keyword searches by default). Firefox, by default has a status bar, while it must be enabled in Opera. Both have tabbed browsing, and have had this feature for a long time (though Opera used to be more like AOL or Word-- with page windows in the main window).
WINNER: Both
Part 4: Standards
Firefox and Opera both have better CSS rendering capabilities than Internet Explorer (even version 7), not that that say much. However, Opera passes the ACID2 test and Firefox does not. Opera was the first browser to support SVG, though both browsers now support it.
WINNER: Opera
PART 5: Closing statements
Overall, in the five sections, Firefox wins 4/3. However, it narrowly wins in the license category, just as Opera narrowly wins in the standards section. If Firefox eventually passes the ACID2 test, then there will be a split win, bringing Firefox to win 5/3. I will keep Opera installed and continue to use it, but I will recommend Firefox to most people.
