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Google to Buy Opera?
patro writes "Opera Watch writes Google is planning to buy the Opera browser. The source of the claim is Pierre Chappaz, the former president of Yahoo Europe. Google obviously can't buy Firefox, so Opera might be the next possible candidate." I can't begin to imagine why.
Are you interested in acquiring one aging, slightly flabby, fairly good tech? I'm cheap!
I am not left-handed, either!
It is the most fantastic browser out there.
Could it be world domination?
If they do buy opera will they call it google browser beta and only let it be usable by windows?
Absurd rumor mongering at its best/worst. If Google really wanted to get into the browser arena, why wouldn't they just create their own based on the open (And most importantly, FREE) Gecko engine?
I can't begin to imagine why.
My favorite thing about Slashdot is that the article summaries are so objective.
expect some google jazz concerts aswell
Google is in a unique position to be a software developer that can create new applications before the market sees a need for them, and be a success at it. I believe they've found a great way to dismiss Microsoft back to the 90's and leave them in the dust.
Google is finding (in many ways) that they're running up against a standards wall. Gmail is very successful in part because of "AJAX" but you know there is more out there. Remember, these guys make software that is mostly server-hosted.
I can't imagine what google is working on next, but I have been contemplating their need for a "proof-of-concept" engine that would be considered a web browser to some, but in all reality it would be an operating system. This sub-operating system would be hardware abstracted from the real OS, but give Google the ability for power users to see what Google can do with data.
Opera makes sense to me. I wish they'd have more platforms supported (Pocket PC was surprisingly ignored until this past month) but it is very standards-oriented and gives Google a real opportunity to denounce Internet Explorer without coming out and saying it directly.
Google can't come out and make a new mini-OS "web browser" that supplies its own standards, so what they can do is take the browser that seems to follow the standards the closest, and adopt their applets to work perfectly in this standard browser. If IE can't run the software, Google can offer a reduced-capacity version of their applet for IE, and basically users who want the powerful one will dump IE for Google. That would be Google's first nail in Microsoft's coffin.
For anyone to think that Google doesn't have the desire to be the next Microsoft, you have to see how much money Google is burning to come up with the best and newest data aggregating applets. Microsoft can't keep up, and they're quickly losing the race to releasing new -- and NEEDED -- applications. Word, Excel, IE -- they're all old news. Google Earth, Google Maps, Google SMS, Google Blogsearch, they're all applications that can be enhanced even further if Google had a standard platform to write their uber-versions for. Opera can be that standard platform that extends Google from merely a website to becoming its own operating system.
mobile market, opera dominates there - google would love to be on every mobile platform.
LetterRip
Gogle = owned by bill gates! :o
...the red 'O' is already similar.
C'mon, buy Wikipedia already. "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," and Wikipedia fits that goal better than Google Groups does.
1) Talk up a Google buyout
2) Stock price increases
3) Insiders sell stock
4) PROFIT (for some...)
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
So now they'll be able to track where we're going when it's not mentioned in our gmail or searched for through their search engine.
Could be interesting.
Even people that believe in pre-destiny look both ways before crossing the street.
lol 18th post pwnzed
rumor: n, Unverified information received from another; hearsay.
That's one way to get the Google toolbar loaded on every browser shipped.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
This is another example of google buying something out and making it much bigger than it was without google. Their production of this sort has dramatically increased in the past few months as it is.
It has been known for some time that google registered gbroswer.com. Could this simply be the beginning of the Google Browser?
Opera has always been a piece of shit browser. This would be the first real boneheaded move by Google that I can think of. Other missteps, sure. But outright fuck-ups? No.
With the lack of support for Linux and this possibility now, Google you are flirting with disaster.
One reason for Google buying a browser could be to develop capabilities to support more sophisticated web applications. This provides them with the power to help foster and develop standards.
Why would a company that prides itself on its ability to serve content to users in a well-crafted, platform-independent way want to buy a browser? Do they really need to compete with Microsoft in this way?
Someone enlighten me, please.
Registering accounts later than some other chrisb since 1997
It's a pretty good browser, they have a development team in place but in a sellable form, and it has some especial strengths for the high-growth pervasive market. More importantly, it actually has the potential to be a tactical threat to Microsoft, but as a relatively external unit, it could also be sold off if the tactic doesn't work.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
A little WHOIS action:
Sure, this is old news... but is it coming to fruition?
Why would Google buy Opera? I understand they wont to compete with M$ but why not just contribute to Firefox? I know recently google just hired the lead GAIM developer to help with google talk, why wouldn't google do something similar and help firefox grow? Infact if you goto google they are pumping out many extensions for firefox, I havnt seen anything for Opera. It seem that google is trying to help firefox.
Hmm, this could be somewhat problematic for Moz/FF. If you have swarms of users switching over to Google Browser, I would assume a fairly large percentage would come from the ranks of those who would have switch to FF. Overall for the browswer "wars", I think it would be good, because for the first time in ages, a browser other than IE would exist that has some amount of legitimacy with the corp crowd (deserved or not).
Firefox 1.5 has really let me down. It's memory footprint is only slightly larger but what really irks me is that it is a processor hog. Not only that but there was a huge list of bugs they didn't knock out before launching 1.5, I'm not really sure why they chose to do this. (Before you say, "but there's always bugs", there were some serious UI bugs that should have been dealt with.) I'm back to running 1.0.7 until Firefox 1.5 can a nice point release but Opera is looking more and more tempting.
:(
I'm scared that Firefox 2.0 will have twice the system requirments than the operating systems on which it runs which, imho, it shouldn't.
Go here for teh [sic] funny.
This makes perfect sense to me. I think with all of the web services that google develops, they don't want to be inhibited by bugs in Microsoft's Internet Explorer. They could also get people to switch to Opera pretty easily, as most people already use the search engine, and all it would take is a small "download this to enable extra features" button.
I'm surprised they haven't done this already.
Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
You can't? I can...
