Opera Sold
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A Former User last edited by
I think it's best not to jump to too many conclusions just yet (I'm not going to post on the other thread for that very reason). No one knows how this will play out, assuming the deal goes ahead. I will continue using Opera as my main browser and am not going to worry about this news like plenty of others Opera users (lots at the Opera Blog site) are doing.
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A Former User last edited by
Well... we got a reply from the Opera Desktop Development Team:
http://www.opera.com/blogs/desktop/2016/02/stillyouropera-for-computers/
As you may have heard, the Board of Directors of Opera have forwarded a recommendation to our shareholders to consider an acquisition offer from a consortium of leading Chinese internet firms, Qihoo 360 and Kunlun.
Over the last year, Opera for computers user base has grown by more than 5 million users – not bad, considering that the PC market is in a sharp decline.
In the desktop team, we think this is good news. If the deal is realized, Opera for computers will be able to reach more users, faster. We will be able to accelerate our roadmaps, fix more bugs and contribute more code to the web.
We are also a major contributor to the Blink rendering engine, second only to Google. Our Desktop team has grown, and we keep adding great people, like Jon Hicks, so we can bring you the best quality product possible.
So, to sum up: we remain committed to the open web, to Opera’s legacy as innovator, and to our users all over the world. For many of us, our desktop browser remains the most important tool in our lives, and we promise to improve it even further.
It seems Opera, the browser, will not be affected negatively by this, which is encouraging. Time will tell.
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blackbird71 last edited byWell... we got a reply from the Opera Desktop Development Team:
http://www.opera.com/blogs/desktop/2016/02/stillyouropera-for-computers/...
In the desktop team, we think this is good news. If the deal is realized, Opera for computers will be able to reach more users, faster. We will be able to accelerate our roadmaps, fix more bugs and contribute more code to the web.
...
So, to sum up: we remain committed to the open web, to Opera’s legacy as innovator, and to our users all over the world. For many of us, our desktop browser remains the most important tool in our lives, and we promise to improve it even further.It seems Opera, the browser, will not be affected negatively by this, which is encouraging. Time will tell.
That indeed is Krystian's (and other developers') hopeful opinion, shared by many users and posters here. And everyone is free to speculate as much as they wish. But one reality should always be kept in mind: in such a sale, what matters the most is what the buyer intends to do once he has achieved actual control. That may or may not reflect the wishes or statements (past or present) of either the existing employees or management.
I'm not trying to attack Krystian's statements or to sound negative, I'm only reminding that by buying Opera, the new owners will be the ones establishing the marching orders for the employees and management, as it is with any corporate acquisition. Only when the dust settles well after the actual takeover will we be able to have any solid idea how this will all actually play out. While companies don't usually buy other companies merely to disintegrate them, they often do make changes to the target company's strategies, product direction, and so on. So... as the speculation ebbs and flows and as folks express hopes and critiques regarding this sale in days to come, it will nevertheless take a fair passage of time (think months to a year or more) before the actual fallout will start to truly become evident.
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catopman last edited by
360 is a prosperous Chinese company. They already customize browsers (I think it is chrome) so that it looks more like they want. So Opera will be a good addition. I am absolutely sure that the browser won't die.
The positive effect will be, that there will be most likely more power to hold up against Google.
On the downside, it is very likely that the browser will turn into a Chinese Trojan horse.
So users will need to decide whom they give all their data. -
A Former User last edited by
On the downside, it is very likely that the browser will turn into a Chinese Trojan horse.
My point above.
Buying from a Chinese company to have something mailed to my house is one thing. Loading their software onto my computer is quite another.
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erick-till last edited by
As Snowden said: today no computer is safe.
We are all spied on, and all technologies available for normal users (firewall, anti-virus)
have cosmetic effect, for this reason most are free.
One of the best Opera versions was 26. After, it turned a CC (chrome-clone), it became slow and consumes a lot of memory.
I think selling Opera for 360 would be great because it will prevent it dies or is purchased by Google, M$,etc.
The sale will increase competition. They will surely improve the browser to compete with others.
