Fennec comes to Android Firefox's little cousin is now on Android, showing what an alternative browser can do for Google's platform. Fennec is the mobile version of Firefox, the free browser from Mozilla. Fennec has been in beta for the Nokia N900 since the end of January, but now an early version has been made available for Android handsets. Though …
I've got a Hero (unlocked but not rooted) so still using Android 1.5 while waiting for the (delayed again) update to Android 2.1 from HTC. The built in browser is ok, but certainly nothing special. Definitely looking forward to getting a final release of Fennec installed so I can also get ABP installed to block all those meddlesome ads that I had forgotten about since I use Firefox on desktop.
Bring it on Mozilla!
Thanks for that I really hope you're right. Having watched all March for the promised update, the person I spoke to at HTC support last week confirmed it had been delayed from March to April due to complex testing (read we're trying to fix a big ****up). 2 April would be excellent - so I'll be looking out for it!
I am afraid desktop is a steaming pile, compared to opera mini - I would say use opera mobile, but the winmob is missing lots... the symbian version is much better...
if You dont think so look at the posts from disgruntled users..
http://my.opera.com/community/forums/todays.dml?username=&datemodifier=newer&limitdate=yst&sortby=lastum§ion=todaysposts
Not sure what that link is supposed to show, but it's a support forum. A support forum will obviously mostly focus on problems.
Most people aren't having any problems, though. I've been using Opera since version 10.50, and it has worked wonderfully.
Read comments on other sites than Opera's own support forums, and you'll see that most people love the new version.
then I saw it was still only a prerelease version. :-( I've been waiting for Fennec on Android since I saw their first announcement, but I want it polished enough to use for my daily browsing.
The default browser in my Nexus One is okay, but I could do with something a bit better. Maybe I'll give Opera a try.
I guess these will be those that never use the 'extra' functionality'...
but try these simple tests to see what is wrong...
- you want to try one of your old skins, that work great on opera 10.1...
it gives 'black squares' and other odd effects on 10.5...
OK, its old, lets look at the latest skins on the website....
you find it gets worse, now a lot of text has disappeared from the settings menu!!
you normally just type 'bbc' in Firefox to get bbc.co.uk.... (try it! :) )
You try this in Opera 10.5 - It searches google for BBC !!! why would it do that, when there is a 'google search bar' right next to it???
OK, maybe I did it wrong.. no, I type in the full URL, it does not search, it gets the website... WTF???
there is also a good function for URLs on the reg, I just select a piece of text in 10.1, it just goes there! :)
so I find 'BBC' in 10.5, and 'goto URL' - surely that will work properly???
NO! it searches for BBC again.... do you see my problem now??
so how is it now, that all the old guard, that made opera famous, has now been banned??
Bit slow, except for the occasional spam?? I challenge thee to a duel, provide a 'market popularity graph' for the whole world, that you would believe in!!!
Oh and do note that FF does not worry, it will soon be more popular than most!! :D
Note also that chrome & safari is very low, but I dont see them complaining.... maybe because they are getting all opera's customers...
http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-200906-201004
Old guard banned? What on earth are you talking about?
If you look up the actual user numbers from Opera, they have consistently had growth on the desktop. As you know, they can count desktop users because the desktop version checks for updates automatically.
Indeed, Net Applications reports an increase in Opera's market share from February to March (and from less than 2% last year to more than 2% now). And that's even with Opera Turbo causing Opera to be under-counted because thousands of Turbo users will only be counted as one single user by these stats sites.
Even if Opera's market share was sliding (which it isn't), that doesn't mean Opera is losing users. It can grow its user base as long as the whole market is growing.
But mobile is what's growing the fastest, and Opera is a clear winner there:
http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_browser-ww-weekly-201008-201014
I will bet you did not even LOOK at my link... It is for the desktop, that is where all the problem lies...
The MOBILE market is totally different, having a far simpler product, that is far, far younger....
Also, DO NOTE! NO SIGN of mozilla in those results, and excluding browsers that come with the mobile, there is almost nothing else out there... (that can be put on **any** phone!)
Yes, Mini and Skyfire are great, BUT, they depend on a remote server to do the job...
meanwhile Fennec is awfully slow....
You are not making sense.
I did look at your link. I rejected it and pointed out that Net Applications, a different stats service, shows a growth in Opera's market share from February to March. It also shows that it has grown over time.
But I also pointed out that even if Opera's MARKET SHARE was to decline (which it hasn't according to Net Applications), that doesn't automatically mean LOSING USERS, it could just mean slower growth than the rest of the market.
And If you look at Opera's financial reports, they have consistently reported a growth in the user base as well. So Opera is NOT LOSING USERS. On the contrary.
I also explained how statistics, both from StatCounter, Net Applications, and others, are FLAWED because they are under-counting Opera because of things like Opera Turbo.
Again, desktop is NOT dropping. Opera Turbo, which uses a proxy to speed up slow connections, will cause Opera to be UNDER-counted, which means that the actual number of users is higher because thousands of Turbo users will just be counted as one.
And yes, DESKTOP is growing. They are NOT LOSING USERS. If you look up their financial reports, the figures CLEARLY show a growing desktop user base.
financial reports, huh??? I think you will find that has NOTHING to do with the desktop browser (except a very tiny bit of cash from google, and not the giant figure FF gets from them..) - as they said themselves recently...
Ok, here is the Net apps graph...
http://www.netmarketshare.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=1
hey now that is a BIG rise!! 0.02 percent!!!
just dont look at the others, you might faint!!.. hey, is Mini available on the DESKTOP???
:D
I recognize that bluster... why dont you ask your friends at opera?? why they have banned many old users just for wanting to improve the browser?? Just for saying 10.5 is missing many features that still work properly in the older one?? why do they not protect their ideas, so that FF etc can copy them all???
I think you will find that if you educate yourself, you will stop making yourself look silly.
Desktop revenue is currently more than 1/3 of Opera's total revenue. It is not just a tiny bit of cash at all. When nearly 50 million active users do their searches, that adds up over time.
You now admit that Net Applications shows an increase, which basically blows your original claim out of the water. Good job. Your homework is to figure out why browser stats are bogus anyway.
Banned old users? Why would they ban old users? The forum seems to be thriving and full of long time members with lots of posts. You are clearly making stuff up, as is clear from your false claims about desktop revenue, market share, and user base.
And regarding protecting ideas, if you had bothered to look up the facts before talking nonsense, you would have realized that Opera Software is opposed to software patents.
Fail.
"You now admit that Net Applications shows an increase" you are like the loony is a rainstorm, saying "but hey, it is warm!! "
since you are a netapps' fan, here is the rest...
you tactically forgot about how it decreased 0.02% in Jan 2010, and a further 0.03% in Feb, making the march 0.02 rather like 2 steps back, 1 step forward..
Meanwhile... (from the SAME graph...)
Firefox increased a fantastic 0.29%!!!!
Chrome increased an incredible 0.52%!!!!
Safari increased a giant 0.20%!!!!
- and IE DEcreased a MASSIVE 0.93% !!!!
Hey, do you still trust netapps now??
Who are you arguing with? Net Applications shows an increase in March, contrary to the claim that it decreased. Are you disputing that?
And now we know that Opera has grown from 46 million users a couple of months ago, to 50 million users now:
http://mashable.com/2010/04/12/opera-100-million/
So no matter how you look at it, Opera has increased.
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