[WEB4LIB] Re: Opera 7.0b1 released

[Charlie Irwin]

  As the late Robert Heinlein used to say: TANSTAAFL.  (Translation: There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.) I figure if you use it for under a month, it's a trial. After that, it's a useful tool and you probably owe the author/vendor their fee. (Or the equivalent - screen space for the advertisers...)

Charlie Irwin

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Erwin Wodarczak <ewodar at interchange.ubc.ca>
Reply-To: ewodar at interchange.ubc.ca
Date:  Wed, 13 Nov 2002 09:48:55 -0800 (PST)

>De-lurking for a moment...
>
>Daniel Messer wrote:
>> 
>> I use Opera almost exclusively at home
>
>Ditto
>
> and I really can't complain about the
>> scheme they use for ads. It's up in the upper right hand corner where I never
>> even pay attention to it. I'm usually too busy focusing on the page I'm
>> looking at.
>
>Again, ditto.  However, I do notice when the ad window grays-out and the
>small-print message (probably mis-quoting from memory) "Click here to
>advertise your product on Opera".
>
>Also, remember that you can limit the ads to specific categories that
>you might actually be interested in (eg. computers, pets, games, etc.),
>thus at least minimizing one's exposure to the evil that is modern
>advertising  ;-)
>
>The way I look at it, IE is basically a "loss-leader" for M$ - they can
>afford to give it away free since it enhances their public profile and
>helps promote their other, money-making products.  The same goes, more
>or less, for AOL and Netscape.  Opera, however, is strictly in the
>browser business, and they're not a charity operation, so their browser
>has to make money somehow.  Hopefully, once their other initiatives
>(browsers for PDAs, interactive TV, etc.) begin turning a profit, they
>can make the Opera browser a loss-leader as well.  Until then, I have no
>problem with their relatively limited and customizable browser-based
>advertising.
>
>Hell, if Opera 7 brings proper DOM support, and better support for
>plug-ins (eg. am I the only one who's never been able to get Quick Time
>to run in Opera 5 or 6?) - if Opera 7 can do that, I might just pay the
>registration fee.
>
>Cheers,
>Erwin
>
>-- 
>
>Erwin Wodarczak
>Archivist / Web Site Administrator
>UBC Library - University Archives
>Tel: 604-822-5877   Fax: 604-822-9587
>E-mail: ewodar at interchange.ubc.ca
>WWW: http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/
> 
>"Round up the usual disclaimers"
>
>

--
Charlie Irwin
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Wheelock College Library
132 Riverway
Boston, MA  02215
Phone: 617-879-2222
Fax:   617-879-2408
E-mail: cirwin at wheelock.edu
--