Microsoft has announced an intention to kill Google. (All right, Ballmer said so to a guy who was leaving to go to Google. Same difference.) Microsoft has made some announcements of stuff to compete with Google. Microsoft also controls the most-used browser.
Add it all up, and I can sure see why Google might want to have a (better, but less popular) browser under their control...
Gubuntu, Googlinux, Googdriva, Googebian, Googepis, GoogleHat, Googell Desktop Linux oh god not...Googentoo!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. Emo Philips
Well I have plenty of hearsay and conjecture. Those are *kinds* of evidence.
The man's been married for a while now. By this point, slashdot is the only thing left in his life over which he has any control. I say we all turn a blind eye to a little editorializing from the man, considering it's the only way he can feel like one anymore.
Reasons to buy Opera:
1. Opera is a fast browser with clean code. Fits with google quality requirements/desires.
2. Opera is closed source. Google can add secret sauce for tracking or search or ad related reasons.
3. Opera can be made into a product to compete with MS without giving away the source to competitors.
So, you've got Google Desktop, Google Maps, Froogle, Google Adwords, Google Earth, Google Moon....why not GoOpera (heh)
How much integration could be made between browser and website if Google had control of both? Sure, their stuff would operate in other browsers, but there might be custom extensions that render only in their browser. On the other hand, they might use the browser to obtain usage statistics and word patterns from the browsers users...
This is an opportunity for Google to show the world now not-evil they are. I hope they do, I like Google, their colors are all pretty and stuff.
"Lame" - Galaxar
Is Dr. Phil a part of Oprah?
http://www.myspace.com/ruxtontowers
It'd be an interesting move in terms of Google having the client-side portion of their expanding platform. If they make it so other developers can build their own apps on top of the Google platform, Google can become the defacto "live" software vendor.
Want anti-virus? Use Kaspersky's Google app. Word Processor? Sun has Googlized Star Office. It sounds a lot like what MS is doing with MS Live. While I don't agree that it makes sense for MS, it does for Google.
However, Google must know that getting a browser deployed on many desktops is extremely difficult. They only need the browser if they want to customize the rendering with non-standard extensions. In this case, their low G-Opera market share will cripple their apps that require the non-standard stuff. If they don't want to add their own extensions then I don't see why building a custom Firefox browser isn't a better option for them since it still conforms to standards better than Opera (Acid2 notwithstanding).
The global economy is a great thing until you feel it locally.
Currently, Google has included Firefox in their Adsense referral program. Google is paying $1/click to convert users to Firefox. Why on Earth would they invest millions in that only to buy a competitor? Something stinks here.
http://religiousfreaks.com/Clearly Google's intentions are similar to that of the plans for OpenOffice.
The world's first online web browser.
Those who believe the Internet is private,
find their privates are on the Internet.
I think it does, anyway. A nice codebase to work on for true control over 'the new platform.' They really seem to have this sorted. But I think, while they'll find it hard to convert the Firefox-type userbase over, they might be able to advertise for it in a similar way to the codebar.
Although, whether the large support they have from the geek population could be shattered if they try to oppose Firefox, particularly if they keep it closed source.
Any grammatical or spelling errors above are for comic effect, and do not signify imperfection in the writer.
Gbrowser here we come.
Good karma sticks to me like velcro on a piece of plexiglass.
Move along, citizen.
Search Me.
Opera will be a pricy buy, if the CEO is any indicator. Why not get in on the open WebCore project? It's still a light codebase compared to Gecko, and they would be furthering the proliferation of more open code.
- oZ
// i am here.
Oprah. I hear that the feeding and makeup costs alone would even make Bill Gates blush.
You are in a maze of little twisting passages, all different.
according to scott mcnealy, that is.
Don't tell the ones in the trees that they can't fly, it'll freak 'em out.
"For anyone to think that Google doesn't have the desire to be the next Microsoft, you have to see how much money Google is burning to come up with the best and newest data aggregating applets. Microsoft can't keep up, and they're quickly losing the race to releasing new -- and NEEDED -- applications. Word, Excel, IE -- they're all old news. Google Earth, Google Maps, Google SMS, Google Blogsearch, they're all applications that can be enhanced even further if Google had a standard platform to write their uber-versions for. Opera can be that standard platform that extends Google from merely a website to becoming its own operating system."
I'm sure most users (especially big corporations) will hate to be faced with a hard choice between running a lower functionality Google Earth and Blogsearch or ditching the obsolescent, passe Word and Excel for Google's own proprietary Opera-based platform! Decisions, decisions.... I'm sure Bill Gates is sweating bullets about that scenario...
Light a fire for a man and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
Is that sarcasm? It's one heckuva browser, that's why.
Google obviously can't buy Firefox, so Opera might be the next possible candidate.
Key word is 'might'. I can't believe this was turned into, 'Google is planning to buy Opera'. This guy is just speculating and I don't think it's good speculation either.
No Sigs!
Opera's most unique product currently is thier small device browsers, currently the best browser available for palm and symbian.
Opera's founders had many chances to sell the company in the past and didn't. If you are thinking that maybe the price wasn't right before and that they went public to maximize the profit, I doubt that you would list on the Oslo stock exchange to do that.
I'm not saying that this rumor has no truth to it. If Google wants to get into the mobile market quickly, this is good way of doing it. But it is not a pump and dump by Operas' big shareholders.
Jack
I don't realize that I was not supported.
Does this mean I have to quit using it?
Google probably wishes that web standards would move at a faster pace so that they could write some better web apps. Having control of the best browser out there (it's better than Firefox, IMO) would give them a chance to implement emerging standards quickly and the other browsers would be forced to keep up.
I don't really think this is likely, but I do take exception to this reasoning:
Remember when Apple hired a couple of Mozilla people? Everybody was saying that they were going to release a web browser based on Gecko. In the end, the fact that they were Mozilla people was a red herring, they were hired for their expertise in developing a browser, not their knowledge of Gecko specifically.
