Well recently I just downloaded Opera 7.0 and was impressed. Opera 6.05 really didn't improve anything.
I think (personally) that KM needs to have a much more robust GUI. KM should have a better, and more easier to use "tabbed browsing" feature. I really like Opera's "Wand" which basically is a PIM, which stores pw's and other private info.
If KM were to have these features.. i'd enjoy it more.

On a side note.. Lynchknot's skins are neat

hmm, I just think the total opposite.

I really LOVED Opera 6.05, but since Opera 7 is so unfinished with this stupid owner-drawn GUI, I started searching for real alternativ for my future browsing. And M2 (the mail client of Opera 7) is just unusable for me, and so a big reason for using opera (the mail client in 6.05 was so small but yet impressively powerful) fell away.

And so Opera 7 is my reason to switch to K-M as my default browser. However I agree with you, that the layer plugin is still not perfect.

BTW: What is a great (mainly small and fast) e-mail client for Windows?
I am using FoxMail now, and actually I really like it, but just asing if there's something even better.

MaxAuthority, my experience is similar to yours. I've been using Opera now for almost two years, loved Opera 6.05, but am quite disappointed with Opera 7 final. The new rendering engine is an improvement, but in other ways O7 has undergone a multitude of minor regressions in usability, with the disappearance of many small but useful features that were there in O6.05. And I'm not convinced this situation is really going to be remedied.

IMO O7 is "one step forward, two steps back" from O6.05. As Brett Tabke put it on WebmasterWorld, "Given Opera's trend away from a user's browser, I don't think I will be upgrading."

I'll probably keep Opera 6.05 as my default browser. It's generally an excellent browser, and it has a ton of great features. But I find I'm using K-Meleon 0.7 more and more, especially for the core task of everyday websurfing. KM is a delight to use, it's fun to customize, and Gecko is frankly superior to the rendering engine in O6. KM is a high quality, fun and funky "rebel browser"-- like Opera used to be.

Yes. But don't you think KM can have some more improvements?

Selz, yes, I do think KM can stand to be improved in certain ways. I'd agree with you, the layers plugin still needs some work. Loss of focus when opening a new background layer. And for some reason, I can open every layer *except* the first layer by clicking on it on the layer bar. These are high on my list of KM annoyances.

And the appearance of KM fresh out of the box leaves a lot to be desired. So I went in and altered just about everything. Switched some things around, omitted others, added still others. Got rid of the cartoonish green lizard. Only original item I kept was the default background, which for some odd reason I like. The result is definitely *not* your father's Oldsmobile:

http://www.paulburgess.org/toolbar.jpg

In KM 0.8, or whenever, I'd love to see something like the Opera 6.05 active folders button (I don't care for a personal bar) and the ability to open an entire folder of bookmarks all at once. Or can this last item somehow be accomplished with a macro? I don't know.

Paul:

"...the ability to open an entire folder of bookmarks all at once. Or can this last item somehow be accomplished with a macro? I don't know."

I don't think it can, and I would REALLY like that feature as well!!


Shelumi`El
Jordan

S.D.G

MonkeeSage:

Can't be done with a macro? I'll take your word for it.

Another Opera feature I wouldn't mind seeing in KM the inclusion of optional program sounds, such as for page loaded, etc. Very handy to let a page load in the background, and be able to *hear* when it's finished loading. I imagine this could be done up as a plug-in?


Paul

O.A.D.G.

I prefer separate tools to large package deals with overlapping features that waste drovespace on duplication. You start putting extra stuff in, you wind up with something that pleases everyone even less.
K-meleon is the only major browser I have right now (repartitioned the Big Drive last week, LOL) and it will probably stay that way for a while. I am in love with the layers, much nicer than tabs IMHO.
Oh, and I think the little green dude is cute, so there.

Arual:

"You start putting extra stuff in, you wind up with something that pleases everyone even less."

Yeah, you've got a point there. That's why I ask whether these things could be done via macro or plug-in-- rather than bulking up the browser. In fact as for the sound event, if only there were an event-driven macro OnPageLoad, I'd be home free.

Phil:

"...if only there were an event-driven macro OnPageLoad, I'd be home free."

There is one in the newest macros.dll build:

OnOpenWindow {
macro code to do here;
}




Shelumi`El
Jordan

S.D.G

Paul said:
"if only there were an event-driven macro OnPageLoad"
Good News
The updated macro has some new features, there is a link to it, and the favorites plugin on the K-Meleon home page.

You could do a lot with these.
OnStartup, OnOpenWindow, OnCloseWindow, OnQuit

Here the page:
http://kmeleon.freewebsites.com/#download

Trenton

This works in macros.cfg with new macros.dll

OnOpenWindow {
plugin(fullscreen,);
}

Trenton

"...the ability to open an entire folder of bookmarks all at once. Or can this last item somehow be accomplished with a macro? I don't know."

^ I think I was wrong when I answered above--it can't be done by a macro, but it looks like if you edit the native bookmarks, you can right-click a folder and choose to open the whole folder. If your layers plugin is set to cache new windows, then all the links in the folder open in layers (you can also open the whole folder in the bg).


Shelumi`El
Jordan

S.D.G

lol...
nevermind...

that only actually works on the links in the folders...doh.

guess there isn't a way yet...

MonkeeSage & boogomatic:

Thanks for the info about the OnOpenWindow macro! Will have to try it out.

Okay, here's my progress so far. I wrote the following macro:

OnOpenWindow {
exec("C:\\Windows\\sndrec32.exe /play /close C:\\soundfilepath\\soundfile.wav");
}

This macro produces the sound event when a new window opens, or when a new layer opens-- right as it is beginning to open, not when it finishes loading. It doesn't do anything when I load a new site into an already-open layer. Also, the Windows SNDREC32 utility appears briefly on the screen as it executes.

Substituted Dave Navarro's WAV utility from http://www.cmdtools.com with essentially the same results, except that it's a DOS window which appears briefly in front of KM:

OnOpenWindow {
exec("C:\\programpath\\wav.exe C:\\soundfilepath\\soundfile.wav /q");
}

Notes and Queries:

1) For a future version of macros.dll, it would be handy if an event-driven OnPageLoad macro was added, which would execute whenever a new page *in any layer* finishes loading.

2) Am I missing something, or is there a way to get items NOT to appear on the screen when they are run by the exec() command in a macro?

Small, fast [basic] email client: DELTA MAIL

To play a .wav file you should be able to exec("start filename.wav"); - the start command will use whatever program is setup to play wave files on your system via associations.