Opera has never been as widely adopted a browser as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome, but it’s a popular alternative because of its high level of customization options and its emphasis on browser security. The newest release, Opera 11, gives it a visual overhaul that brings it in line with the big three in most respects and also introduces a number of new features.
Opera's interface is similar to Mozilla's Firefox 4, but has many more customization options
The first thing that comes to mind upon launching Opera 11 is that the developers have been studying Mozilla’s beta versions of Firefox 4. The default interface is virtually identical: there’s a single drop-down menu at the top left corner containing all the important options and sub-menus, tabs are placed above the address bar, and there are only a handful of buttons next to the bar for forward, back, refresh, and home. There’s also one addition that distinguishes Opera’s interface: a fast-forward button to allow for quick browsing through multiple pages.
A look under the hood reveals a large number of additional options for customizing the interface. As with Firefox 4, you can show or hide the full menu bar and the bookmarks bar, but Opera also adds a side panel to provide access to some of its more powerful features.