Vivaldi (Opera [inspired] browser alternative)

[SYSTEM]

Vivaldi is now my primary browser (I'm sending this very reply with it).

Even with portability issues, Vivaldi is way better than any other browser out there. Tabs on the side. Visual tabs. Tab stacking. Search field. Much more options than in other browsers (if you discount things like about:config and chrome://flags). All that as native features without extensions. The old Opera feel is back.

Unfortunately, Vivaldi indeed has portability issues. In addition to leaving registry traces behind, it loses my extensions and passwords when I switch computers. (Extension preferences remain though, so I don't need to reconfigure the extensions once I have reinstalled them. Still, it's a pain to reinstall them constantly.)

When it comes to losing passwords, I think Vivaldi uses the same method of saving passwords as Chrome, with the same limitations. See portableapps.com/apps/internet/google_chrome_portable:

Passwords Not Saved Between PCs By Default: Google Chrome stores passwords in such a way that they are encrypted in a way tied to current PC. While the passwords are not kept or left behind on the PC itself, they won't be retrievable when you move to a new PC.

[smaragdus]

@SYSTEM
I think I found a nasty bug- when I click on a result at FlashScore or at SoccerStand not a pop-up window opens but an error-message one, screen-shot below:

Can you confirm? Just open FlashScore or SoccerStand and click on any result. Have a great week-end.

[SYSTEM]

Can you confirm? Just open FlashScore or SoccerStand and click on any result. Have a great week-end.

No, I can't confirm. I clicked a finished match in FlashScore and it opened fine.

In your screenshot, it looks like Vivaldi tries to open a page related to an extension. I think your issue is caused by an extension you use. Try disabling extensions.

[JohnTHaller]

Unfortunately, Vivaldi indeed has portability issues. In addition to leaving registry traces behind, it loses my extensions and passwords when I switch computers. (Extension preferences remain though, so I don't need to reconfigure the extensions once I have reinstalled them. Still, it's a pain to reinstall them constantly.)

All Blink/Chromium-based browsers seem to handle passwords the same way. We have custom code in our portable launcher for Chrome and for Iron to decouple passwords from a given PC and encrypt them with a user-defined password (optional but recommended) on exit and then decrypt the passwords and couple them to the new PC on launch so they'll work as you move around. This code has not been added to Opera Portable and we instead recommend users log in.

Have you tried syncing your Vivaldi passwords to either Vivaldi or Google? (Not sure if they have that feature) That's one way to ensure you don't lose them as you move around. Does Vivaldi reset your preferences if anything in the settings change?

Chrome has a "feature" that resets your homepage, search, etc and deletes all your extensions and extension settings on any change to the Chrome settings file. Your passwords, cookies, and bookmarks are unaffected. The goal is to prevent third party apps from hijacking Chrome's homepage or search engine. The side effect is that Chrome treats a big chunk of your data as disposable. As such, Chrome is pretty useless portably without logging in and syncing everything to Google. It's honestly even dangerous to use locally if you don't login/sync due to the dataloss "feature". As a bonus, Chrome treats a move to a new PC as a reset of the settings file and your extensions and extension settings. This includes you attempting to backup your Chrome settings and move them to a new PC when you buy them. So, you basically have to log in to Chrome for it to be properly usable. I'd wager Vivaldi works the same way. Chrome and Chrome-based browsers (Iron, Opera, etc) are the least portable browsers in terms of both data and ease of portablization.

[SYSTEM]

Have you tried syncing your Vivaldi passwords to either Vivaldi or Google? (Not sure if they have that feature) That's one way to ensure you don't lose them as you move around.

Unfortunately Vivaldi doesn't have any settings synchronization, even Chrome's.

Does Vivaldi reset your preferences if anything in the settings change?

I'm not sure what you're trying to ask.

At least preferences aren't reset if I change settings with Vivaldi's GUI.

Chrome has a "feature" that resets your homepage, search, etc and deletes all your extensions and extension settings on any change to the Chrome settings file. Your passwords, cookies, and bookmarks are unaffected. The goal is to prevent third party apps from hijacking Chrome's homepage or search engine.

I see. I actually applaud Google for that, as useless "toolbars" bundled with installers are a big problem in IT. Mozilla tries to do the exact same thing with extension signing. (Mozilla's approach is better because it's more reliable and doesn't break portable usage.)

The side effect is that Chrome treats a big chunk of your data as disposable. As such, Chrome is pretty useless portably without logging in and syncing everything to Google. It's honestly even dangerous to use locally if you don't login/sync due to the dataloss "feature". As a bonus, Chrome treats a move to a new PC as a reset of the settings file and your extensions and extension settings. This includes you attempting to backup your Chrome settings and move them to a new PC when you buy them. So, you basically have to log in to Chrome for it to be properly usable. I'd wager Vivaldi works the same way. Chrome and Chrome-based browsers (Iron, Opera, etc) are the least portable browsers in terms of both data and ease of portablization.

Let's hope that Vivaldi gains sync soon...

[JohnTHaller]

Unfortunately Vivaldi doesn't have any settings synchronization, even Chrome's.

Ah, that is unfortunate. Especially considering the engine's shortcomings when used portably.

