rant: website dependent context menu

How can user have different context menu entries based upon on which  
website he is.

Answer:
Although Opera is claimed to be highly customisable
the user can not have different context menu entries provinding the user  
custom defined convenient power tools for specific sites. If user wants to  
have some powertools in his context menu, he must include them all at once  
in the context menu for all sites, making context menu big, clumsy and  
having a lot of items that on other websites are absolutely useless.
bravo Operasoftware and browser innovation...

NRN

-- 
Marek Mänd

On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 09:06:02 +0100, Marek Mänd wrote:

> How can user have different context menu entries based upon on which  
> website he is.
>
> Answer:
> Although Opera is claimed to be highly customisable
> the user can not have different context menu entries provinding the user  
> custom defined convenient power tools for specific sites. If user wants  
> to have some powertools in his context menu, he must include them all at  
> once in the context menu for all sites, making context menu big, clumsy  
> and having a lot of items that on other websites are absolutely useless.
> bravo Operasoftware and browser innovation...
>
> NRN

If you post this to opera.wishlist you might get more replies :)

This does not exactly sound like something useful for a serious number of  
people - putting all power tools in a submenu of you context menu, or on a  
toolbar (Opera has lots of them for you to custimize) is already cool  
unique functionality - and probably used by at most 1% of our users.

You are ranting (in other posts) that Opera wasted efforts by supporting  
widgets in Opera 9, but forget that power users also got some goodies in  
Opera 9: the great tools Site Specific Preferences and opera:config. I  
wouldn't dare say that our widgets implementation took that much more  
engineering time... but Widgets has proven to be much more useful in  
attracting attention and so new users.

-- 

                                                    Rijk van Geijtenbeek
                                  Opera Software ASA, Documentation & QA

On Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:03:39 +0200, Rijk van Geijtenbeek  
<rijk@opera-dot-com.invalid> wrote:

> On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 09:06:02 +0100, Marek Mänd wrote:
>
>> How can user have different context menu entries based upon on which  
>> website he is.
>>
>> Answer:
>> Although Opera is claimed to be highly customisable
>> the user can not have different context menu entries provinding the  
>> user custom defined convenient power tools for specific sites. If user 

>> wants to have some powertools in his context menu, he must include them
 
>> all at once in the context menu for all sites, making context menu big,
 
>> clumsy and having a lot of items that on other websites are absolutely 

>> useless.
>> bravo Operasoftware and browser innovation...
>>
>> NRN
>
> If you post this to opera.wishlist you might get more replies :)

You are absolutely right =D

>
> This does not exactly sound like something useful for a serious number  
> of people - putting all power tools in a submenu of you context menu, or  
> on a toolbar (Opera has lots of them for you to custimize) is already  
> cool unique functionality - and probably used by at most 1% of our users.

Once the browsers



> You are ranting (in other posts) that Opera wasted efforts by supporting  
> widgets in Opera 9, but forget that power users also got some goodies in  
> Opera 9: the great tools Site Specific Preferences and opera:config.


First:
Opera:config doesnt work if I have javascript disabled.
Second:
The Opera:config webpage main categories dont have hyperlink anchors, you  
only can copy reference specific individual preference, but not a group of  
preferences. If user clicks on other main category, then the locationbar  
URL doesnt change to reflect the selection change.

Also a minor thaing that if you are in Questions Answers support, you sure  
would wish to build up URL, that will open only relevant preference items  
 from various categories related to the question askers problem. The quick  
find search textbox cannot be prefilled from URL.



So I think you ppl there in Operasoftware implemented it wrong.

The program code that communicates with Site Preferences has 2 coding bugs.

Third. Site specific options were the things Operasoftware should ahve  
implemented already in Opera 5 era.



> wouldn't dare say that our widgets implementation took that much more  
> engineering time... but Widgets has proven to be much more useful in  
> attracting attention and so new users.

So how do I use widgets if I close Opera main window?
Correct me if I am wrong but Iif users surfs Javascript disabled for the  
sake of getting rid of adverts and your navigation profiling web trackers,  
how do the Widgtes operate? They dont becas thy need JS enabled...

So Riijk, tell me what useful widgets I can use?



Can you explain me WHY I cant do XMLHttpRequest to any domain from side  
"Panel"?
Panels has been in Opera at least from version 4 onwards.


>



-- 
Marek Mänd

On Sat, 06 Jan 2007 08:43:57 +0200, Marek Mänd wrote:
..
> Once the browsers

this previous post went out from my computer when i mistakenly hit Send  
while trying to hit "Save".
I tried to cancel the message, but I doubt Cancel works.

-- 
Marek Mänd

Rijk van Geijtenbeek:
> Marek Mänd:
>> How can user have different context menu entries based upon on which  
>> website he is.
> If you post this to opera.wishlist you might get more replies :)

You are absolutely right =D


> This does not exactly sound like something useful for a serious number  
> of people - putting all power tools in a submenu of you context menu, or  
> on a toolbar (Opera has lots of them for you to custimize) is already  
> cool unique functionality - and probably used by at most 1% of our users.


Once the browsers didnt have features they have now.
Either quoted properly or is it the misquote, the famous net folkore is  
that
"There is a world market for only five computers"...

