Rumor: Facebook & Opera

[vasa1]

http://www.ghacks.net/2012/05/25/rum...-browser-wars/

[dw426]

Financially it would make sense for Opera..provided that Facebook didn't sack everybody and just turn the whole thing into the "Facebook browser". My thing is, why not just buy up Rockmelt? It's already what Facebook would turn Opera into, and probably a hell of a lot cheaper to buy. I can assure loyal users of Opera that their browser would be "Facebookified". Facebook would be stupid not to. They'd also have a mobile browser right out the gate too.

I'd call this rumor very plausible, but given the problems at Facebook right now, such a purchase would likely be further down the road.

[Daveski17]

I hope this rumour is not plausible, I was looking forward a bit to the 64 bit Opera. I can only imagine what a Facebookified Opera browser would be like. Definitely a comic opera, or maybe an Opéra bouffon perhaps?

... Definitely a tragedy.

[Hungry Man]

I don't see this happening.

[Daveski17]

Originally Posted by Hungry Man

I don't see this happening.

Hopefully it's just a scary rumour.

[Hungry Man]

Facebook has some great programmers. Opera could use the huge monetary backing too.

I doubt it would be something like RockMelt, it'd just be like what Chrome is for Google - a browser. There isn't really a lot of Google "branding" splattered all over the place (or any?) and I doubt Facebook would make the mistake of doing that.

Lol, Chrome even displays in-browser ads for Google Chromebooks and others Google products.

[Daveski17]

Originally Posted by guest

Lol, Chrome even displays in-browser ads for Google Chromebooks and others Google products.

LOL. I dread to think what a Facebookified Opera would look like.

[Daveski17]

Originally Posted by Hungry Man

Facebook has some great programmers. Opera could use the huge monetary backing too.

I don't think that it is just a monetary (or lack of it) thing that is Opera's real problem.

Originally Posted by Hungry Man

I doubt Facebook would make the mistake of doing that.

Ermm ... I don't doubt it at all. I'll most probably uninstall Opera when it happens.

[Hungry Man]

It it has a text add on the newtab page for Facebook I think there are worse things lol

edit2: And if it's like Google's ad for Chromebooks it only showed up when you first opened the browser and you could click an "X" and never see it agian.

edit:

I don't think that it is just a monetary (or lack of it) thing that is Opera's real problem.

No, but having a billion dollars would help. And it's not like Facebook can't market.

[zapjb]

Grrrrrrrrrr. I'd stop using Opera if this happens. And I'd delete all info I have in My Opera acct.

And for the immediate future FF would be my browser. I would get back into trying other browsers. Specifically Chromium (not Chrome) & other FOSS browsers.

[Daveski17]

Originally Posted by Hungry Man

It it has a text add on the newtab page for Facebook I think there are worse things lol

edit:

No, but having a billion dollars would help. And it's not like Facebook can't market.

I don't think even a billion dollars would help Opera ASA.

[zapjb]

I think Opera doesn't need help. I like it just fine. It's 1% of the market so it's not targeted & it's secure. On the odd page it doesn't work I use FF.

[dw426]

Originally Posted by Daveski17

I don't think even a billion dollars would help Opera ASA.

Well, let's not go too far there, lol. But I agree that money is not particularly the problem at Opera.

[dw426]

Originally Posted by zapjb

I think Opera doesn't need help. I like it just fine. It's 1% of the market so it's not targeted & it's secure. On the odd page it doesn't work I use FF.

It's great that you like it, I in fact like Opera itself. But there's no way around the issue that issues persist in both the browser and the company. I also really wish we could rid ourselves of lowest use=more secure reasoning. Either way, we may soon find out what happens when hackers care: http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=324823

[siljaline]

It would seem somewhat of a reality as numerous news sites are commenting. Spotted here, here, here, here, in my travels.

[Daveski17]

Originally Posted by dw426

Well, let's not go too far there, lol. But I agree that money is not particularly the problem at Opera.

I think that they are having 'management' issues. Although, to be honest, I really have no idea what their rationale for anything is these days. I think they are starting to see the light a bit though. Or so I read somewhere, if I remember they were going to waste the widgets & other superfluous dead ends. I'm not even going to mention the disappearing &/or invisible favicons. I just can't see them myself LOL!

[Daveski17]

Originally Posted by siljaline

It would seem somewhat of a reality as numerous news sites are commenting. Spotted here, here, in my travels.

I know Opera is huge in Russia, so a deal with Yandex may be on the cards, or even Google.

If Facebook do acquire Opera ASA I'm definitely sticking with Maxthon & ditching Opera as my back-up browser!

[dw426]

More websites showing the report doesn't make it more of a reality. That's just the media operating normally.

@Daveski: Opera really doesn't have anything to provide to Google for them to buy it.

[vasa1]

I installed Opera 11.64 just a few hours before I read the rumor for the first time. So I'm really hoping there's nothing to it.

[dw426]

Originally Posted by vasa1

I installed Opera 11.64 just a few hours before I read the rumor for the first time. So I'm really hoping there's nothing to it.

Well, it isn't like the browser would change in a week Even if Facebook bought Opera tonight, you're looking at months before all the business of the deal would be finished, and probably months after that if Facebook was to completely overhaul it, that you'd see any major change. Besides, if I'm Facebook right now, I'm slowly considering big purchases, and I better damn well believe in my heart and soul the purchase will benefit me in a major way.

[stapp]

I love opera.

I even sometimes look at the space where a favicon should be and smile fondly (who would have thought that a browser would help memory training?..... what was that site there?)

But... I will find another browser if the Facebook thing happens.

[Daveski17]

Originally Posted by dw426

More websites showing the report doesn't make it more of a reality. That's just the media operating normally.

Yeah, the media wouldn't dream of propagating rumours, telling outright porkies, obfuscating facts or instigating moral panics, would they?

Originally Posted by dw426

@Daveski: Opera really doesn't have anything to provide to Google for them to buy it.

Good point.

[Daveski17]

Originally Posted by stapp

I even sometimes look at the space where a favicon should be and smile fondly (who would have thought that a browser would help memory training?..... what was that site there?)

ROTFLMAO

Originally Posted by stapp

But... I will find another browser if the Facebook thing happens.

Well, let's hope it won't happen. Although, they may just make some kind of deal with Facebook. If it didn't affect the browser itself too much it might be OK.

If the worst scenario happens I recommend you having a look at Maxthon 3 as a replacement. For some odd reason it reminds me a bit of Opera. I am not sure why though. Maybe because both are quite innovative & have a lot of extras 'out of the box'.

[prius04]

Originally Posted by Daveski17

...they may just make some kind of deal with Facebook...

If they haven't already done so. I recently downloaded Opera Mini Next (OM 7) on my old Blackberry Storm (curiosity superseded reason in that regard because OM 6.5 was, and is, working quite well).

The first thing I noticed was the rather large, and very prominent, Facebook icon (speed dial type thingy) on the Home screen. References to Facebook appeared to be embedded in other places as well. I couldn't find a way to get rid of that thing without turning off the Home screen in Settings.

After playing around with the new version for all of 10 (frustrating) minutes, I deleted it from my phone as I didn't notice much of an improvement over v6.5 in terms of functionality and wasn't really interest in the new "social experience".