No, not the real Opera, I mean the incredible Opera Web Browser. I downloaded Opera 8.5x a couple of days ago to check the CSS ![[WikiPedia]](http://www.mikeyp.com/css/external.gif)
support on MikeyP.com, and I haven't stopped using it since.
Several years ago (1997?), I remember downloading an early version of Opera. At the time, I was blown away by how fast it rendered pages. I stopped using it, however, because it was so standards compliant that it didn't render common "broken" pages designed for Netscape and Internet Explorer.
Times have changed. Not only are internet standards more… standard, but Opera is at the forefront of compatibility. Opera simply runs faster and smaller than both Internet Explorer and Firefox, with tons of extensible customization. Seriously, Firefox users, I'm talking to you. 
Opera is changing the way I use the internet. I'm that impressed. I can't wait for version 9, which has integrated BitTorrent and (finally!) support for NTLM Windows Authentication.
BTW, I'm able to switch back and forth between browsers without much hassle thanks to the LinkStash bookmark manager [linkstashbuttonsforoperawin764bit, linkstash]. I just tell it to launch bookmarks in whatever browser I'm using, and I'm off and running. I was bummed to see that there weren't custom LinkStash buttons for Opera, but I quickly discovered how easy it was to add any kind of custom buttons. This web site even makes them for you: The Opera Custom Button & Command Creator.
Here are the button URLs for LinkStash (provide it was installed in C:\Program Files\LinkStash). Opera users can just click the links:
More great Opera info lives at the Opera Wiki
