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whatthefunk
May 26th, 2012, 07:46 AM
This is just a rumor at the moment, but apparently Facebook is going to buy Opera and create their own browser.

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/05/25/facebook-to-acquire-browser-maker-opera-maybe-heres-what-we-know/

Thoughts?

As a loyal Opera user, this would be devastating. I despise facebook and certainly dont want my entire web experience to be a facebook one. Who knows what kind of info the browser would collect.

zombifier25
May 26th, 2012, 07:49 AM
$YOUR_USERNAME s/n/c = my reaction.

KiwiNZ
May 26th, 2012, 07:53 AM
If they continue to distribute and develop the browser it's business as usual and no worries, they may make the browser better something it desperately needs.

wilee-nilee
May 26th, 2012, 07:58 AM
I don't use facebook or any social sites like it, short of the UF, and the IRC , and occasionally use opera, I doubt much will change.

Face-Ache
May 26th, 2012, 08:13 AM
That's a surprising move; don't Facebook already have a browser, Rockmelt?

zombifier25
May 26th, 2012, 08:14 AM
If they continue to distribute and develop the browser it's business as usual and no worries, they may make the browser better something it desperately needs.

Opera is closed source, if Facebook buys it, who knows what kind of stuffs Facebook will put in. We have seen countless lawsuits against those evercookies Facebook planted in other browsers.


That's a surprising move; don't Facebook already have a browser, Rockmelt?
RockMelt does not belong to Facebook.

KiwiNZ
May 26th, 2012, 08:20 AM
Opera is closed source, if Facebook buys it, who knows what kind of stuffs Facebook will put in. We have seen countless lawsuits against those evercookies Facebook planted in other browsers.


RockMelt does not belong to Facebook.

Does not worry me

wilee-nilee
May 26th, 2012, 08:24 AM
Opera is closed source, if Facebook buys it, who knows what kind of stuffs Facebook will put in. We have seen countless lawsuits against those evercookies Facebook planted in other browsers.

Tracking cookies are easily removed, most browsers have a add on to do this at the least, FF has better privacy, but if a user is really worried I suspect they can be found no matter what.

Face-Ache
May 26th, 2012, 08:25 AM
RockMelt does not belong to Facebook.

Ahh okay, i didn't know that. I just assumed because of it's Facebook integration that it was part of their evil empire :)

sffvba[e0rt
May 26th, 2012, 08:50 AM
Oh noes it is the evil Microsoft/Oracle/Apple/Novel/Google/Facebook/Canonical/wonderwhoisgoingtobenext ...

Opera has lost the browser war... it gave FF a good go and now everyone looses to Chrome. Sometimes money is what is needed to get things going again. Seems logical that Facebook is trying to fight Google on all fronts as Google and others are directly taking on Facebook.

Business as usual.


404

Face-Ache
May 26th, 2012, 09:41 AM
Oh noes it is the evil Microsoft/Oracle/Apple/Novel/Google/Facebook/Canonical/wonderwhoisgoingtobenext ...

Oh i was just joking - i wasn't seriously suggesting that Facebook are evil. They're no worse than any business trying to do the right thing by their shareholders :D Sorry, by that i mean, current shareholders. They've seemingly no problem with pulling the wool over the eyes of potential shareholders.
:lolflag:

Man, i kill me.

KiwiNZ
May 26th, 2012, 09:54 AM
We know about the true Empire

<---------------------- hint

Imposters will be destroyed "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force."

Lucradia
May 26th, 2012, 10:00 AM
Wouldn't surprise me, since Yahoo made a browser.

Face-Ache
May 26th, 2012, 10:01 AM
We know about the true Empire

<---------------------- hint

Imposters will be destroyed "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force."

In that case, what was with the whole Death Star thing? If they could have wasted planets with the force, did they just need to use up some budget for that particular year, otherwise have it cut the next year? ;) (Just jokes too, BTW).

neu5eeCh
May 26th, 2012, 01:55 PM
Interesting. What does Opera offer Facebook from a business perspective?

vasa1
May 26th, 2012, 02:23 PM
Tracking cookies are easily removed, most browsers have a add on to do this at the least, FF has better privacy, but if a user is really worried I suspect they can be found no matter what.

Zombifier mentioned evercookies: "Opera is closed source, if Facebook buys it, who knows what kind of stuffs Facebook will put in. We have seen countless lawsuits against those evercookies Facebook planted in other browsers."

I understand they're somewhat more difficult to remove than the "average" cookie.

wewantutopia
May 26th, 2012, 03:02 PM
GOD I HOPE NOT!!!!

I love Opera. On the desktop I use it along with Firefox. On Android Opera Mobile is ALL I use. I find it much better than Browser, Dolphin, or Firefox.