So no, I don't really see this happening, but that's mainly because Google don't need to buy Opera to accomplish their goals, not because they've hired a couple of Mozilla people. I think it's more likely that Google are partnering with Opera in the handheld market in some way, Opera's got a good position there and Google are expanding in that direction.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
One word: cellphones.
While Google may have firefox to lean on / depend on to counter IE on the desktop, there's no equivalent on the cellphone/pda side of things (at least nothing that's being used by the big phone makers). Cellphones are going to become increasingly important in connecting to the internet, and Google probably wants to make sure they're not squeezed out by MS and PocketIE. Opera has a pretty good footprint in the PDA / Cellphone world. If Google wants them this will be why.
It was something they purchased.
I can't begin to imagine why.
I don't think Google will buy Opera just yet at least, especially considering Opera's denial in connection to this, but Opera has a much greater foothold than any Mozilla product in the mobile market, and it has earlier been rumored that Google is considering moving into the mobile business more. (actually, they already have with their free WiFi service, their online mobile-targeting services, etc)
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
FTS: "The source of the claim is Pierre Chappaz, the former president of Yahoo Europe"
/. more relevant with breaking news, but this isn't news. It's idle speculation.
l =url2html-4514http://www.blogger.com/profile/38486 32>
FTA: "Pierre Chappaz, the former president of Yahoo Europe, claims to have a source, whom he says is generally very well informed, who told him that Google is planning on buying the Opera web browser."
So someone tells someone something, and then that person tells someone else?
I admire the submitter for trying to make
Also, Chappaz was president of Yahoo Europe for about one month before he submitted his resignation, for personal reasons. His total tenure as president of Yahoo Europe? Less than two months. Here's his blog, which includes the source for TFA. It's in French. And he states that he's guessing that Google might want to in order to compete with MS.ahref=http://www.blogger.com/profile/3848632re
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Google makes money from information that makes their Search Engine better. That is their business model, and everything they do will feed into this. Free Gmail (but all links scanned to populate search engine), Free Internet (but all patterns tracked), etc.
No way am I using a browser and letting Google know THAT much about me, especially if they require you to have a Google account to use.
You cant buy the wikipedia anymore than you can buy linux... ... (which may have been because there were too many strings attached)
They already offered to host it, and it was declined
HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
It looks like gbrowser.com is registered to google, although with a different street address in Mountain View, CA as google.com.
Does anyone know what patents opera holds?
/. bug #926803 - Why I can post.
Great I just put a Firefox link on my webpage and I'm supposed to get a dollar from Google for everyone who clicks on it and downloads Firefox. Not that I have made any money yet, but someday I could get that dollar. Now that day may never happen :-(
http://www.kubuntu.org/
It's an obvious counterpoint to Microsoft and Mozz collaborating on RSS icons ...
The Luddites were ahead of their time.
Eew, Goopra sounds like a either an adhesive, sanitizer, or Thundercats comic-relief!
Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
Ben Goodger is being paid by google to work on Firefox... http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/ben/archives/007366 .html
m
And is supporting them in other ways: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39189475,00.ht
Perhaps they wish to buy (and then bury) the Opera browser?
I for one welcome our information-gathering-for-application-factory-to-t arget-ads-at-you overlords.
Have you looked at WebCore recently? Since Apple opened development Nokia has been one of the primary external contributors. There are beta versions of WebCore browsers for Series 60 'phones and the '770 floating around, and they stack up quite well against Opera - I wouldn't be surprised if Nokia decided to ditch Opera in favour of their own browser sometime soon. Of course, if Google bought Opera and gave away the mobile version for free, then this might be more attractive...
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Google Maps is probably one of the most interesting applications to date to come from them. If you don't know why or can't see the added value, then ability to map things is obviously not something you're interested in, and you certainly don't have a business need for mapping.
The cesspool just got a check and balance.
And all of us would rather avoid these standards dictated by Google.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," and Wikipedia fits that goal better than Google Groups does.
WP might be better than Google Groups, but it certainly doesn't contribute to an organization of the "world's information." Rather, it's an organization of certain people's opinions about a handful of people, events, popular culture (yes, and some actual dry facts, too) etc., and a handful of people's spin on how to present it (or outright lie about it, depending on what time of day it is). "Organizing the world's information" suggests a certain amount of credibility, not the often-politically-tinged or outright loony stuff that rattles in and out of various state of quantum actualness on Wikipedia. Now, if Google bought the OED, or the Britannica, then we'd have something to chat about. Plus, I'd be willing to look at (and click on) AdSense ads in exchange for a regular romp through the OED. Yum... 2-page word definitions!
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Maybe then they can make Opera's JavaScript/DHTML implementation more compatible. Currently, a number of things (including Google Maps and MochiKit) either run imperfectly on it or not at all.
Sounds good. I hear the former East German government had a lot of information to organize, and from what I hear the EU is about to have plenty as well.
I'm scared of world leaders who think locally and act globally.
It will develop a religious following more cultic than that of Linux based on just the name alone..
Comment removed based on user account deletion
What does Oprah have to do with Google and a web browser?
You are right on with the cell phone, but take it one step further. Google's main revenue comes from advertising, and people use Google because of the services it provides. Entering to cellphone browsing adds one more service for users and one more avenue to connect advertisers to users. Also there has been a push to GeoTag everything and many cellphones have built in GPS locators, combine this with Google Local, and your cellphones browser could sent your Lat/Long to Google Local and pick up several results near to your location, say restaurants, movies, stores. Advertisers can pay to have their results featured more prominently. Now we have location based ways to connect advertisers and users in addition to the previous text means.
Yes, as Google goes hardcore into properly peer-reviewed or at least properly-edited knowledge organization, that is going to be cool too, but Google so far has seemed to think that massive democratic knowledge collection is also a good thing.
That and Google can control their browser to their liking at their own schedule instead of waiting to see what firefox does.
So let me get this straight. An anonymous blogger claiming to be this Chappaz character (Do we have actual proof he is who he claims he is?) who claims to have formerly worked for Yahoo Europe is claiming that he has an anonymous source that claims that Google will purchase Opera?