I am not only talking about a context menu entries, but also toolbar like  
navigation-bar now is, but with extended functionality, that in site  
preferences I could define additional buttons that only appear on bar then  
when i am on specific site. In that case it wouldnt be like that a web  
page dictates my browser UI (and I have no control over it),
but i dictate to the browser through site preferences profiles what custom  
tools i want to have on my x-bar (navigatiobar or whatever).

It will be the future mark my words.
Might take 10 years, but someone will be the first.



> You are ranting (in other posts) that Opera wasted efforts by supporting  
> widgets in Opera 9, but forget that power users also got some goodies in  
> Opera 9: the great tools Site Specific Preferences and opera:config.


First:
Opera:config
doesnt work if I have javascript disabled (why it is disabled is a  
separate question).
USER MUST ENABLE JAVASCRIPT GENERALLY FOR ALL SITES TO USE THE  
(sarcasm:)"INGENIOUS" IMPLEMENTATION by Operasoftwares engineers.
And there is nothing to be proud about it or "brag" that we have added
a  
new feature, if it is implemented only halfways and inappropriate manner.

Simpler users would turn javascript on and accept the misery.
More broader thinking users would then think, HEY THEY GOT YA THE SITE  
PREFERENCES feature, SO LETS PRIVATELY ENABLE THE JAVASCRIPT THING FOR  
opera:config.. and let the other sites will run more securely  ad-free and  
"user behavior and navigation and spying on me tracker-free",  without
 
javascript.
But then these broader-thinking-users will notice
OPERASOFTWARE INGENIOUS MIND HAS DENIED AND FORBID THE USER TO SET SITE  
PROFILE ON opera:config.

If you have site preferences custom button, then its state is GRAYED-OUT.
INDICATING IT CANNOT BE USED for opera:config.

If you add site preferences profile through complex
Tools->Preferences->Content->Manage site preferences...-> Add..
and type in opera:about as an address for new profile, and save the  
profile where js is enabled, then it will (surprise-surprise!)
BE SAVED.
BUT LATER ON IF YOU TRY IT, THIS RULESET HAS ABSOLUTELY NO EFFECT.
The Opera will show you html document where main message is:
"You need to enable JavaScript to use this document. Then reload the
page."

(rethorical:)So where is the supremacy, The Engineering Mind, striving to  
be above the mediocre?
I just put flaws of 2 features you mentioned together.


Second:
Mnor thing that the Opera:config webpage main categories (BitTorrent,  
Cache and all the others) dont have hyperlink anchors, you only can copy  
reference to specific individual preference, but not a group of  
preferences.
Also  - if user clicks on other main category, then the locationbar URL  
doesnt change to reflect the selection change.

Also a very minor thing, that if you are in Questions Answers support, you  
would wish to build up URL, that will open only relevant preference items  
 from various categories related to the question askers problem. But this  
cannot currently be done.


So I think you ppl there in Operasoftware implemented opera:config wrong.


Third:

The program code that communicates with Site Preferences has 2 coding bugs.
If the Operas Quality Assurance hasnt noticed them, then they do not test  
Opera as they should do.


Fourth:
A management decision thing.
I aknowledge that Operas layout engine has improved much, compared what it  
was 6 years ago.
Also there is no question about it, that now the problems of Opera browser  
not handling different sites
was much much worse years ago.
BASED ON THAT THE SITE PROFILES,Site specific options, were the things  
Operasoftware SHOULD HAVE IMPLEMENTED already in Opera 5 era, when the  
display problems with sites were a lot more common.


> I wouldn't dare say that our widgets implementation took that much more  
> engineering time... but Widgets has proven to be much more useful in  
> attracting attention and so new users.


So how do I use widgets if I close Opera main window?
Correct me if I am wrong but if users surfs Javascript disabled for the  
sake of getting rid of adverts and your navigation profiling web trackers,  
how do the Widgtes operate? THEY DONT becas they need JS be enabled for  
XMLHttpRequest if they want to fetch data...

So Riijk, tell me what useful widgets I can use?
What do you use and find useful so far?

The Operqs Widget "World Cup"   http://widgets.opera.com/
Grand Final Winner is the http://widgets.opera.com/widget/5040 SimAquarium.
http://groups.google.com/group/opera.general/browse_thread/thread/29aef2cbb3a48a
79/7b0f98358d3d6e67?lnk=st&q=widget+worldcup+marek&rnum=1#7b0f98358d3d6e
67
I despise in general that programs that do almost nothing useful besides  
just being eye candys win the 1st prices. And I aknowledge why these kind  
win 1st prices or be on the top of the list -
its for political reasons, because they are supposed to demonstrate "how  
powerful new 'technology' is".


Can you explain me WHY I cant do XMLHttpRequest to any domain from side  
"Panel"?
Panels has been in Opera at least from version 4 onwards.

If
:
"I wouldn't dare say that our widgets implementation took that much
more"  
(Rijk)
:
then how much time it would have taken to allow XMLHttpRequest object  
being used in side panel, so side panels would actually been enabled to do  
something useful by contacting various data sources instead of the domain  
they originate?



-- 
Marek Mänd