I sure don't want Facebook mining all my internet usage.

Ugh. :(

MG&TL
May 26th, 2012, 03:10 PM
Interesting. What does Opera offer Facebook from a business perspective?

Hehe, your evil side is obviously lacking.

Let's tell facebook about what you browse, let's make the default search facebook, let's make the thing an advert for facebook, let's log you in automatically every time you use, let's offer you targeted spam...I imagine you could have a lot of fun with a browser.

neu5eeCh
May 26th, 2012, 03:46 PM
Hehe, your evil side is obviously lacking.

Let's tell facebook about what you browse, let's make the default search facebook, let's make the thing an advert for facebook, let's log you in automatically every time you use, let's offer you targeted spam...I imagine you could have a lot of fun with a browser.

Yes, but they already do these things with every Facebook member. I can't tell you how many cookies and scripts I've blocked from Facebook (I'm not a member). What are they getting through Opera (a niche browser after all)? Prestige? What? Google, at least, created their own OS, indirectly based on their browser - Android and Chrome OS. Is that the direction Facebook plans to go? I can't see that they'll have much success. They're a bit late to that party. I'm not seeing what they get from it?

Bandit
May 26th, 2012, 08:08 PM
Opera has always been unique. I never can tell if I really like it or not. But Facebook on the other hand has a unique talent for totally screwing up a completely good user interface for lame ideas no one likes. Their recent idiocracy being the "time-line" interface no one likes. I only hope they don't blunder Opera up.

jasonshim
May 26th, 2012, 08:09 PM
Jesus..

Is this really happening?

Holy mother of cow!

Bandit
May 26th, 2012, 08:11 PM
Yes, but they already do these things with every Facebook member. I can't tell you how many cookies and scripts I've blocked from Facebook (I'm not a member). What are they getting through Opera (a niche browser after all)? Prestige? What? Google, at least, created their own OS, indirectly based on their browser - Android and Chrome OS. Is that the direction Facebook plans to go? I can't see that they'll have much success. They're a bit late to that party. I'm not seeing what they get from it?

I tend to agree with you. Social networking is on the rise, but I dont feel its in the direction they are going for unless they just want a browser that they can control the cookies on. Which is bad. IMHO.

KiwiNZ
May 26th, 2012, 08:20 PM
I hear they are going to steal all the Dalmations and with the use of cleverly designed cookies lthat cause music to play and lure all the children to a far off land.

lisati
May 26th, 2012, 08:39 PM
I understand they're somewhat more difficult to remove than the "average" cookie.
Good grief! Just feed them to the dalmatians (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=11971427&postcount=23) or whatever other wildlife that happens to be lurking in the back yard. :D

If it wasn't for some of my colleagues and work-related contacts being Facebook fans, I probably wouldn't have signed up. As for Opera, I haven't really used it enough to have a useful opinion beyond noting that I have a copy of the mini version that came preinstalled on one of my mobile phones.

wilee-nilee
May 26th, 2012, 08:45 PM
Zombifier mentioned evercookies: "Opera is closed source, if Facebook buys it, who knows what kind of stuffs Facebook will put in. We have seen countless lawsuits against those evercookies Facebook planted in other browsers."

I understand they're somewhat more difficult to remove than the "average" cookie.

Still a file in your computer.

Lucradia
May 26th, 2012, 11:13 PM
evercookies aren't LSOs or normal cookies. They use JavaScript. You can attempt to circumvent them with something like Ghostery, but it's unlikely it'll work. I heard of an add-on called Nevercookie, but it seems it dropped off the face of the Earth.

Edit: Even if you find Nevercookie, you need to enable Firefox private browsing. Like Chrome, I will not use Private browsing just to get rid of history, etc. I can't remove (world / clock icons in Chrome.)

lethalfang
May 27th, 2012, 01:41 AM
Interesting. What does Opera offer Facebook from a business perspective?

Google makes Chrome integrate seamlessly with Google Doc, Google+, among every other product Google makes. Google makes Chrome more popular. And in turn, Chrome will make Google more popular.

Facebook wants to copy the playbook.

Bandit
May 27th, 2012, 03:11 AM
I hear they are going to steal all the Dalmations and with the use of cleverly designed cookies lthat cause music to play and lure all the children to a far off land.

http://boomstickcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/home-alone.png

neu5eeCh
May 27th, 2012, 03:41 AM
Google makes Chrome integrate seamlessly with Google Doc, Google+, among every other product Google makes. Google makes Chrome more popular. And in turn, Chrome will make Google more popular.

Facebook wants to copy the playbook.

