Exactly. If I remember correctly, the older Opera browser was more standards compliant than any other browser at that time.

But since developers were primarily coding for IE, Firefox and Safari, each with their own quirks, it just didn't work out for them.

I remember doing web development back then and don't recall ever testing for Opera compatibility myself.

At the end of the day, you only have do much time. So although my primary browser was Opera, I knew I was in the minority despite all the standards compliance