I'm sorry, the veracity of this string of claims is just dripping all over me. Pardom me while I go invest my life savings in Opera stock.
I don't really care who is causing the problem but the never ending Loading message needs to be fixed. When you can get it to work it's typically with a basic html view.
Google is still a CORPORATION in COMMERCE. They can diversify their resources, for the good of investors. Some markets will never be available to OSS, so a closed-source solution, with intent to secure resources and compete on an equal level with a similar closed-source solution is an option worthy to purchase Opera. Opera is one of the earliest browsers to have tabbed-browsing, consisting of IP that pre-dates Microsoft and many fellow web-browsers: User-interface design is Intellectual Property leverage. Isn't this thought back in Building-A, Free-Software 101? GNU GPL is the same effect; to secure and carry open-ideas, into a closed-forum of patents and intellectual property, and open the source in such a way as to create a turring free-market effect in a non-free market. If I was a Slashdot Subscriber, then I could look-down my old post on the etymology of "patent", but if someone is a subscriber then maybe they can direct it for us; Please see my previous posts on the etymology of "patent." In a past WIPO protest, I posted the simple latin etymology: "to touch; send with the hands."
without prejudice
Netscape was once a small company with little money and a lot of brain power too.
Microsoft crushed them.
Google with a fraction of a percent of Microsoft's money has survived because they have solved new problems instead of competing with Microsoft on their own turf.
I.E.( "dominant browser" ) is a central part of MS's turf and they will not tolerate Google trying to snag it away from.
I see a fist fight coming.
Week after week the buzz is about Google and new products while MS is struggling to get updates to existing products out of the door.
So who exactly is innovating in the marketplace and who is just protecting existing investment just like an old fossilised company?
hahah what a burn
One word: cellphones.
It hasn't picked up pace yet, big boy. Connection fees are absurd. It's also slow and not worth it. But then again, this is what they said about broadband internets. (Minus the slow part obviously...)
right now firefox has a stronger market position than opera. thus making the cost of acquiring opera a whole lot cheaper than firefox. also, google wants people to like them and they don't always make the obvious move and attack the biggest, next to MS, opponent. they tend to gather the smaller troops and attack.
because opera used a forced banner approach doesn't mean that google will as well. who knows, maybe they'll implement their adwords functionality into opera.
shrug, if i could correctly predict Google, i'd be a millionaire
myfootsmells
You know it's funny how every one jumps on MS. Well you know KIDS I have been a Computer person back to the 1970's and hands down with out MS we would not be 1/2 as fare as we are. People jump all over IE, it has hacker problems. Hello why do you think that is? Because it's the most used and there is more hackers working on it. Now Firefox is having problems, why? Because more users on it so the hackers will go after it. It does not mater what you use, they will get hacked if more then 1% of the population is using it. Google is the best Web company by fare. That does not make them a good software company. They have made it not on the programs but on the information they can get to you.
Nurd.
beware, the "opera" link is wrong, goes to a portal full of ads.
---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
Still early in development, and I don't know how excited big phone companies would be to use OSS (especially if using an Microsoft OS), but Mozilla has Minimo coming down the pipe. The existing preview builds already work in many Windows Mobile devices.
Sadly, my PDA isn't one of them.
If it belongs to the world, you'll only need to pay each of the owners an agreed amount.
My wife needed CSS 2.1 support for pagination of printed web pages. Opera is the only browser (at least on OS X) that supports the pagination features of CSS 2.1.
The Tao that can be spoken is not the one eternal Tao
You have 10 hours and a bit more to discuss this story until Opera Press checks Slashdot while drinking their coffee. ;)
Google "buys" something every week...
http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/
Think about it... Currently they are paying to get people to install Firefox. Yes I know its for the google toolbar but if the toolbar was the main reason then why not support IE. I think this rumour was sparked by the recent purchases Yahoo! have made e.g. del.icio.us
Thanks to their Ajax prowess, Google can set themselves up as the provider of any kind of software you can think of... with two exceptions. You need an operating system and a browser to be a Google consumer. Why not go ahead and take care of one of those? They're just increasing the amount of the stack that they control.
Makes sense, right?
perl -e 'foreach(values %SIG){$_="IGNORE";}while(){}'
Clever signature text goes here.
If Nokia can bet their money on multiple browsers, why can't Google?
Clever signature text goes here.
One of Don Lancasters maxims re startups: If you have money, you'll find something to spend it on.
To get google's attention and interest?
Opera runs comfortably on extremely low-end phones. WebCore does not.
Clever signature text goes here.
Gopera is good - sounds like some messed up, mammoth, radioactivly enraged Janapese mega-monster. Just think of it.......
Gopera goes up against Mozilla, downtown Tokyo is ruined as the browser wars begin in ernest.
(Obviously IE would want in on the action but as it flew into shot it would mysteriously and unaccounably crash leaving our heros battling it out amid the skyscrapers.)
Everybody meet proprietary, closed-source, platform oriented Google.
We all knew they'd turn eventually, but this is the first solid evidence.
Google doesn't need a browser (or a platform) at all... unless of course
they want to kill Microsoft. And that's not a war that'll be good for
the consumer.
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
Yeah, yeah, give it to me Mozilla fans... I know I'm not supposed to say anything about the stupid comment CmdrTaco added to the story.
Clever signature text goes here.
You'll be missing the greatest web application platform.
Browsers aplenty, but there is only XUL!
Yeah, it's just too bad that Minimo is rather bloated and requires a lot of memory. Fifteen times more memory than Opera or so...
Clever signature text goes here.
Maybe it hasn't, in the US. Here in Finland I use video conferencing on my mobile phone daily. It's 0,01 euros per minute at the moment. Yes, 1 cent/minute.
Using a mobile phone or a laptop connected to the net thrue the mobile phone networks is not slow, expensive and is definitely worth it.
You got to remember that Google is global player...
Yup, cellphones. Opera has a large mobile browser following, where I believe the opera mobile browser has always been free.