Does Vivaldi reset your preferences if anything in the settings change?

I'm not sure what you're trying to ask.

If Vivaldi's settings file is changed at all, even a character, does it throw out everything the way Chrome does? With Chrome, if the file C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Profile 1\Preferences (or Secure Preferences) is changed at all - whether by a third party app changing the homepage or a single bit changing due to a logical drive error - Chrome will reset your search, homepage, and delete all extensions and all extension settings. At least it has for the last couple years last time I checked. That's why we added a big warning to Google Chrome Portable about syncing to Google so you don't constantly lose your data. Personally, I recommend against Chrome and any Chrome-based browser for portable use due to these issues.

[SYSTEM]

Does Vivaldi reset your preferences if anything in the settings change?

I'm not sure what you're trying to ask.

If Vivaldi's settings file is changed at all, even a character, does it throw out everything the way Chrome does?

I tested it by changing a preference (the default download directory) by messing with the file Vivaldi\User Data\Default\Preferences directly. Doing so didn't destroy my settings. In particular, extensions and their preferences remained.

[JohnTHaller]

I tested it by changing a preference (the default download directory) by messing with the file Vivaldi\User Data\Default\Preferences directly. Doing so didn't destroy my settings. In particular, extensions and their preferences remained.

Cool, thanks. That's good to know. I'm going to see if Chrome has changed any of their handling.

UPDATE: Chrome is still doing the checks on preference changes and then resetting certain ones as introduced a couple years ago: http://www.ghacks.net/2014/04/18/google ... matically/

It did not appear to reset extensions or extension settings as it used to. It did still display the "Chrome detected that some of your settings were corrupted by another program and reset them to their original defaults." message.

[smaragdus]

Vivaldi at version 1.1.453.47.

@SYSTEM

No, I can't confirm. I clicked a finished match in FlashScore and it opened fine.

In your screenshot, it looks like Vivaldi tries to open a page related to an extension. I think your issue is caused by an extension you use. Try disabling extensions.

Hello SYSTEM,

I was too lazy to report the problem I mentioned, but in version 1.1.453.47 it seems to be fixed. Yet it was strange- uBlock Origin was the only extension that was enabled, there were 3 more extensions disabled (download managers extensions I suppose Vivaldi got from registry), but enabling/disabling/deleting them had no impact- the problem persisted.

However when I click on a result in FlashScore it opens in maximized state in contrast with all other browsers where the results open in small pop-up windows. Does Vivaldi have the same behaviour on your system?

Regards

Edit
I found out that it is possible to disable "Save passwords" prompt:
vivaldi://chrome/settings/search#offer+to+save

[SYSTEM]

Vivaldi at version 1.1.453.47.

@SYSTEM

No, I can't confirm. I clicked a finished match in FlashScore and it opened fine.

In your screenshot, it looks like Vivaldi tries to open a page related to an extension. I think your issue is caused by an extension you use. Try disabling extensions.

Hello SYSTEM,

I was too lazy to report the problem I mentioned, but in version 1.1.453.47 it seems to be fixed. Yet it was strange- uBlock Origin was the only extension that was enabled, there were 3 more extensions disabled (download managers extensions I suppose Vivaldi got from registry), but enabling/disabling/deleting them had no impact- the problem persisted.

Hmm, I have had uBlock Origin installed and enabled all the time as well.

However when I click on a result in FlashScore it opens in maximized state in contrast with all other browsers where the results open in small pop-up windows. Does Vivaldi have the same behaviour on your system?

Yes, it does. I actually prefer it that way. (In Opera 12 the behavior was selectable, which was even better.)

[smaragdus]

Vivaldi at version 1.1.453.59, I can't find a change log for this version even at Softpedia.

[SYSTEM]

Vivaldi at version 1.1.453.59, I can't find a change log for this version even at Softpedia.

Here is the changelog: https://update.vivaldi.com/update/1.0/r ... 53.59.html

Changelog since 1.1, the fourth release (build 453.55)

• [Security] Address bar spoofing using HTTP status code 204/205: Thanks to Tsubasa Iinuma (@llamakko_cafe) of Gehirn Inc. for the report VB-16595

Changelog since 1.1, the third release (build 453.54)

• Updated Chromium backend to 50.0.2661.102

Changelog since 1.1, the second release (build 453.52)

• [Mac] Bookmarks were, in some cases, moved to trash when navigating back in history via the backspace key VB-17476

Changelog since 1.1, the initial release (build 453.47)

• Cannot easily check the security of a domain via the URL badge / developer tools security panel broken VB-16777
• Vivaldi does not install on Ubuntu 12.04
• Upgraded to Chromium 50.0.2661.94

[smaragdus]

@SYSTEM
Thanks. I don't get why they don't release a full, easily accessible change log.

[freakazoid]

Tested briefly yesterday.

Portable, but not stealth. Writes to registry in HKCU\Software\Vivaldi and to the filesystem to %localappdata%\Vivaldi.

Uncompressed filesize: 141MB.

[etticujed]

hello world!

i find Vivaldi, its the old opera's team, based on chronium, with old interface (side panel).

https://vivaldi.com/?lang=fr_FR

its a installer program, but on install you can choice : normal install or standalone and select the folder.