Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Opera Says Their iOS Updates Are Still Coming - Just Slowly (twitter.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the Android-first dept.

Slashdot reader BrianFagioli has posted an update about his communication with Opera over their plans for iOS. They'd originally tweeted Thursday that "at this moment we don't have a team working on IOS which is why we haven't released any updates." But Friday they clarified that "It does not mean we give up development on iOS. It's just that now our resources are on Android." They reiterated that point in an email. We would like to clarify that Opera does not abandon iOS... We plan to keep developing it as Opera Min[i] provides unique features that other browsers do not have, such as data saving for both webpages and video, ad-blocking, built-in newsfeed etc. And people love using it. As most of the engineering resources are now on Android, our update on iOS is slow at this moment. Please bear with us and do stay tune for our next updates.
The tweet Friday also emphasized that "We will update iOS for sure."

36 comments

  1. Translation: Yeah but not really by gweilo8888 · · Score: 2

    When they say "updates are still coming", what they mean is "Yeah, we both know updates aren't coming, but we'd still rather you keep using our browser to keep our stats up for as long as possible."

    1. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 4, Funny

      Funny, I read that as "Android is so shitty that we need all our programmers to work on Opera for Android. The iOS version works just fine."

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    2. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's not surprising. iOS's market share is plummeting while Android's is skyrocketing. Apple keeps the lion's share of the profits off the app store, so companies are leaving it in droves. It's just not worth developing for iOS any more.

    3. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 3, Funny

      Good, maybe they'll go back to making real computers instead of fashion statements.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    4. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by gweilo8888 · · Score: 2

      Wait, you say Android is "so shitty", and yet also that Apple just makes "fashion statements"... Ladies and gents, over here, come quick now! We've found the rare Windows Phone user in its natural environment!! Look quickly, folks, while the looking's good. They never scuttle out from under their rock for long, for fear the sunlight will melt them!

    5. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

      Windows phone? Is that a thing?

      I know about Windows, the gaming operating system. Is that what you're talking about?

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    6. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      Careful, he's one of only three remaining, which makes him an endangered species. He can't get any more lumias, so should his perish, he'll perish with it.

    7. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by EmeraldBot · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think it's the reverse, actually. Android has both a much larger userbase and supports Blink, Opera's native web engine. In contrast, iOS only supports Apple's version of WebKit. Why would Opera want their programmers working for a smaller userbase that would require more work to achieve less functionality?

      --
      "Set a man a fire, he'll be warm for the rest of the night. Set a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
    8. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by teg · · Score: 1

      I think it's the reverse, actually. Android has both a much larger userbase and supports Blink, Opera's native web engine. In contrast, iOS only supports Apple's version of WebKit. Why would Opera want their programmers working for a smaller userbase that would require more work to achieve less functionality?

      That would mean the app requires a lot less work to maintain. In any case, the Opera value proposition is not related to the web engine but supporting features around it - data compression, ad blocking etc.

    9. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      He's talking about the smartphone you have in your pocket.

    10. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Its easy to make something fine when all you're allowed to do is put a skin over someone else's Safari code.

    11. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah. Generally speaking, the only companies that hire developers who work on both mobile platforms writing native applications are ones that can't afford multiple developers. A company the size of Opera usually hires iOS developers to work on iOS applications and Android developers to work on Android applications. They don't have a single pool and reassign at will. "Our resources are on Android" for a company like Opera essentially translates to "we don't employ any iOS developers any more".

    12. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by Lisandro · · Score: 1

      Fun fact: it is impossible to publish a iOS app which renders HTML without WebKit.

    13. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good, maybe they'll go back to making real computers instead of fashion statements.

      Good, maybe they'll go back to making real computers instead of trojan horses.

      There, FTFY.

    14. Re:Translation: Yeah but not really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple keeps the lion's share of the profits off the app store

      No they don't. In case English is not your first language: "The lion's share" doesn't mean "more than I would like". It means "most". Apple keep 30% of app purchases, and 30% of in-app purchases (falling to 15% of in-app subscriptions after the first year).

      Furthermore, Opera do not sell their app on iOS (it's free), nor do they offer in-app purchases. So the grand total of Apple's takings from Opera is the $99/year for the developer account – hardly a significant amount.

      It's just not worth developing for iOS any more.

      Spoken like somebody who has never developed for either platform. iOS users spend more money. It's far easier to make money on iOS than on Android.

  2. Re:Opera can kiss my ass by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 0

    GNUmmunists?

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  3. Re: Lubuntu 17.04 & Debian LiveCD's Missing Cr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I won't use Debian until it comes with APKs hosts file generator out of the box.

  4. Hope so by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Love Opera on my ipad

  5. Re:Lubuntu 17.04 & Debian LiveCD's Missing Cri by ArchieBunker · · Score: 0

    The last distro I tried (Debian?) did not include route or even nslookup. So my network connection wasn't working and I had no way to even install this package short of downloading it from somewhere else and transferring by USB. No guarantees that will work either as it probably needs a dozen dependencies.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  6. Two flaws on windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Opera browser doesn't always delete cookies on exit. Making you log in to whatever websites you were logged into when you exited the browser.

    Opera mail hides email on deletion sometimes. Who knows where the email is. Presumably, that email, can't be deleted.

  7. Re:Lubuntu 17.04 & Debian LiveCD's Missing Cri by jaklode · · Score: 2

    This is completely off-topic, but to clarify: net-tools has been deprecated for ages: ifconfig, route and co. were replaced by ip; and netstat was replaced by ss. ufw is an Ubuntu project, and not a standard tool, so it's really not unnormal to not be included on a Debian live disc.

  8. Re:Lubuntu 17.04 & Debian LiveCD's Missing Cri by jaklode · · Score: 2, Informative

    Please use "ip route" ("ip r") instead of "route" (and "ss" instead of "netstat"). The net-tools package is not really active anymore, modern day Linux uses iproute2.

  9. What's the point? by thegarbz · · Score: 2

    Opera presents a critical alternative to the internet ecosystem many thanks to using Presto as it's rendering engine. Given how Apple forces all browsers to effectively become a re-skinned Safari with Webkit underneath there's no point to using Opera on iOS.

    1. Re:What's the point? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Er, last I checked, Opera threw away their Presto after version 12 and moved to Webkit.

      At least on desktop. Can't say anything about mobile.

    2. Re:What's the point? by Lisandro · · Score: 1

      I wish. Opera dropped Presto years ago, becoming yet another Webkit/Blink skin.

    3. Re:What's the point? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      On the desktop they did.
      On the Opera Mobile it was only dropped recently.
      On Opera Mini Presto continues to be the rendering engine.

  10. Re:Lubuntu 17.04 & Debian LiveCD's Missing Cri by ArchieBunker · · Score: 0

    So what was wrong with the old route? Did it not play nice with systemd or something?

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  11. Re:Lubuntu 17.04 & Debian LiveCD's Missing Cri by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are using a systemd distro the wrong way. Forget about the old fashion and deprecated unix tools and start using the systemd builtin superior versions. netstat was replaced with ss years ago.

  12. Re:Lubuntu 17.04 & Debian LiveCD's Missing Cri by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Exactly, netstat / route /nslookup all work on inferiour OSes/distros without systemd. Systemd is special, you need to relearn everything you have known over the last 30+ years.