A hand up and a foot on every chest...
News (to me anyway) today is that Google released a "Safe Browsing" Firefox Extension. Not sure how this would sit with the Opera rumor.
http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/safebrowsing/
"Cellphones are going to become increasingly important in connecting to the internet, and Google probably wants to make sure they're not squeezed out by MS and PocketIE. Opera has a pretty good footprint in the PDA / Cellphone world. If Google wants them this will be why."
Yet Nokia is collaborating with Apple on using Safari on their mobile phones as we speak. . .
Of course Nokia doesn't make every mobile phone in the world. It certainly does not make my Motorola RAZR, which makes me happy because I'd rather not have my head soak up as much radiation as if I stuck my head inside a microwave oven.
"Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
I wish they'd just make Google Toolbar for Opera. That's the only reason I don't use it. I'm addicted to it. It's the only reason I still use MSIE. Firefox has it but it's a resource hog. Opera is great as far as resources and security but no Toolbar.
You're right.
a nswer=29553
Even more so, why would Google want to buy Opera, when they're actively hiring people to work on Firefox for them?
http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/answer.py?
Depends where abouts in the world you are.
I check the bbc website on my phone at lunch time using Pocket IE, and it doesn't cost me a huge amount of money.
There is a mozilla based browser available It is way to slow and unstable at the moment, but websites are more likely to work in it. When it improves, I will switch to it.
"Now, if Google bought the OED, or the Britannica, then we'd have something to chat about. Plus, I'd be willing to look at (and click on) AdSense ads in exchange for a regular romp through the OED. Yum... 2-page word definitions!"
I'd prefer Google bought out WestLaw or LexisNexis, myself. Link it directly into a Google version of OpenOffice, and they'd rid law firms everywhere of legacy WordPerfect and Microsoft Word. Private litigation as well as local, State, and Federal legal costs would also be cut since they would not have to be out the cost of subscribing to whichever service Google bought out.
I'm actually surprised that Google hasn't jumped on that yet. There's gotta be some money to be made in tying KeyCite to AdSense.
"Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
That's the only reason I don't use Opera. The other its refer to Google Toolbar.
What's this about a troll? His comment history doesn't show much spamming or trolling. What are you on about?
One word: cellphones.
>It hasn't picked up pace yet, big boy.
Depends where you are geographicaly.
What makes Google different from other tech companies out there is that Google is a leader in many ways, most tech companies out there are followers, they see IS popular and go there. Companies such as Google or IBM look ahead and see what WILL be popular or what can they MAKE TO BE popular.
I'm impressed that you're using commas.
Rest of your comments summarize to this: North America is a follower in terms of consumer services. Just to broaden your knowledge, look up what European cell phone providers are offering.
^D
Probably the most important reason of all is Opera for embedded devices. Google can screw with Ballmer's head quite fine simply by contributing to Firefox and other open source projects, and I don't think they care much about going into direct competition with MS a la Netscape.
So what's left? How about dominance in the ever-growing market of mobile and handheld devices? Integrate Opera's most excellent browsing innovations with a pinch of Google's search and advertising capabilities and you've got a serious net browsing appliance.
Instead of developing a variety of crappy cpu-HOGGISH software for the desktop, Google needs to develop a very fast very efficient remote desktop protocol for it's own hosted desktop. That way they have complete control and users never bother with Windows except to boot up the machine -- or maybe Google's remote desktop client can boot the machine also.
Opera CFO clears things up. Move to the next rumor...
The problem is that they have taken a desktop app and tried to reduce it for the mobile world. Bad idea, it's just not going to work. You really need to start from the ground up for current mobile tech. Resources are limited and you have to deal with that problem in any application.
Great, maybe Opera might get some appropriate Gmail support. I'm tired of having to completely reload the page just to see a new email.
Maybe to fix the bugs in Opera? Maybe to bring Opera's cookie management up to date?
Coming up next in the long running "Google To.." series:
Google to buy Doritos - google exec once mentioned a few years ago that he liked doritos. Is google about to buy the entire company?
Google to buy Lituania - retrieved from the wayback machine of a deleted blog last year, pundit Joe Smith of Scunthorpe, UK. thinks google is about to buy the ailing country. "It's ripe for takeover" said Joe (14).
Google to get expansion plans from Slashdot - Amazed by the prophetic ability of slashdot to know what google is going to do even before it does, google announces that it's going to forget about board meetings and just read slashdot to plan the future. (Link goes directly to doubleclick.net since that's what the links are for anyway).
Okay, cellphones.
So why not use minimo?
"Pierre Chappaz, the former president of Yahoo Europe, claims to have a source, whom he says is generally very well informed, who told his doctor, who then passed on that information by way of carrier pigeon to a man in the cayman islands who collected interest off the idea for 6 months but has now passed it on to a well known orca in the Gulf of Mexico who carried it across the Atlantic Ocean to just outside of Spain where the orca was then abducted by aliens who had no need of the information and thus deposited the information in France where it worked as a prostitute giving $10 hand jobs until it could save up enough money to travel to England and tell Mr Chappaz that Google is planning on buying the Opera web browser."
Sounds pretty legit to me, guys.
Oh, and you just can't beat their small screen rendering technology; I'd heard of the term before I used their mobile browser, but upon actually using it, it does make a massive difference compared to Nokia's standard "Web" application.
Backup not found: (A)bort (R)etry (P)anic
A primary purpose of an operating system is device management. A browser does that in a very limited sense, and it is entirely unsuited to many other operating system tasks. Google would not try to buy an OS this way; they would extend Linux.
If IE cannot run the services the Google offers, what percentage of the associated revenue would be lost? Exactly.
Technically and economically stupid commentary. The supposed acquisition is about people.
I just thought that having to pay for a browser (thus capturing who I am) and then using said browser, the possibility to be able to connect person X viewing site Y is too easy.
