Yesterday I asked if anyone knew how to open up multiple main windows in the Opera Web browser. It turns out that you can’t do it. Because Opera uses multiple document interface, or MDI, I’m stuck with running all open windows within the main one.
Lots of folks suggested that I just Control-Tab my way around. Well, that’s a pain, since I’m used to Alt-Tabbing around in Windows, and my brain is now wired into this way of moving from window to window. The bar at the bottom of the Opera window, showing the various open pages, is helpful but requires mouse movement, taking my hands off the keyboard. And the keyboard short-cuts don’t work well when you have more than two pages open at once, at least not for me.
This is the same problem I find with Eudora, the otherwise best-of-breed e-mail client. Some people love MDI. Some don’t. Software developers should find a way to give users a choice on this.
By the way, I am growing very fond of Opera. It’s fast and has a number of fine features. Overall, it’s an excellent product. I’ve sent in my registration fee. You should, too. Let’s support the developers who are genuinely innovating, not the monopolists who stifle innovation whenever they can get away with it.