A new version of Gmail was introduced a while ago by Google which added several new features, like color labels, to Gmail. So called Gmail 2 is accessible through a link in the upper right corner of the Gmail interface. A click on Newer Version loads the new interface. Apparently though this link is not available for Opera 9.5 users. I’m not sure if it is available for Opera 9.27 users, if anyone could let me know it would be nice.

Google is using some kind of browser check to determine if the link to the new version is shown. It does not even help to mask or identify as another browser in Opera, the link will still not be shown.

Ryan from Cybernet News found a way in and I really have to thank him for finding the following url: mail.google.com/gmail?nocheckbrowser If you load Gmail using the parameter nocheckbrowser Gmail will not try and identify the browser and display all the contents in Opera as well.

continue reading "Access Gmail 2 with Opera 9.5"

A commenter on my recent article about a Firefox add-on that made it possible to open search results using the keyboard let me know that he would like to see a similar article about Opera. It sometimes takes a while but I always try to help my readers by finding solutions for them. During that research I stumbled upon Opera’s keyboard shortcuts which are way more advanced than the ones for Firefox. If you compare both keyboard shortcut lists you will notice that Opera’s is probably three times the size as the Firefox list.

But back to the topic. The following keyboard shortcuts are all that is needed to use Opera without the mouse in most situations including the aforementioned way to open search results in Opera without having to use the mouse. This way is unfortunately not as precise but it is speedy enough to use it instead of the mouse.

It is possible to flip through links in Opera using the Shift + Arrow Keys shortcut. The up and down arrow keys switch to the first link in the previous or next line while the left and right keys jump to the previous or next link no matter where it is located. The first result of a Google search can be selected by using the Shift Arrow Key Down shortcut three times. The link can then be loaded with the Enter key which would open the link in the same tab, the Shift Enter combination which would load it in a new tab or the CTRL Shift Enter combination that opens the link in a background tab.

continue reading "Keyboard only navigation in Opera"

Making any website temporarily appear the way you want instead of the way its designer meant it to is rather easy if you use Opera and (not quite necessarily) have at least very basic knowledge of the simplest CSS statements. There’s a useful feature you may have not cared about until now and I’m ready to provide you with a brief description of this function that could make your web surfing experience even more pleasant.

Every now and then I switch the current presentation mode in my browser to make an unsuitably designed page (too low or too high contrast, badly styled elements, etc.) draw in a way that ensures a good readability at all times. Whether your reason to change the style of websites you visit is to make them more legible and accessible, ease the strain in your eyes caused by bright backgrounds for better comfort or just make them look as fancy as possible, it can be easily achieved by using custom or even pre-arranged CSS files that come with Opera.

continue reading "Make full use of Opera’s presentation modes"

OperaFly 2.0 is for Opera what FeBe or Mozbackup is for Firefox. That pretty much sums it up and I could stop writing at this point but I suppose you want additional information. I would like to start by thanking the Cybernet News Blog for finding this gem. OperaFly can be downloaded in two versions, one is an installer and the other an archive that can be unpacked to the computer. The installer, or some options presented in it, seems to be a bit buggy right now, especially the option to integrate OperaFly in the Opera Tools Menu. I’m not the only one who has received an error according to the comments on the author’s homepage.

The installation nevertheless will go through and OperaFly will become available in the Windows Start Menu. It tries to automatically detect the correct Opera directory during first start, if that is not successful you need to manually locate the correct directory. Once that is out of the way you can specify a directory to save the backups in and what should be included in the backup.

By default everything will be backed up including bookmarks, cookies, mails, news and site preferences. All in all 29 different items can be included or excluded in the backup.

continue reading "Backup the Opera Profile"

Opera Dragonfly Alpha has been released by the Opera developer team, rather silently so to speak. The Dragonfly feature is already build in Opera 9.5 beta 2 which can be downloaded from the Opera ftp site. Opera Dragonfly Alpha can be started in Opera by going into the Tools/Advanced/Developer Tools menu. Opera Dragonfly will be started in a separate window.

“The alpha release includes the initial implementation for the JavaScript Debugger, CSS Inspector, DOM Inspector, Command Line and the Error Console, as well as the Scope module, which allows Opera Dragonfly to communicate with the Opera browser.”

Developers get quick access to every open window in Opera this way. Tabs provide access to Scripts, DOM and the Console. It’s not yet on the same level as the Firebug extension for Firefox. What I really like in Firebug is the fact that I can click on elements in the website and that the CSS attributes of that element are then displayed.

continue reading "Opera Dragonfly Alpha released"