I’m a huge fan of Firefox and have been using it almost since it was first introduced, I like the add-ons, themes, its look and good stability, there’s also a huge community of people using it on the web as well. However, recently we talked about the Acid 2 test, a test which examines how well the browsers out there perform in terms of html and also css, etc… As you will remember, from the results, out of the six browsers that were tested, only Opera and Safari passed. The fact that Firefox didn’t pass didn’t really influence me that much at the time and I just kept using it, however, just yesterday I read that the latest Opera, Opera 9.5 beta2 actually out performs Firefox by a considerable margin.

Here’s what Opera does well:

• “Every page loads faster and this is something measurable even without having to use a stopwatch”
• Opera uses 30% less RAM when the same number of tabs are opened
• Visible wise, the scrolling page function in Opera is much more smoother when compared with other web browsers
• Opera’s built-in e-mail client features improved responsiveness
• Supports cutting edge Web standards and the upcoming web developer tools
• Syncs your bookmarks and Speed Dial between your computers and mobile phone
• A tiny minor feature is that the browser lights up tabs and query buttons, when you pass the mouse over them =)

I think in my view, Acid 2 tests don’t bother me, all the sync for bookmarks / Speed Dial isn’t my kind of thing neither, but RAM consumption is (because I’m still using Windows XP on a rather old aged pc) and for that reason I might give it a try.

If you’re interested in relieving some of the pressure your browser gives your pc, feel free to give Opera a try, click here for the download page.

[via OnSoftware]