The Inquisitr » opera

Microsoft fearing yet another EU bite of its wallet gives in

Steven Hodson — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:44:50 +0000

I am sure that this news will be giving a bunch of browser competitors a climax to their eternal wet dream of Microsoft being brought to its knees but in the end I don’t think it will make a huge difference in what browsers end up being used in Europe. The news that Microsoft has capitulated to the demand by European Union regulators by offering up a ballot type dialog screen so they can select the browser they want installed is all over the web but I’ll bet it won’t do one bit of good for Opera.

While it may have been because of Opera’s whining and sniveling over their lack of market share; which they blame Microsoft for, that prompted this latest round of Microsoft wallet diving by the EU the fact that Microsoft gave in may be more economic than anything else. As Matt Rosoff an analyst with Directions on Microsoft in Kirkland, Washington, pointed out

“Microsoft is basically capitulating,” said Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Kirkland, Washington-based Directions on Microsoft. “Microsoft was able to absorb fines and be more aggressive with their legal strategy when business was good, but when you’re looking at ongoing fines in a downturn, it makes more sense to settle.”

Source: Bloomberg :: Microsoft Offers to Add Rival Browsers to Settle Case (Update3)

Now in the Bloomberg post the lawyer for Opera; Thomas Vinje, had this to say about the move by Microsoft

…. called Microsoft’s offer a “dramatic reversal.” He said without a settlement Microsoft likely would have faced a large fine and still been forced to adopt the ballot screen.

Hmm .. let’s see, Opera’s current market share: 0.7 percent. I sincerely doubt that all this crap caused by them is going to do anything to bring them up to; or pass, the 1% share of the browser market. So ya I guess all this whining is really going to help Opera out of the basement.

Now Firefox as of May had 22.5 percent and even Safari was up there with 8.4 percent of the browser market. Both of those browsers along with Google’s Chrome have more than proven that Microsoft can be beaten when you actually have a product people want.

Opera on the other hand has done nothing more than wasted everyone’s time for what?

Nothing is what.

First Microsoft shook up its search – next up: Internet Explorer

Steven Hodson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:45:00 +0000

There were, and still are, a lot of naysayers about Microsoft’s recent reworking of its search offering and subsequent launch of Bing. Its impact on the whole search business was never expected to be earth shattering but it has surprised more than a few by gaining percentage points. One can’t be sure if it will continue to grow or not but it showed that the company can indeed shake things up.

As I was reading a post on Technologizer by Harry McCracken about the slipping of Internet Explorer’s market share it got me thinking about the same thing I had written about in the past when it came to search. In a post on my home blog back in January 2007 where I suggested that if Microsoft wanted to make headway in search it was time they started a search skunkworks project.

The idea was of putting together a very small core group of developers and keep the marketing department as far away as possible in the hopes that they could build something new and fresh. While they didn’t go that route with Bing they came pretty close and I think that they should do exactly the same thing when it comes to Internet Explorer.

End of the line

In effect I would suggest that IE8 should be the last Internet Explorer. Any browser from Microsoft that comes after should be a completely new beast with a new name, a whole new frame of mind. I say this because the Internet Explorer name has way too much negative ‘emotional’ baggage that is being carted along version to version. The only reason that IE has any placement on the desktop anymore is because it comes with the operating system.

Other than those wanting to test out each new version so they can write negative posts about it, or diehard IE users looking to upgrade. Hell I was a diehard IE user for years. Sure, I tried out Firefox (never have liked it), Opera, Safari and Chrome. It is the last one that finally got me away from IE and chances are I won’t go back; and I’m not alone. As McCracken points out in his post

But I assume that Microsoft would prefer to not only stop the bleeding but to get IE growing again. The only way that’ll happen is if users of other Windows browsers–Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari–switch to IE in measurable quantities.

What are the chances of that happening? Slim, I think. For Windows users, running anything other than IE represents a conscious decision to use a browser other than the default one their OS came with. Typical users of Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari-for-Windows users all seem to be dedicated fans of their browser of choice. And once you’ve found a browser you’re comfortable with, the incentive to stick with it is high. For all these reasons, any version of IE is going to need to be strikingly different and better to lure expatriates back.

Why a skunkworks project?

One of the biggest problems that Microsoft has created for itself is that because of the ingrained nature of Windows and IE their software has to be backward compatible to the point that it becomes a bloated mess of code. If they were to start fresh it would have to be with the internal understanding that this is a complete fresh start – no dragging any code from IE forward. If they were to do this and word got out I think you would see a lot of corporate businesses become worried because of the in-house investment they have in using IE.