I do not think it would be a good idea for Google to buy Opera. While expanding beyond their current market zone would make Wall Street and its accountants happy, it would hasten the process of reducing Google's stature among users. . . . There are enough multi-billionaires trying to be everything to computer users. On a personal note, this brought to my attention the fact that Opera now has no ads in the free version. There is now room on my desktop for it!
If software can't do something useful in 10 minutes, it won't
... considering they are currently paying $1 to everyone you can get to download firefox.
You can be if they bought Opera, that deal would end pretty quick. (Hey, here is a dollar to get someone to download a competing browser!)
A mobile device + Google Maps is going to open up all sorts of possibilities with location-based services & advertising etc. Opera is about the only mobile browser worth anything. Buying Opera and injecting money into is would be something that can make a lot of sense.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
One word: cellphones.
I would go one further: mobile thin clients for the masses.
I'm talking about a very simple mobile device similar to a laptop, with wifi, but with extremely limited hardware. All it can run is Opera and perhaps Google Talk. Access to the web and GMail is all that many people would need (if they switch to using a GMail account). Ajax provides capability to develop desktop-like experiences in the browser.
With minimal hardware requirements, this should be very inexpensive. It may sound crazy, but if you put all the peices to the puzzle (the products that Google has acquired or built and the people Google has hired) it makes sense.
Nokia has, at various times, licensed Opera, funded Minimo, and built their own browser using Apple's WebKit.
So at least one major company is happy to use OSS (Gecko and WebKit in this case).
Why don't we have Firefox distros?
I mean, we have 7 million linux distros, depending on which packages you want configured out of the box. Why can't we have versions of FF that include various extensions by default? And maybe a different theme by default. I can think of a few I'd like:
IE Transitional Looks and feel mostly like IE, so you can install it on your grandmother's computer and she wont keep calling you asking why she has 7000 spy-ware infections. Power User Comes with Session Saver, Tab Browser Preferences, etc. Developer Web Developer, IE Tab, IE View, DOM Inspector & Javascript Console on by default, etc.I'm sure there are a ton of others. I know I'm not the onlyone who wishes I didn't have to devote half an hour to every FF install to get it the way I like it. Seriously, why hasn't this happened already?
Iirc it's the only Opera browser that you have to pay for.
It's worth it though.
Let me see, um, perhaps because Opera is a much, much better browser than your beloved Firefox ? I've use both (and several other browsers) extensively and there is no contest - Opera is more powerful, flexible and elegant by far. It is the better browser, period. And now it's free, so quit yer whining about banners.
Feel free to go on using your partially-formed browser. My time is too valuable to waste with half a tool and that's why I use Opera.
By the way, you should be glad that Opera exists - it's where Firefox gets some of its best ideas.
... would it block its own ads (back when the free version had banners)? Yes, it's a silly question.
Where is that guy who'd die defending what I had to say when I need him?
> I can't begin to imagine why.
Neither can I.
Opera's pure dirt.
And the Googies don't have to BUY Firefox - it's open source fer chrissakes.
Who starts these rumours?
Given the recent development of Google TV and the prevalence of the Opera browser in the embedded and set-top box market (the only other browsers which are widely deployed are Espial, Fresco and IE-variants on Windows CE platforms), it is quite possible that this rumour is linked to on-going Google TV development of digital set-top boxes and DVRs (which have been discussed on Slashdot previously). What the acquisition of Opera by Google would mean for set-top box manufacturers who offer Opera as a browser platform is anyone's guess ...
And they have a search revenue sharing deal with Opera very similar to what they have in place with Firefox (except for that thing about hiring Firefox developers to work on their own product). So they've got business relationships with both browsers already.
http://thegooglist.blogspot.com/2005/12/opera-cfo- denies-google-acquisition.html
t tp%3A%2F%2Fchappaz.blogspot.com%2F2005%2F12%2Frume ur-google-achterait-opera.html&btnG=Search+Blogs
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=h
Netscape didn't have loads of cash like Google and they certainly couldn't execute worth a damn.
"sweet dreams are made of this..."
that they're not going to make a server-side, AJAX-based Google Browser? I was so waiting for that...
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id= 116183&t=1134691009&page=1#comment1291667
Bingo. You deserve a (6) Insightful. Google wants to be more than the dominant search engine: they'll get into the telcom business. Having Opera around to serve mobile content AND be their desktop dispenser is small investment for a big return.
Bet they'll keep the source closed.
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
Is there a way to make tabs in opera behave the same way they do in Firefox? For example I close a tab and the last tab comes into focus.
Except adhering to standards means they don't need to.
...but the first versions will only run in Internet Explorer 6 and Firefox.
And let me tell you, that's going to get confusing!
The rumor was started by an ex-Yahoo exec -- not by Opera or Google -- and Opera has denied it.
They don't need a browser of their own, but they need a competitive browser market. Firefox, thus, is very important to them -- even if it never gains a majority market share, it forces Microsoft to improve IE again. Opera may have a similar strategic value, especially because on mobile phones it seems like it's mostly Opera or something proprietary, and proprietary means that Google could be locked out or extorted to provide access fees. It doesn't matter that much to them if another browser does well on mobile phones, just like it doesn't matter that much if Firefox or IE win, so long as they have a quality browser(s) available.
I also sometimes wonder how Opera is really doing financially. If they are strapped for cash -- and I have zero idea how they are doing -- that may limit their ability to improve the product, or even the viability of the product entirely. So Google might just be trying to keep the market healthy (from their perspective) by keeping different products in the play.
Perhaps, they're going to buy Opera, so as to have rights to certain code (as I recall Opera's a pretty speedy browser) and take that code and incorporate it (or make it available to Firefox/Mozilla)
Just a thought...however unlikely the whole thing might be.
Can they afford to buy Oprah? Isn't she worth a pretty penny? Oh, hang on, Google could afford to buy the USA...
It might be ridiculously polluted, but Opera has such a small market share, so why would the script kiddies, malware writers, and other malevolant netizens waste their time writing things for it if they can just prey on the (generally more ignorant) majority browser user?