Yeah... I've been reading a variety of articles and blog posts on the subject. They all argue that it will increase Facebook's in-your-face integration. It's too bad. I've been experimenting with Opera and am starting to like it. Facebook would, no doubt, ruin the browser (what with extensions and integrated apps). I also have to wonder whether they would bother with a linux version.

Oh well...

There have even been on-again, off-again rumors that Mozilla might let Linux support go by the wayside. That leaves Chrome OS or the organic purity of text-based browsing.:popcorn:

whatthefunk
May 27th, 2012, 06:19 AM
There have even been on-again, off-again rumors that Mozilla might let Linux support go by the wayside. That leaves Chrome OS or the organic purity of text-based browsing.:popcorn:

Or one of these:
http://linux.about.com/od/softbrowser/Linux_Software_Web_Browsers.htm

Perfect Storm
May 27th, 2012, 06:24 AM
I hear they are going to steal all the Dalmations and with the use of cleverly designed cookies lthat cause music to play and lure all the children to a far off land.


Pied Piper of Hamelin going to sue.

codingman
May 27th, 2012, 02:36 PM
it would be nice if this happened, opera is in bad shape.

Dr. C
May 27th, 2012, 04:49 PM
This reminds me of when I switched from Netscape to Internet Explorer when AOL bought Netscape back in the 1990's. I also dropped CompuServe when AOL bought CompuServe.

I do not regret either of those decisions to this day.

Lucradia
May 28th, 2012, 01:36 AM
This reminds me of when I switched from Netscape to Internet Explorer when AOL bought Netscape back in the 1990's. I also dropped CompuServe when AOL bought CompuServe.

I do not regret either of those decisions to this day.

I dropped Gateway when Acer bought them. It was a sad, sad day.

KiwiNZ
May 28th, 2012, 02:05 AM
I consider product quality primarily not company ownership.

whatthefunk
May 28th, 2012, 02:25 AM
I consider product quality primarily not company ownership.

That is of course the main thing. But I dont really want to use a product made by a company I dont trust. If facebook is buying Opera, they are probably not going to just keep it the same. They dont seem like the kind of company that would buy another company only to improve their stock portfolio. They are buying it to try to expand facebook, to make it more than just a social network site. This scares me.

Lucradia
May 28th, 2012, 02:29 AM
I liked Opera when I first used it years ago, now I don't for some reason. It's likely the User Interface change where I see tabs visually without hovering them.

That, and the rendering engine it uses. (I'm never going to give up Gecko.)

mickey12gauge
July 29th, 2012, 05:15 AM
Noooooo!!! :( First I have heard of this. :(

linktopower
July 29th, 2012, 05:21 AM
Man if this turns out to happen for real... The world is screwed! Facebook is taking over the world OMG Run away!
Enough Jokes :P

Really though if this turns out to be true I'll drop opera fasting then...soemthing I don't know. but I'm sure Facebook would just, <snip> it to hell with all the stupid nonsense of facebook.

(As you guess I hate Facebook!!! Burn it with fire! it must die!!!)

Peripheral Visionary
July 29th, 2012, 11:49 AM
,,, I switched from Netscape to Internet Explorer when AOL bought Netscape back in the 1990's. I also dropped CompuServe when AOL bought CompuServe.

And now Netscape is an open-source Mozilla project called Seamonkey (http://www.seamonkey-project.org/). Big win, IMO. But I'm with KiwiNZ on these kind of things. Just use what works best for you, let the stockholders (if any) and marketers deal with other stuff.

I don't use Facebook or Opera, but if I did I wouldn't care who owns them. I have other reasons for not bothering with Facebook (too much drama among all my friends who use it, privacy issues, and I don't post to the Internet every little change in my situation, thoughts, or mood) and other reasons for not using Opera (slow, locks up, so much heavier than Seamonkey on this old hand-me-down hardware).

Ownership of a product only matters to me if the owners actively support or oppose certain causes or civil liberties that matter to me. Then I "vote with my purse" rather than make a lot of fuss otherwise.

sakamoto
July 29th, 2012, 02:16 PM
is this still jsut a rumour?

Frogs Hair
July 29th, 2012, 03:50 PM
is this still jsut a rumour? What I found a few days ago indicates that. Opera has been unofficially for sale for a while according to one article. The refusal by Oprea to comment may be telling though.

Max Blyss
July 29th, 2012, 06:24 PM
Man... I really dig Opera. I don't use it, but I like it, lol.

If FB buys Opera, I'll never be able to use it for a month at a time when I get bored again.

sakamoto
July 29th, 2012, 06:47 PM
the same - i wont be able to use it ever again :confused:

TenPlus1
July 29th, 2012, 10:12 PM
I use Opera a lot and if the rumour is true and Facebook buy it them out then I will lose trust in the browser and switch to either Firefox of Chromium...