Operamail future?
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horseshrink last edited by
@leocg said in Operamail future?:
Otello Corporation
Our family has relied upon the operamail.com address since the late 90's, and so it is embedded in a large number of our accounts. I'd really rather not have to update a few hundred accounts with new info. Are you aware of any realistic option for us going forward?
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arobbo last edited by
@horseshrink, and also @rif,
thank you for confirming my situation. Also a user since the start, around 1998. Nice to see that the Norwegian company, Otello, took over the email opera-tions rather than see everything disappear behind the great firewall of China (interests taking over Opera's browser aspect if I understand correctly). I can't see why Otello couldn't assist with the continuance of the original OperaMailers, would provide a positive public relations message and demonstrate good faith with the worlds longest-running (?) "free" email service. My OperaMail account predates my gMail account by several years. Even if Otello could provide a diversion feature for "(at)operamail.com" - I realise that Fastmail maintains the servers - I think would be win-win for all. -
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arobbo last edited by
@leocg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otello_Corporation#Acquisitions
but what would I know?
Wouldn't it be wonderful (?) if Vivaldi Mail could take up the slack for loyal OperaMail users? What a fairytale ending that would be
E.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivaldi_(web_browser)#Future_additions
I would very happily transfer the service I pay to Fastmail to Vivaldimail to keep my Operamail.com address going. -
horseshrink last edited by
@arobbo Have emailed FastMail support to see if they can suggest any options besides changing my main email address. It would be an incredible amount of work to update so many accounts.
It's also been one of the few constants we've had through dizzying barrages of events over the past two decades, so we also have a strong nostalgic attachment to this address.
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arobbo last edited by
@horseshrink - nothing wrong with nostalgia - I reckon it keeps us sane in an emerging technological climate apparently devoted to upgrading for the sake of upgrading. Lot of false economies we can look back on, in the hardware area.
As to software and email clients I believe there is intrinsic value in preserving even such abstract examples of provenance, or "grandfathering". I don't know how many of us still fly the flag for the original Operamail but how good would it be to be taken back into the fold with Vivaldi?
https://vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi-mail-technical-preview/ -
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by
@arobbo Well, that Wikipedia page says nothing about the operamail.com domain.
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arobbo last edited by leocg
I am spamming my own thread but it seems that a fellow Australian has already outlined my thoughts in the comments section to https://vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi-mail-technical-preview/:
OziIan3880 last month
Hello all from Australia.YAY Vivaldi Team!
Only this week I was told by my email provider (Fastmail) that Opera M2 would no longer be able to access their servers (for security reasons).
In fact it was the Fastmail support team who provided a link to this forum.I've used Opera from about v3.2 and Operamail M2 was, and still is, so fantastic.
It is a tribute to those early M2 developers that M2 has worked perfectly, without updates for over 20 years.
That has to be a software record!I've used Vivaldi since 'The Split' from Opera.
I've always championed an M3 but became disillusioned that it would never happen, so I stayed with M2.But Now ...
Well done John & the Vivaldi Team and Thank You.
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boonstra last edited by
Could it be a test ? To see how users would react ? I know of 4 users of OperaMail, and just 1 user got such a mail.
Did some digging in my paper-archives, the oldest print I can find is August 10th 1998, using Operamail for my mortgage. On internet there is only the remark Operamail started together with Opera 3.5, I had contact with Sandra Thorbjrnsen ? She's now unfindable..... In my memories I started using Operamail in summer, that's July 1998, perhaps a beta-version. It started with just 2Mb storage.
There was a discussion with Fastmail in dec 2019, because I stated being longer costumer then Fastmail existed.
Anyway, I pay, and the deal was without expiry date. So I will protest against pulling the plug out of Operamail. And though quite happy with Fastmail, don't mind which provider takes over.
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rif last edited by rif@leocg said in Operamail future?:
@arobbo Most probably the Opera that owns that domain is not the same Opera that runs this forum.
Opera was splitted when it was sold and this Opera was left only with the browser making part.The other Opera, whose name changed to Otello Corporation kept the rest.
Based on this I would surmise that Otello owns operamail.com.
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rif last edited by
@leocg said in Operamail future?:
@rif First, Opera Software Asa and Opera Software As may not be the same thing.
Second, the registrant name is the original name back on 1990"s or it's the current name?
I'm just assuming ASA and AS are the same. I just can't see it being a different company.
I just checked a couple of domain names that I know for sure have changed ownership and it always lists the current owner.
All this being said, I do hope we will get some official notice on this.
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horseshrink last edited by
@rif Opera is now owned by a Chinese investment consortium. FastMail is Australian. I wonder if evolving trade tensions between the two countries is a factor.
https://www.engadget.com/2016-07-18-opera-browser-sold-to-a-chinese-consortium-for-600-million.html
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leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by
@horseshrink When the browser making part of Opera was sold to the Chinese group, Fastmail was already no longer owned by Opera.
And no, I don't think it's related to politics or international relations.
It's been a decade that Opera has nothing to do with the email service and now the last connection with it is being cut.
Just business following its path.
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horseshrink last edited by
@leocg Trying to figure out what Opera had to lose by continuing to allow the Operamail brand to be used.
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leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by
@horseshrink A very important thing, its name.
Back there in 1998 it made sense to offer an email service, have its name associated with an special email domain, but now in 2021 it no longer makes sense.
Also, a lot of things have changed in those two decades and Opera now basically makes browsers and has nothing to do with that email domain/service and, I guess, don't want to still have its named associated with it. -
horseshrink last edited by
@leocg Received this from Fastmail Customer Support:
"Hello {me},
Thank you for contacting Fastmail support, I can absolutely understand your reluctance to move away from the operamail.com domain.
Unfortunately, this decision is out of our hands. Opera has decided that from June 2022, we will no longer be able to offer our customers email addresses at operamail.com
When Opera takes the domain Operamail back in June 2022, they will not be offering their own mail service with it, and they don't have any plans to offer email in the future.
So I am afraid there is no option to keep your operamail.com email address past June 2022.
This is why we are encouraging people to change their email addresses now so they have time to let everyone know about their new email address.
Please feel free to contact us again if you have any other questions or concerns. We're here to help.
Cheers,
{FastMail support person's name}"