MoM++ - A Classic Expanded - [Master of Magic 1.5]
http://mompp.sourceforge.net/
Also, please knock off the goddamn $ from the abbreviated Microsoft name
Microsoft's first product was a BASIC interpreter. In interpreted BASIC, the names of string variables ended in a $ character. The following is valid BASIC:
Some people use M$ to represent Microsoft in some sort of weird imitation of Perl/PHP inline replacement syntax (e.g. "swear to $deity"). In the hypothetical interpreter for this dialect of BASIC, the following is also valid:
I don't get it. Why will they buy Opera???
http://www.websitesdev.com/
What is the install base of Minimo vs. Opera on cellphones and PDAs? Remember, unlike desktop browsers its a lot more difficult to have Joe phone owner to download a new browser on their cell phone. Almost every cellphone user is going to use the browser that comes with their phone. This means building relationships and licensing software directly to phone manufacturers and cell providers. Opera has already established a foothold in this area, and their browsers are thought of pretty highly (personally, I find Opera to be the best browser for my Zaurus; never have used it on the desktop), not to mention that, as others have pointed out, Minimo and WebCore browsers are, at this point, a hell of a lot heavier than Opera's offering.
I suppose then that references to CI$ or Compuspend would be lost on you.
dBase Rules!!!
"...why I'm so old...we didn't have the luxury of 1s and 0s that you young whippersnappers have. Why we had to use to use sticks and stones instead..."
- Darkman6
1. Microsoft wants to destroy us (by throwing mass quantities of chairs at employees? study ongoing)
2. We have long relationship with Mozilla.org and they have a browser that's won huge ammount of the power developers and web devs.
3. We've some of the best Firefox developers on camp.
4. We're hosting the mozilla/firefox sites and launched Google-toolbared Firefox
5. Firefox is free for us to fork, style and release.
------
Resolution:
We drop all that and go to buy Opera instead.
Rationale:
It'll make an interesting Slashdot article.
The major advantage to FireFox is the extensions. Anyone can add an extension to FireFox. While opera is a faster, more stable browser (probably because it isn't open source) and is loaded with many great features, those features are it.
With FireFox you can download extensions to make tabbed browsing even better than just having multiple tabs. You can download extensions to label and organize tabs and give the ability to drag them, and to have pages that should open in a new window, open in a new tab instead.
Also, the best FTP client I have ever used is FireFTP, a FireFox plugin (which is all I really use FireFox for, I use mostly Safari now that I got SafariStand).
I could really care less if Google buys Opera. It probably won't change either the browser (unlike Adobe buying Macromedia where the price went up 150%). It will just mean that Google controls even more of the world in their quest for global domination and possibly will make more money in the long run.
I don't much care for Opera, I think it's clunky (as is FireFox). And I don't care much for FireFox on Mac (or Camino for that matter), but if I had to have one or the other, I would chose FireFox, simply because it can be expanded by anyone with coding experience to infinity.
Am I right? First free wifi, then the $100 laptop, then free worldwide wireless, then next thing you know Google will be delivering their GoogleOS throughout all those fiber lines they've been buying up and will topple Microsoft!
You have to admit they have good taste: It's the FASTEST browser out there, check it (on MANY platforms, but especially on Windows (which is the most widely used OS platform & API out there)):
n
:)
http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html#wi
FASTEST OVERALL WEB-BROWSER & ON THE MOST PLATFORMS (including their handheld models which rock too, lol) UNDER THE SUN!
* Like the author of it said? Read it, make your own judgements - but, arguing with those results & findings against them?? Good luck!
(And, they're pretty much dead-on, especially in Windows, even on today's high mhz CPU's (3.2ghz here))
Plus? It's MASSIVELY secure, & least breaches are found on it!
And, as well as being even moreso secureable than it is (I've got tons of excellent hacks for it - been using it for ages)...
It also rules/rocks on platforms that aren't PC's either, no less! Talk about flexible/portable architecture!
Lastly?? It's had features the other browser families & their descendents copied (can you say tabbed browsing for instance?) as well... for years beforehand.
*
APK
P.S.=> I'll give GOOGLE one thing to their credit - they've evidently done their research & found it's the BEST thing out there! Good for the Opera folks, hope they make a bundle & GOOGLE keeps it getting even better... even better than the 9.x model upcoming, w/out "Netscape/AOL'ing it" etc./et all, bloating it! apk
Now, if Google bought the OED, or the Britannica, then we'd have something to chat about.
Yes, as everyone knows, Britannica is written by robots, and therefore completely free of any possibility of opinions or bias. They also work 24/7, to detail every piece of knowledge ever, whilst Wikipedia meanwhile only covers a mere scattering of subjects.
Yes, as everyone knows, Britannica is written by robots, and therefore completely free of any possibility of opinions or bias.
The whole point of an editorial board is to establish some consistency in the orientation of the publication. Just like the NY Times is flamingly left-wing, or the Wall Street Journal is all about business interests - Britannica has a posture which is well known, and plain as day. This as opposed to WP, where the choice of material, tone of the writing, and variations on the facts are driven by whoever shows up on that particular day.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Hey Seumas, how ya doin? I remember you from Team Netscape at good ol' Stream. Lucky you got out of there back in the day; some of us never did (just went to different teams). Me, I'm finally ready to make my move now that I've got enough energy/motivation to do something with my so-called life. ^_^
Agreed. I bought (gasp) Opera for both my laptop and cell phone because both worked well. Opera now has a Mini version that is even better then the original version for Symbian 60 devices. I would expect Google to take advantage of this Mini to spread the local concept they seen to have embraced to cell phones. My understanding is that unlike other contries the US is not heavily into WAP and browsing the 'net on cell phones - this purchase by Google could spur the users to clamour for providers to make it happen.
It's all history, man. -anon
I think Google floats these rumors and then reads the related Slashdot discussions. It's like having a million business strategists who have nothing better to do than speculate on where Google is going, except at Slashdot, Google pays no salary.