This in turn could exert pressure on Microsoft to re-consider and that would kill any chance of a fresh start. Make no mistake Microsoft has to do something when it comes to a browser. Internet Explorer is becoming an albatross around their neck and will continue to lose ground in the browser world.

So any initial work on a new browser would have to be done very quietly. There are a lot of people who would question whether or not Microsoft could do something like this on the quiet but just look at Windows 7 and Bing to see that they can do it. We might have known Windows 7 was coming but unlike previous versions of the operating system next to nothing was known about it until Sinofsky said so. We might have been hearing something about Kumo, the codename for Bing, but we didn’t find out much about it until they were ready.

Time to send Trident to the bottom of the ocean

Now assuming for the sake of discussion Microsoft did decide to take the plunge and work on a completely new browser. The first thing I would suggest doing is to ditch the Trident rendering engine at least as far as the browser is concerned. They have been using Trident for as long as there has been an IE but I would strongly suggest that they switch to using WebKit as the basis for the browser.

I suggest this for a couple of reasons. As I wrote previously one of these reasons is

If you consider that by moving to the WebKit engine Microsoft would be giving an incredible boost to an open source product as well the number of developers that would begin getting involved in making the engine better is huge. Consider that in this case WebKit would now be the default rendering engine being used in IE, Safari and Chrome – that means a shitload of developers are now available to improve the common engine. It would also leave Firefox out on its own and with it’s mortal enemy IE able to claim open source and compliance rights thereby taking away the major arguing point Firefox has for getting new users.

The effects of this kind of move would be a big public relations plus for the company. Microsoft has already been making moves to be a part of the open source movement but this would be a big step forward that would get a lot of people talking.

And that is one oft he other reasons why a move to using WebKit would be a key idea. The buzz that would surround the company as they launched a totally new browser based on the same open standards as two other major browsers would be immense. McCracken asked in his post what it would take for people to move to a Microsoft browser and stem the flow of people moving to other browsers as well as bring in new users. Well I think some thing like this would definitely fit the bill as an answer to his question.

Wrapping up

Internet Explorer (any version) is a pig with a lot of bad press surrounding it and I don’t believe that IE 8 or any future version of Internet Explorer will do anything to change that perception. I realize that any chance of anything I have suggested coming to fruition is probably never going to happen. It is also obvious that the company is losing market share in the browser world and that is something it can’t afford to let happen. Unfortunately I just don’t see Internet Explorer, now and the road forward, ever being able to turn things around.

Oh Duncan, if Opera Unite is the future then we’re going back in time

Steven Hodson — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:55:00 +0000

When I got up this morning and started going through my morning reading as the coffee was slowly returning my caffeine levels to normal I saw the first few posts about this thing Opera is trying to foist on us as something new. Then I saw Duncan’s post and thought maybe I should send him some coffee because his exuberance over Opera’s whiz-bang called Unite surprised me.

After all I am pretty sure that Duncan has been around the web as long as I have so the idea of a desktop application also including a web server shouldn’t have really been that much of a revelation. While Chris Messina does a fantastic job of tearing apart the whole idea of a web browser hosting a web server in the first place I’m more fascinated in how everyone thinks that this is something new.

Being able to serve up files through your own computer is nothing new, whether it be from the not so complex local FTP server through to IRC file server plugins for just about any of the available IRC clients. Heck I remember setting up a local FTP server that would also serve up HTML pages of the file lists (or if you were anywhere near competent display photographs). Note I did spend about half an hour trying to hunt it up but with no luck but as for the IRC file servers just do a quick search and you’ll find plenty.

There is absolutely nothing new other than the fact that Opera is doing it from within a browser and spinning a whole bunch of silly ass hype about how social this all is. Opera get over yourself – all you’ve done is copy an idea that existed, and still used, long before you tried to slough it off on us as some world changing event.

It’s not. Period.

But then this a re-occurring theme with most things Web 2.0. Take an idea that has been done before, slap a bunch of nice pale color schemes around it and tell the world you’ve just created the next great social media tool. Nice try folks but not everyone is falling for this.

Sorry Duncan but there isn’t anything new or wonderful here

I’ve seen the future and its name is Opera Unite

Duncan Riley — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:04:26 +0000

Opera has released Opera Unite, an extension to the Opera web browser that allows every computer running it to act as a web server.

