 StuartMWWho Is John Galt?Premium
join:2000-08-06
Galt's Gulch
kudos:2
 ·CenturyLink
| reply to PX Eliezer
Re: Facebook in talks to buy browser company Opera, says report said by PX Eliezer:I firmly believe that Zuckerberg should be punched in the face... Although I hate the whole idea and purpose of FB I have nothing against the guy personally. He came up with an idea that sheeple love and is profiting from it. People have made millions from all kinds of dumb ideas.
That said he does have the kind of look that you just wanna hit with a bat.
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Don't feed trolls--it only makes them grow! |
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 jabarnutLight Years AwayPremium,MVM
join:2005-01-22
Galaxy M31
kudos:2
1 edit | reply to PX Eliezer
said by PX Eliezer:...
I firmly believe that Zuckerberg should be punched in the face, repeatedly.
Lol! I was thinking the same thing, but figured I ranted enough already.
So, here you go folks...take your best shots. (Just be careful not to damage your computer monitors too badly).
Yeah, you'd always be smiling too, if you had billions of dollars to 'play around' with at his age, while in the process of violating your personal life and privacy. |
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StuartMWWho Is John Galt?Premium
join:2000-08-06
Galt's Gulch
kudos:2 Reviews:
·CenturyLink
| Use a cricket (vs baseball) bat. The flat side leaves more of an impression 
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Don't feed trolls--it only makes them grow! |
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 BlackbirdBuilt for SpeedPremium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:3
·Frontier Communi..
| reply to goalieskates
I think the troubling aspect of this acquisition rumor is that it falls into a sadly recurring scenario: large company with many detractors buys smaller company with track record of independence and innovation. When the large company's primary profit source is the acquisition and sale of user data (whether direct or collated) and when the smaller company is involved in making software that has intimate relationships to user privacy, the scenario becomes highly troubling to those who value that privacy.
One of the problems of the evolving Internet is that the perceptions and expectation of "free" software and site content have created an extremely difficult environment for companies to survive within. The choice of revenue-models is bleak at present... and it's hard for a business to recover costs without alienating at least a segment of their users. If the financials as an indie are inadequate, the options are very limited: continue existing as a loss-leader for something more profitable in the corporate empire; go to a sale/subscription model; sell ad-space within the product or site; sell users' data; or sell out to a bigger company. And none of those alternatives are without serious "issues".
I don't know what (if anything) will result from this rumor. I do know that right now Opera is my primary browser, and that if Opera ASA falls into corporate orbit around Facebook (or any similar company whose profit-center is selling user data), my present version of Opera will be my last version of Opera. Whatever model a company chooses for increasing revenue, I will not be part of having my user-data sliced, diced, and sold as their revenue source by the same outfit that makes my browser. Full stop.
PS: the opinions in the thread about this over in Opera's forums are running around 10:1 against such a sale.
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"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!" -- P.Henry, 1775 |
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PX EliezerPremium
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River
kudos:13 Reviews:
 ·callwithus
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Vitelity VOIP
·Gizmo5
| Excellent analysis.
-----------------------
On CNET they noted this:
[How Facebook's Zucked-up IPO just killed the tech bubble.] 
»news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-574418···-bubble/ |
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 msmisfit
join:2004-09-13
Lawrenceville, GA
kudos:2 | reply to jabarnut
said by jabarnut:I just can't get over this the more I think about it, and I'm still hoping it doesn't happen.
I absolutely *loathe* Facebook, and everything about it.
Some may think I'm making way too much of a big deal about this. But for me, at least, if it were to come true it really IS a 'big deal'...and a really BAD deal. 
Did I mention I don't like Facebook?
I couldn't agree with you more and really hate to see it. Opera was going to be my backup, since SeaMonkey has become a Firefox emulator, with endless updates/problems.
I will definitely forget about that it if Facebook acquires it. If all the people flocking to MZ's website read what he has said about them, I think they might look for another social network. I'm hoping some of his "dumb" users might learn to value their privacy more one day. |
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scross
join:2002-09-13
Cordova, TN | reply to jabarnut
said by jabarnut:I absolutely *loathe* Facebook, and everything about it. Just the mere mention of the name these days makes me want to kick my cat. (Don't worry, just kidding...but you get the idea). I can't even watch the news, or anything else on TV for that matter, or read a magazine without seeing or hearing: "You can always follow us on Facebook". And we won't even mention the recent stock market news which has made the word even more common everywhere I go.
