Opera, by Opera Software ASA, is what some people might call an "alternative" Web browser. That is to say, that it's an alternative to Internet Explorer and Netscape. It claims to be "super-fast" and from using it, I'd have to say they were right! And not only that, but it looks good. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of flexibility. I always have been, way back to the beginning. I've always felt that users should be able to configure options of a program to suit themselves. And that the program should be flexible enough to allow that. Well, Opera is the embodiment of that idea. It let me layout the Web browser like I wanted to! And what a joy that was. I'm so tired of (ahem) other people deciding how I should use their software on my computer! So, Opera was immediately on my "good side."

Opera is highly configurable. It can use the increasingly popular "skins", so if you want a new look for awhile, it's easy to do. And there's a regular skin collection on the Opera home page. The program has a cool feature called the "Wand" that will remember your logins to Web sites, or not, whatever you decide. If you like have more than one window open at the same time, no problem. Want your toolbar on the left side? That's fine too. Opera also comes with a complete email system that you can use right from the browser. You can maneuver using "mouse gestures" which I find very cool. It can keep track of your personal information, for filling in forms. And, at the same time, it also provides you with a way to delete personal information, like the browsers "history." There's just so much you can do. In fact, Opera is really so very flexible and configurable that I don't even have room to tell you about all the things you can do with it. But, I do realize that I'm going to have to buy this program!

Opera by Opera Software ASA, is really all the authors claim about it, and a whole lot more. It's fast and I mean really fast. It's flexible in a way I've never seen a Web browser be before. It utilizes skins so you can change the look, and it gives you just countless configurable options. At the same time, it abides by all of "standards". It takes up an amazing small amount of disk space and that makes it perfect for your laptop too. There are even versions of Opera for you phone or PDA. After twenty years of evaluating software, I don't tend to get impressed very easily, but Opera is certainly impressive. So, not only is it a Dr. File Finder's Pick, it's also a Dr. File Finder Favorite! I've used lots of other 'alternative' browsers, but this is a Web browser that YOU need to try. If you're going to surf the Web, surf it while riding the best, and this is it!