Although
Opera is a modern browser that respects web standards, many developers don't have time to test their sites in Opera and prefer to block it. There are a number of Google services that return "incompatible browser" errors or deliver a trimmed-down version in Opera, even though the site would load just fine without the hardcoded browser checks (also known as browser sniffing). Google knows the service doesn't work perfectly in Opera and other browsers, so it does this to prevent user complaints:
User: "Google, my browser crashed when loading Google Calendar."
Google: "What browser do you use?"
User: "Opera 9."
Google: "Sorry. It's an unsupported browser."
Here are some problems:
1. If you go to Google Docs & Spreadsheets, you
get this, an error that recommends adding "&browserok=true" to the end of the URL. There's also a funny disclaimer: "Please note that it is a violation of intergalactic law to use this parameter under false pretenses, so don't let us catch you at it. And, it won't work very well -- really."
2. Google Calendar shows a message box that offers two options: Ok, this browser is unsupported or Cancel, go to Google Calendar and hope for the best.
3. Picasa Web Albums shows a non-JavaScript version for viewing photos. Among other things, you can't use shortcuts or zoom in the photo.
To fix these problems, you may try to mask the browser as Firefox, but think about this paradox:
"This site doesn't work in Opera because Opera has a small market share. To fix this, you can mask as Firefox. Now Opera has an even smaller market share."
A better idea is to try a script that does a little more by solving other small glitches:
* Make sure you have Opera 9 (Help / About).
*
Find where to save it. Press F12, select "Edit site preferences", click on "Scripting" tab and copy the path of the folder from "User JavaScript files".
* Then
save the script to that location.
You can read an interesting discussion at
Opera Forums. Note that the script is constantly updated and other services that don't currently work in Opera (like
Google Page Creator) might be added.
Seyora said on December 26, 2006 4:50 PM PDT:
I've noticed that too. It's really sad--Google is willing to put more time into supporting IE (despite its disrespect for standards) simply because it has more market share over Opera, which actually passes the
Acid2 test. Sure, Google endorses Firefox, but I'm sure people are more willing to change browsers because
X feature doesn't work (assuming they don't just walk away from it) rather than because Google says you should get it.
said on December 26, 2006 5:39 PM PDT:
Thanks for the laugh!
Wonder why Google dislikes Opera?
I just wanted to say thanks for pointing this out; I'm dropping a note to several people at Google to mention this file.
said on December 27, 2006 1:30 AM PDT:
Konqueror support also missingDespite being a acid2test compliant, open source browser Google simply tells me that it is an unsupported browser.
Funny, that Google which itself is built over open source doesn't support standards compliant browsers supports non-standard browsers like M$ IE.
said on December 27, 2006 2:27 AM PDT:
Although Opera is a modern browser that respects web standards, many developers don't have time to test their sites in Opera and prefer to block it.I'm one of those. I don't bother to support Opera, because it has tiny, tiny, TINY market share. I'd rather wave goodbye to the 0.01% of share that it has, rather than spend a long while coding and testing for it.
I code for the Gecko browser (Firefox, Mozilla, etc); and debug afterwards for MSIE - which still has 85% of the market in the corporate world (where all your daytime traffic comes from). If it works on Opera, great. If not, I might sniff for it, but normally won't bother.
Decently-written code should work correctly on Opera with no problem. If it doesn't, tough.
said on December 27, 2006 11:28 AM PDT:
the strangest thing is that they have been long business partners too. opera was the first browser to put a google search right into the browser and share adrevenue.
code that doesn't work on opera wasn't written well. in the rare case that this is not true, it's because some part of the code takes advantage of some non-standard feature being used by someone else as an exploit.
h4xed said on December 28, 2006 5:51 AM PDT:
Opera has a very small percent of the web browser market share so some people (google) just don't take the time to code for opera. I don't blame them, I'm not much of a web designer so I code for the Gecko Engine, and work out the bugs in IE. But as
adam said, Opera and google did share ad revenue.
Bill said on December 28, 2006 6:24 AM PDT:
I love using Opera, and don't generally find a lot of issues with supporting it. Being a small share browser should not matter, because it generally works with strictly coded sites.
However, the Google programs deal with Javascript, in which compatibility can be a much bigger issue.
I hope that Opera and Google both stick to adhering to scripting standards, so that these issues can be solved simply.
said on December 29, 2006 8:05 AM PDT:
Google Calendar works file in Opera, I wonder why its unsupported...
