Opera Unite - The Browser That Wishes It Could & Still Does
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Opera reminds me of the children’s story about the little engine trying to pull a long train over a mountain. The little engine keeps saying ‘I think I can’. Which should become Opera’s slogan. While the other engines like IE, Safari, Firefox and Chrome continue to be the market leaders, Opera just fails to be …… well like Marlon Brando said in the movie Waterfront, a ‘contender’. Which begs one to ask, why is that?
So with the release of Opera Unite, the folks over at Opera proclaimed:
Opera Unite: a Web server on the Web browser
With Opera 10, we are introducing a new technology called Opera Unite, radically extending what you are able to do online. Opera Unite harnesses the power of today’s fast connections and hardware, allowing all of us to help define the future landscape of the Web, one computer at a time. Read about how Opera Unite is going to change the way we interact on the Web on labs.opera.com.
They also say that:
Take control of what you share online
Opera Unite allows you to easily share your data: photos, music, notes and other files. You can even run chat rooms and host entire Web sites with Opera Unite. It puts the power of a Web server in your browser, giving you greater privacy and flexibility than other online services.
I guess what I find odd about what Opera Unite is who is going to use it? With all of the different services available that basically do the same thing, why bother with Opera Unite? Isn’t this basically what Facebook does? Why use your oun computer for storing and sharing stuff when you can use their [Facebook] equipment to store your stuff on? Or am I missing something?
I guess what sticks in my gut is the fact that Opera whined to the European Union about Microsoft and their IE being in Windows 7. My feeling is if you can’t compete on the merits of your own product, may I suggest you find a new business venture.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
2 Comments
the oracle
June 17th, 2009
at 9:31am
Ron, by the logic of your last paragraph, Microsoft (poor, poor picked on, Microsoft) should have given up on Internet Exploder long ago. After all, no one would really use it, if it was not forced upon them, would they?
IE is yet another thing Microsoft has either bought or ripped off, putting its brand on it, and forcing the public, by one means or another, to use it. (The first IE, as you know, was merely Mosaic, ripped and rebadged - no attempt other than the cosmetics was made to disguise the fact that Microsoft did nothing to make the browser better.)
They run an ad stating that they will give to a charity (meals for the needy) if you will download it, and in Australia, they have a game going, promising a $10K prize for the winner, who must win the prize by using IE8. If ever there was pandering, this is it.
Opera is no different than Netscape was, a better browser, that keeps getting ripped off, and keeps on trucking, only they have the temerity to speak up, and make a case.
ac
June 17th, 2009
at 11:12am
Pretty idiotic comment that misses the point by a mile. If you what to send some pictures to your family and only to them why bother to set up many facebook accounts and share them with the world? This is not a replacement for centralized sever technology, but there are many instances that not require that and in those instances Unite shines.
Respect to your sickened gut, Microsoft dropped IE8 from windows 7 for themselves, the EC has not pronounced a verdict. The complain was about giving the users more choices and M$ answered… by removing choices. Then blame Opera! (and while at it, ignore Google and Mozilla that are also in the same wagon)