On paper the idea of running your own web server may not sound all that exciting, and I’ll admit that was my first reaction as well. But that was before I actually played with it. Opera Unite isn’t just some service you can host a website on, it’s far, far more, and the ramifications could fundamentally shift how we use the web.

Opera Unite acts as a platform for sharing and collaboration served locally. For example, using Unite you can share you photos or music with friends directly from your computer over the web, without the need to upload it to another server first. The initial range of options is limited, on top of photos and music, there’s a chat room, message board, file sharing and web server options, however the platform is open and allows for others to develop for it. In theory, you could end up with the ability to run your own web conference, video sharing site, or pretty much anything a developer can dream of, all from the comfort of your own computer.

While sharing photos may not sound very exciting, serving them from your computer on demand easily from your browser most definitely is. Opera Unite cuts out the middleman, so the next time you want to share some music with a friend, or some files, you can easily do so directly. No more need to buy premium accounts, or wait for uploads, instead you connect directly to others.

To use Unite, you are required to sign up for an Opera account which is free. Setup is a breeze and quick, and your are allocated a URL for your computer than can be accessed by others, such as computer.yourname.operaunite.com. Users have a range of options for sharing, including public access, limited access, or user access only.

I’m surprised I’m finding myself saying this, and it’s not something I’d say often, but I’ve seen the future, and it’s name is Opera Unite.

You can download Opera Unite here. I should also note, the current version of Opera (Opera 10) is a very smart browser on its own, and probably worth a serious look.

The EU, Google, Mozilla and especially Opera are a bunch of asshats

Steven Hodson — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:53:29 +0000

I’ve been stewing over this bucketful of crap about the European Union wanting to give Microsoft the good old underhanded grab because Opera is whining about how it can’t get any market share away from Microsoft because of Internet Explorer being shipped as part of the Windows OS. Then Mozilla decides that ya that sounds like a great idea and jumps on the EU bandwagon like a bunch of whiney little brats. Now today Google decides is doesn’t want to be left out of any parties so it petitions to join in on the anti-trust case.

Sorry but the whole argument that Microsoft has a monopoly on the browser market because it ships IE with Windows is nothing short of bullshit – plain and simple. The idea behind a monopoly is that Company ‘A’ has a complete stranglehold on a segment of the market that not a single competitor has a chance to gain customers away from them.

Well excuse me all to hell but perhaps nobody is paying attention to the numbers in this lala-land but tell me the name of the one company that has been losing browser market share over the past year.

C’mon .. it’s not hard. Hell just Google for it and the numbers are there for those that aren’t frikken blind.

The only company to see its numbers go down; and no Opera you don’t count anymore, is Microsoft. Mozilla’s Firefox has continually climbed with numbers of anywhere between 20% to 30% being commonly tossed around. Even Google’s Chrome in its short life has been taking away users from Internet Explorer so what the hell do they have to bitch about. Then we have Apple’s Safari browser which is also showing strong gains, and speaking of Safari if the big whine point everyone has against Microsoft is that they ship their own browser with their own operating system how come Apple is getting a pass?

The fact is that the browser market is one of the strongest ones out there as far as software is concerned. All the players – the serious ones anyway – hard pushing hard and producing great products. Firefox continues to grow but is facing some stiff competition from both Google and Apple. As far as I am concerned this whole EU nonsense is nothing more than them trying to return to the Microsoft ATM to see if they can grab a few more billion and Microsoft’s competitors are only to willing to tag along.

Opera Prepping Superfast “Carakan” JavaScript Engine

JR — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:09:16 +0000

Opera is getting into the game of speedy JavaScript processing with a new JavaScript engine called Carakan. The under-development engine is said to be 2.5 times faster than the engine available now in Opera 10.

That engine — called Futhark — was designed to cut down on memory usage rather than hit the highest possible speed, engineers say. Now, they’re ready to step up to the starting line and duke it out with Firefox and Chrome for the “fastest browser on the market” title. (Sorry, IE. You really just can’t compete here, not even with IE8.)

So what’s the deal with the name? “The name Carakan, like the names of Opera’s previous ECMAScript engines, Futhark, Linear A and Linear B, is the name of a writing system, or ’script,’” engineers say.

Carakan is currently being tested on a small-scale basis. Developers hope to have it released in a future Opera version as soon as they can.

You can read the full details of how the JavaScript engine differs from past versions in the Opera blog here.