Today, I use Opera as a second browser and moved to Firefox with FVD Speed Dial. Lightweight, fast, beautiful and safer.
I hope Opera improves. As for the owners, it makes no difference, Kaspersky remains one of the most reliable antivirus. -
A Former User last edited by
One of the best Opera versions was 26.
Never went past 10 which I'm posting this one.
Version 10.10
Build 1893
Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.1; U; en) Presto/2.2.15 Version/10.10
Didn't like the full change that came later.
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A Former User last edited by
#StillYourOpera, no its not. if you sell something, its not yours anymore.
im extremly disappointed and disgusted by this news. there is more to life than just money and if you actually cared about the product and its userbase, you would have never agreed to that deal.
opera is an european product and its sickening to see another great software go. especially to a chinese company that supports censorship and backdoors.
i have been using opera since more than 10 years, but when that day comes, im gone.
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canadagoose4ever last edited by
Certainly a lot of silly comments (i.e. would you trust your computing to a Chinese company?). Seriously, much of our hardware is Chinese. Much of our security software is Russian. Romanian, Chinese. If we believe the US or UK governments are not spying on us, we're delusional. As for those still running ancient OS's like XP, you're incredibly foolish. And using an old browser such as Opera 10 is ridiculous. I'd be far more worried about a lack of security with outdated browsers and operating systems than whether the browser is made in China.
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browzer1 last edited by
canadagoose ... People are expressing their opinions as they see fit.
It's not up to you to determine which comments are "silly" or foolish.
If someone is using XP and it fulfills their needs, that's their choice, not yours.
If this deal goes through, I will think long and hard about the principle of supporting a Chinese owned and maintained browser.
saudiqbal ... As far as Vivaldi is concerned, it is not ready for prime time. I find it much slower and constantly prone to freezing and crashing.
At this point in time, it is not a viable alternative.
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A Former User last edited by
So glad Opera was never bought by Facebook!
http://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-in-talks-to-buy-browser-company-opera-says-report/#!
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Deleted User last edited by
There will be a new logo - "O" with the face of Mao in it.;)
Another possibility could be the "O" with Krystian Kolondra's face, who, to believe in some hermetic currents, would be the reincarnation of Genghis Khan. Check the end of the post
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freshprinceofthesix last edited by
Hopefully its more like the Volkswagen-Bugatti buyout than the Daimler Benz-Chrysler acquisition.
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A Former User last edited by
@canadagoose4ever
"Much of our security software is Russian, Romanian, Chinese." mine isnt
"If we believe the US or UK governments are not spying on us, we're delusional." i agree and windows 10 is the best proof, but thats not the issue here.
the issue is, an american company has to follow american laws. a chinese company has to follow chinese laws and you cant deny the censorship and all the other bullcrap that is going on. you can tell about america whatever you want, but you still got freedom of speech over there and thats something you simply dont have in china. even if opera is a product for international use, it has to be modified to satisfy the chinese government and if some changes are against the laws of the country you live in, well, good luck to see them care. its a chinese product now and china is all that matters. everything else is second-tier.
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chanbeta last edited by
The spying of Microsoft, Google or even the USA government is COMPLETELY different from that of a Chinese company. What Chinese company will do is steal your passwords, bank account information etc(which is unlikely to be done by Google, Facebook or the USA government,they have no interest on that little amount of money in your bank account after all).Also a Chinese company may shut down Opera Inc after they acquired the data compression technology, or they may include some virus or malware in the new version of opera browser.
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Deleted User last edited by
Qihoo 360 has notorious scandals over the years, while people like you in Western world may not know. China is a country ruled by people, not really by law. So will Privacy Statement and Terms of Use be fully abided by, who knows? I'm also done with Opera under marketing people. Take a look at the financial reports of Opera Software and judge by yourself.
Will delete my opera account after this post. I have been using Vivaldi browser by ex-CEO and co-founder of Opera, and it's good enough for early adopters now. Best wishes for people who choose to stay.
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stng last edited by
I bet on that Chropera will be rebranded to something like ChangChiChong760 spyware browser. I mean another one chromium-based browser for Chinese market.