I much prefer Opera to Firefox, but the ONLY reason why I still use Firefox is because of the Pimpzilla theme. Hopefully Google will make a similar bling-bling theme for Opera top priority :)
Come on, looking at Google's history, I'd expect them to do something web based. You know, just point your browser to broswer.google.com and begin surfing... wait a minute.
We raise our slide-rules high.
http://operawatch.blogspot.com/2005/12/rumor-googl e-to-buy-opera-according-to.html
that Google already bought firefox a while ago...
Gentlemen - Place your bets!
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
Excelsior,
You are so friggen right on this one [mobile wifi thin clients for the masses], I had to stop and say so. Picassa, heavy ajax use, now opera rumors?
GoogleZon awaits!
Opera works how you expect it, but it has many incredibly useful features that you likely would not look for in the first place because other web browsers either don't support them or require you to hunt down plugins and continually update them. It's like having a car that only goes straight, then getting one that lets you turn, too. You were already used to going straight, so you didn't know that any car could go straight. But once you get used to turning in your new car, you'll never want to go back to just driving straight all the time. Sure, maybe you can add a couple extra features to Firefox using plugins, but I've found that you can't always trust the plugins to be very robust. Besides, who wants to install an aftermarket steering wheel just so their car? It should have come with the darn thing in the first place! (And don't get me started on bloatedness. If it still runs fast and is useful, it's not bloat. By the way, did I mention my latest Linux install was over 4 GB?)
Well, I started with 7 features that I miss every time I open up IE or Firefox, but then I kept remembering more things that I now take for granted, but dearly miss when I'm stuck using another browser for whatever reason:
1. For instance, have you ever closed a web page and wished you hadn't? Opera has undo support; just Ctrl+Z as you would in many other programs, and your page is back.
2. Do you ever have to reboot to use your newly-installed Linux kernel or Windows updates, or have you ever had a rogue app wreak havok on your system (again forcing you to reboot)? Yeah, Opera covers that, too. It remembers your session (including all open web pages) and lets you continue exactly where you left off the last time.
3. How about them web forms? Ever had one time out on you? Ever navigated back or clicked a link or the wrong button by accident? Didn't it piss you of when everything you had just typed was gone? Opera virtually eliminates that problem. The back/forward history is faster and works more how you would expect (e.g., doesn't clear your forms when navigating through history).
4. Anything you can do with the mouse, you can also do with the keyboard. Cycle through links on the page, open up panels, open links in new or background tabs (or in new windows, if that's your thing), cycle through open tabs, etc. And you can do all of that without even having to use Alt and navigate through the menus.
5. Don't you hate it when you're reading something online and the author forgot to actually make a URL or e-mail address into a hyperlink? In Opera, just highlight it, then right-click and click "Go to URL."
6. "Smart" zooming--that's what I call it, anyway. Other web browsers scale the text when you hold Ctrl and scroll up or down with your mouse. Opera also intelligently scales the images, and does it in a way that doesn't make them render like crap. It seems like such a minor thing, but it's not.
7. Notes! I don't care if you already use KNotes, Stickies, or some other notes program. I've tried several of them and found most of them to be rather annoying because they all required several steps to add a new note (highlight, copy, create new note, paste...that's just way too many steps for a busy guy like me!). They quickly became cluttered and unusable because I couldn't find the information I wanted very easily anyway. In Opera, you can select any text and send it directly to a note. You can also organize your notes by changing the order, putting them in folders, and using separators. You can also use the Quick Find feature to sift through the notes and find the one you want--by the way, that filter sifts things out as you type, so there's no waiting around or clicking a search button. You can even spell-check your notes.
8. Are you too 1337 to remember all your awesome passwords? Do you ever use, for example, more than one free Yahoo account? Wand is much more than your typical password manager; it's like your password manager on the juice. It can
I'm surprised to see that your opinion is worth $0.2, when most others only get to add their $0.02. I guess inflation really is rising quickly...
You know that Firefox has an extension that does the same thing, right? SessionSaver also lets you load and save your sessions under names, and has a "snapback tab" feature that re-opens a closed tab.
Google, is a big company. Yes the make cool things, but big companies almost by definition are only out for making money. Im supprised that people actually want to see google buy up smaller companies. Maybe this is good for opera in the short term, but in the long term? I rather see many smaller businesses then a few larger ones. How do we know google wont turn out to become more like microsoft? When things happen like software companies aiding china with its censorship people say that they're only abiding with the law there, and they're just making money, or just doing it for the shareholders. That may be their reason, but i do not agree with it. We have to try to do the moral thing -that will mean we have to use resources- and where are the resources? Mostly in the companies. Ok this is a bit off topic - but the open- vs closed source debate is also.
That argument doesn't hold up.
Google could easily make their own browser based on a branch of Firefox (or Gecho), instead of raw Firefox. They will then get additional development for free by backmerging additions from the main trunk when and if they feel like it. And they will have the same control of their own branch, as they would have with Opera.
The only reasons I can see for going with Opera is if they believe more in the techonological basis.
Think about this, if Google controls the browser, what would keep them from doing banner replacement on every page visited (with explicit approval of the end user)? I think that the general population might look at it as a service (replace pesky banner ads with things that really interest you!). It's all about the Ads. Martin Tibbitts LCR Telecommunications, LLC
Their purpose is obvious.
Just like they want to provide browser based email, desktop, whatever, they now go for the next thing:
The browser based browser!
Could Flock be considered a distro of Firefox?
I've read that the code is based on Firefox, although I'm not so sure how the "social" functions have been implemented into it.
well other then google earth there freeware projects are pretty much junk.. so i guess they need something that someone might find interesting.
A hand up and a foot on every chest...
If Google buys Opera, it would be (IMHO) the stupidest thing they've done yet. Considering all the smart moves they've made so far, that's not saying much. But why buy Opera when they can just take Firefox and rebrand it for free? Especially when Firefox is an (arguably) superior browser?
Nathan's blog
Opera Mini is a cut down Java MIDP based browser.
However real opera mobile only has a 14 day trial
http://www.opera.com/products/mobile/products/