Internet Explorer Loses More Ground While Other Browsers Grow

JR — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:13:50 +0000

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has lost market share for its seventh straight month.

New numbers released by Net Applications show IE dropping to 67.55 percent of the worldwide browser market. That’s 0.6 percent less than it had one month ago, and a full 7 percent less than it had in March of 2008.

Firefox, in the meantime, has steadily grown in the same time period. Mozilla’s browser now commands 21.53 percent of the market, up from 17.83 percent last March. And it’s not the only alternative product growing, either:

• Safari is now up to 8.29 percent, from 5.82 percent last March.

• Chrome is sitting at a modest 1.12 percent but showing monthly growth. (It didn’t have any users last March, as it hadn’t yet been released.)

• Opera has fluctuated around the 0.70 percent mark.

Microsoft, of course, is hoping IE 8 — which saw its first release candidate hit the Net last week — will help it regain some of its lost ground. While the browser is undoubtedly an improvement over its predecessor, I don’t see it offering anything that’ll convince other browser users to switch back.

Chrome Releases Third Beta — Competitors Excited?

JR — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:17:00 +0000

Google has just released its third beta version of its Chrome browser — and, by all accounts, its competitors may actually be thrilled.

First, the new release: Chrome version 0.3.154.9 is expected to go out to users automatically within the “next few days,” according to a blog posted last night. It implements a substantial security fix, as well as improved Flash and Silverlight performance, touchpad scrolling support, and some changes to the interface.

Now, the counterintuitive effect: Chrome seems, at this point, to be helping the other browsers on the market. After its initial draw, recent reports show Chrome’s numbers dropping and the number of users on other browsers climbing. Opera CEO Jon S. von Tetzchner sees it as a direct effect. In an interview with GigaOM published today, von Tetzchner said the publicity surrounded Chrome essentially gave him free exposure to an audience who didn’t know his product existed.

“The effect of Chrome so far has been 20 percent more downloads every day,” he told GigaOM. “It’s fairly logical when you think about it, because the biggest hurdle we have is all those people that don’t realize there’s an alternative in the market. Now, with the launch of Chrome there’s focus on the choice of browsers in the market.”

So what’s in the cards for Chrome’s future? Our Inquisitr poll last month asked you what you thought.

39 percent of you believe Chrome will stick around and carve out its share of the market.
29 percent said it will stick around but never see widespread success.
32 percent said it will eventually fade into Google Lab oblivion.

To be fair, Google’s first foray into the browser world is still in beta, so we may be jumping to early judgments on its ultimate success. Then again, Gmail’s still in beta, too, and it’s doing just fine. Chrome came into a market with several popular and relatively advanced browsers, so finding a sizable userbase willing to abandon Firefox, Safari, or Opera may prove extra challenging for Google. So far, though, the team is showing no signs of giving up yet. Let’s see if their efforts pay off, or if — as a third of you predicted — Chrome vanishes into the final resting spot of so many Google projects past.

Surprise: Chrome’s Users Coming From IE

JR — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:34:51 +0000

In an unexpected effect, Google’s Chrome browser appears to be grabbing users primarily from Internet Explorer — and driving others toward Firefox, Safari, and Opera.

As Chrome started building up a userbase last week, American tracking company Net Applications found Microsoft’s browser share dropped by 1.4 percent, to 71 percent of the total browser market, as of Friday. But where it gets particularly interesting is in the figures for the other browsers:

Firefox: Up 0.3 percent to 19.5
Safari: Up 0.4 percent to 6.7
Opera: Up 0.1 percent to 0.75

Most of the early predictions, understandably, speculated Chrome would pull most of its users from Firefox. As you can see, though, that appears to be anything but the case, at least from these new figures. Chrome’s total percentage hovers somewhere around 1 percent of the browser market, meaning that even if all its regular users did come from IE, still more Microsoft users defected and went to other existing options.

So what’s the deal? My guess is that the introduction of Chrome and the wealth of resulting media coverage comparing the browsers probably heightened awareness that hey, you don’t have to use this program that came with your Windows system. It’d be enlightening to get some research into how many of the users who jumped ship from IE had never used anything but IE before. My suspicion is that it’d be a fairly high amount.

In that respect, regardless of whether you love Chrome or hate it, its presence can be deemed a success. Maybe it takes a ubiquitous name like Google to open the general, non-computer-savvy public’s eyes to the less obvious options that exist. Granted, we’re only talking a couple of percentage points here — but it’s a start.