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5180/operagooglecalet0.png
Jonx said on January 26, 2007 3:32 PM PDT:
thank you the post. It took me some time to figure how to use it.
about the people that prefer not to test or code or debug for the small opera's market share.
we don't care that you support us or not. just don't exclude us on purpose. just give your sites a chance to work on opera. say you don't support it but leave opera try to do it's best (with your crappy code). thanks.
Chris said on May 16, 2007 8:30 PM PDT:
I have no problem with google not trying to supporting opera. What gets me is the pages that tell me that I am not allowed to acces the content. I should be warned that things may blow up in my face, but still be permitted to go to the page without changing my browser. It makes me think that Google has some deal with Mozilla, it seems to be their browser of choice, even though there are seemingly no problems with opera after the script.
said on August 20, 2007 1:48 AM PDT:
I agree with those who say that we (Opera users) should have a choice rather than be excluded.
To those who don't permit us access... a small percentage we may be but that is still potential revenue lost to your competitors.
said on August 27, 2007 4:33 PM PDT:
some of the mozilla marketshare may be cheated because it prefetches pages. so at best, it doubles its marketshare if the stats tracker is based on number of hits. similarly, when you save a page in IE, it will try to refetch the same page, again overcounting its marketshare.
one reason javascript is so borked is that ff doesn't implement ajax correctly, so designers have to use proprietary functions that won't work with other standards browsers like opera and konqueror/safari.
said on October 30, 2007 6:09 AM PDT:
If its not working on Opera, it means that its not following standards strictly. Its really sad, that Google doesn't follow standards strictly.
But the truth is Google is a commercial company and it tries to reach more and more customers. So it doesn't matter allot if something does not work on Opera due to its market share.
What I think, we (as customers) should be more aware. Stop using products that do not follow standards. Respect those (like Opera) who follow strict standers and try to convince others to do the same.
said on November 23, 2007 4:04 AM PDT:
Google seems to forget mobile devices.. Opera has a huge marketshare in the mobile-device market.. and what about Wii? I would surely like to use google docs with this Archos-unit..
said on December 20, 2007 1:24 AM PDT:
could you please post MIRROR for fix-google-services javascript file? because nowhere on internet is possible to download it, link on Opera pages is DEAD and everybody is linking DEAD file, because I don't understand if it's so hard to do many mirrors for small file
Jaewoong said on December 20, 2007 5:49 AM PDT:
Try this. http://docs.google.com/?
It works for me
>Jaewoong said...
>Try this. http://docs.google.com/?
>It works for me
Yep. Adding the question mark to the end of the URL works fine. Many thanks to Jaewoong and everybody else.
said on January 10, 2008 7:19 PM PDT:
Dummies parrot the phrase "market share" and yet do not get what they say.
No market exists for web browsers -- no buyers, sellers, informers, transporters.
Folks get web browsers bundled with their Internet-ready devices -- desktops, laptops, cell phones, tablets, Wiis.
Web page makers ought to make their pages to the W3C HTML/XHTML Specification.
said on January 17, 2008 3:52 PM PDT:
I think Opera is number one Brower. It is a petty that bad programers make the user to go with IE just because they made errors in the code and not follow the real standard like Opera. Opera designer should make an option to be more flexible in the code to gain some market, then they can rule the browser world. Also, provide more support fixing the compatibility issues. Long live Opera.
xoo said on February 27, 2008 6:49 AM PDT:
I almost switched to Firefox because of Google.
That until I found this
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=448534
IE TAB in OPERA!!!
K M Nur said on June 2, 2008 12:33 PM PDT:
Market share?
If opera, konqueror / safari user continues to identify their browsers as IE or firefox then how opera's market share would increase? I find opera OPLC version is quite good.
said on August 22, 2008 6:41 PM PDT:
Opera shares ~7% of a market.
Aditya said on September 24, 2008 12:21 AM PDT:
Hey Thanks a bunch for this post i am a regular user of opera and this solved a big problem for me.
The browser market just roves the theory that just because the whole world uses something doesnt make it better, guys who innovate on opera really get it.
said on March 7, 2009 12:21 PM PDT:
Works great now !! - thank you!
said on May 10, 2009 12:35 PM PDT:
Ah, the conformism of people using IE and Firefox. Same as people using Hotmail for e-mail, or an iPod as their MP3 player, if y´ ask me.. :(
