578 members have voted

  1. 1. FireFox or Opera ?

    • Firefox
      354
    • Opera
      224


Recommended Posts

Ok, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you use FF too.

I guess it's what you're used to. I can make firefox more effecient than Opera for myself. It's what you get used to and the way you use the browser. I've layed out my FF so that it's similar to IE because that's what I've learned to use effeciently. Its like Macs. I can't use them.. and I'm not a n00b by any means. For something that would take me 30 seconds on Windows, it takes me 2-5 minutes on a Mac.. but that's all due to familiarity.

I know you didn't TELL him to leave, but just saying "you could leave" can imply the same thing, you know? I'm not saying he's right, but he's entitled to his opinion at least.

True. Well if you feel that strongly about correcting the misinformation, then by all means go for it. I personally don't think it'll give Opera a bad image. I mean if someone is going to switch to FF or Opera, there is going to be a learning curve regardless, so I doubt a few things like that would sway their opinion. Actually the only thing that disgusted me with Opera were the ads - and I know I don't have to dish out a lot to get them removed, but I'd rather not have them. So, to each their own.

Now lets make a new analogy using cupboards! Opera doesn't provide slots. Opera is just a big block of wood, and any plugins you actually want to use go on the outside, all jumbled up. Firefox, on the other hand, provides an infinite array of slots that can be filled with whatever the hell you want to fill them with. They fix into the design of Firefox so they're not a jumbled mess.

Opera all the way IMO. I've really liked Opera for a year or two now. I used Firefox for a few weeks but I really cant understand what all the fuss is about, to me i think Opera is much better, especially for tabbed browsing, as I have about 500 favourites, I couldnt live without it now ;)

I dont know how you can say that. I have Fx and Opera on a pII 450mhz and opera is slower than molasus on the north pole. I use Fx with no extentions and i can have 20+ tabs open without it slowing.

I find this extremely hard to believe. I'be run Opera and Firefox on a 400 MHz PC with 64 MB RAM, and Firefox was nearly unusable, while Opera ran fine.

It is a well known fact that XUL makes Firefox unsuitable for lower-end systems.

R1ck13, the Mac ports of both Opera and Firefox aren't the best, but my comparison does show that Firefox ports better to other OS's than Opera.

It most certainly shows nothing of the sorts. Just because Opera uses more RAM on your system doesn't mean that Firefox "ports better". This has got nothing to do with the portability of either program.

Also, in my opinion (this whole thing is about opinion anyways) the toolbars in opera are much too fat compared to FF.

How about trying Opera 8 before commenting?

the multi-engine search bar in the top corner of FF is nice and small and clean. Opera has to have one bar for each search engine you want.

So, you haven't actually tried Opera? The search field in Opera's address bar is a multi-engine search. Click the dropdown arrow and see for yourself.

and frankly, I dont like how I have to config opera to make the site think im using some other browser in order to make some sites work properly. All I have to do for firefox is install it and surf.

All I have to do with Opera is to install and surf. Ever tried reading Slashdot in Firefox?

That's so very true! I was an Opera fan until I failed to enrol in one of university courses before the due date.

(Long story: Opera kept said the server was unavailable or something similar and I couldn't access the required page.

"Server was unavailable"? Sounds rather vague to me. Sure you aren't making this up?

I warn you guys: not rendering webpages properly in Opera is a serious issue. It can affect your life! So make sure you browser critical websites using several browsers.

The same goes for any browser, including IE. If you set the settings too strictly, sites will fail to work. This is not an Opera issue.

Now lets make a new analogy using cupboards! Opera doesn't provide slots. Opera is just a big block of wood, and any plugins you actually want to use go on the outside, all jumbled up.

That is not true, actually. Opera has panels, ini files and other ways to plug both external programs into Opera, and to customize Opera to do things it doesn't do bey default.

Firefox, on the other hand, provides an infinite array of slots that can be filled with whatever the hell you want to fill them with. They fix into the design of Firefox so they're not a jumbled mess.

I guess you could say that Opera has shelves so you can put things on them. In Firefox, you have to add your own shelves. And extensions do conflict with each other and cause quite a bit of clutter, unfortunately.

How about trying Opera 8 before commenting?

585347453[/snapback]

That is beta software, have you tried the latest nightly of Firefox?

That is not true, actually. Opera has panels, ini files and other ways to plug both external programs into Opera, and to customize Opera to do things it doesn't do bey default.

585347461[/snapback]

But with Firefox it is far simpler, just click a link, click "Install" and restart.

That is beta software, have you tried the latest nightly of Firefox?
Betas != Nightlies. Betas are put onto the front-page for Opera. Preview Releases are available, but you have to look on the ftp or the forums. Firefox has RC's which are probably the same thing as Betas. Wouldn't you say it's fair to compare a Firefox RC to Opera? I'm going to guess yes.
That is beta software, have you tried the latest nightly of Firefox?

Wasn't this thread started while Firefox was just a beta?

But with Firefox it is far simpler, just click a link, click "Install" and restart.

You have to restart Firefox? Heh. I can switch Opera themes, etc. without restarting. Funny, that :)

Just found an interesting tidbit.

Google sites (search, news, etc) send Mozilla and IE pages compressed via gzip, but send Opera the pages uncompressed even though it can handle them compressed just fine. However, identifying as IE or Mozilla tricks it enough.

Some pages were 70k uncompressed and 15k compressed. That's a noticable difference sometimes.

I wonder how many other sites do this kind of thing?

Just found an interesting tidbit.

Google sites (search, news, etc) send Mozilla and IE pages compressed via gzip, but send Opera the pages uncompressed even though it can handle them compressed just fine.  However, identifying as IE or Mozilla tricks it enough.

Some pages were 70k uncompressed and 15k compressed.  That's a noticable difference sometimes.

I wonder how many other sites do this kind of thing?

585351909[/snapback]

Not doubting you, but you got linkage to back to up?

You make me curious...I've been identified as Opera for a long time now.

notice you don't have to restart opera to do a simple things like applying a theme?

585351691[/snapback]

Yes, but themes aren't extensions. And you do realize how little themes customize Opera in comparison to Firefox, right? Firefox themes are much more in depth. You can do a lot more with Firefox themes because of the power of CSS.

Not doubting you, but you got linkage to back to up?

You make me curious...I've been identified as Opera for a long time now.

585353128[/snapback]

Don't need a link. Go to any google side and open the info panel. Look at the byte sizes. Load each page twice, once as opera, once as mozilla or ie.

Yes, but themes aren't extensions. And you do realize how little themes customize Opera in comparison to Firefox, right? Firefox themes are much more in depth. You can do a lot more with Firefox themes because of the power of CSS.

585353202[/snapback]

Actually, they're about the same. Show me a theme in firefox that has something Opera can't do.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
    • $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.
    • Or... just use Bitwarden. Free, and has on-prem option as well. Works both on desktop and mobile, wherever you are. The age of local password files is over.
    • Thanks
    • I actually got to use one of those so called "backup codes" once. It was for a customer, I choose the backup code option, and by the grace of god, they actually hade them printed out. Imagine my surprise, when after using the backup code, Google then told use we had to enter a code they just sent to the gmail address we currently did not have access to. I was not amused, Google backup codes should be the end all get out of jail free card, because you had to have access to the account to even get them.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Supreme Spray LV earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      hhgygy earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      AMV earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      513
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      164
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      88
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      74
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      73
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!