I feel exactly the same way. I'm suffering from "Facebook fatigue" - I'm simply sick of hearing about it, seeing the links, and so on. What a lot of people don't realize is that Facebook pays for a lot of this placement - and very handsomely, too (so I've been told by someone who actually takes their money) - or at least has done so extensively in the past. They may have reached a point of critical mass recently where this wasn't as necessary, but it could help explain why their financials aren't quite as impressive as you might otherwise expect.
I don't necessarily believe their membership numbers, either. I don't have a Facebook account but my wife does, so one day I logged on with that and (as a test, and with her permission, of course) tried to track down some of my old classmates from various schools I attended over the years. After a couple of hours of concerted effort, and even with help from my wife, I was only able to find maybe a half-dozen people, and only maybe half of those had any recent activity, if any real activity at all. My wife says her stats are a little better than that but not by much, while my teenage daughter avoids Facebook like the plague, so I have no stats for her. And my own mother - who has recently become a huge Facebook fan - constantly complains about not being able to find people on there - nor their kids, nor their grandkids, nor their other relatives, and so on. Sometimes she gets lucky, though, and she's even been able to find a couple of people who she hasn't spoken to in decades, and who literally live on the other side of the planet now (which thrilled her to no end, but them maybe not so much). The upshot is that if Facebook actually has the kind of active U.S. membership that they claim to have, the all of us should be able to find a lot more people who we know on there. |
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 EUSKill cancerPremium
join:2002-09-10
canada | reply to goalieskates
I don't yell often, but: F.U. FACEBOOK, KEEP YOUR PUTRID FINGERS OFF MY BROWSER!
Opera user since ~'00.
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~ Project Hope ~ |
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 jaykaykay4 Ever YoungPremium,MVM
join:2000-04-13
Scottsdale, AZ
kudos:22 | reply to goalieskates
Strange, but I never thought about Opera being anything but Opera and my choice for my backup browser. Now, with this info, I am kind of sick, as if this sale goes through, that doesn't leave much in the way of what I feel is a really good choice. I am so fully against Facebook in every way, that including Opera as part of their package is immediately a huge turnoff, even for me. Isn't it interesting that for so many, just even the smell of inclusion with Facebook, so many are upset!
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JKK
Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!
»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay
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| reply to goalieskates
I think Opera is missing its marketing calling with this one. There are many people who are both security and privacy conscious these days, who are crying for 'freedom' once again. Opera has an opportunity to BE that one browser that answers that call!
These are the features that can make Opera stand out from among the rest. Otherwise, it's just another copy cat so if Chrome or Fox are the most popular out there, and Opera isn't, then people are likely to drop this one in favor of those because they are already the number one Browsers.
I took a peek at the Opera forums yesterday and there are a lot of Opera users over there who are not happy campers about the possible change. What have they got to fall back on? Chrome? Fox? IE? copycats of those? The interesting thing is, when I looked at the Opera forum topic on the Facebook issue, the thread was locked thereby preventing posts that might offer a useful alternative marketing suggestion.
I think if they looked at a different marketing ploy, they could GAIN users but as it stands, if they go with Facebook, they may gain a few, but they'll loose the base they currently have now. If I were in love with Chrome, or IE, I wouldn't want to change to another browser so why would those users migrate over to Opera? They can already do what they like to do with what they have. What would be the catch?
I just don't think they'll gain much heading in the direction they're heading, and that they stand to gain even more by appealing to a fairly untapped customer base. The "Patriot" types.
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 caffeinatorComing soon to a cup near you..Premium
join:2005-01-16
WA, USA
kudos:4 | reply to goalieskates
Nothing new here, but an interesting analysis of the situation by El Reg.
»www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/28···y_opera/ |
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PX EliezerPremium
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River
kudos:13 Reviews:
·callwithus
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Vitelity VOIP
·Gizmo5
| reply to scross
said by scross:I don't necessarily believe their membership numbers, either.
My daughter is starting college now.
Some of the colleges where she was accepted practically FORCE the students to use FB, to get to know each other before classes start, to get info on meal plans etc....
We've seen this at various companies too.
WHY should a 3rd party such as FB be involved as a middleman in such interactions?
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The other thing people never learn is that EVERYTHING runs in cycles.
Yahoo was king, now it's the walking dead.
Same with MySpace.
Sears was overtaken by K-Mart which was then overtaken by WalMart which NOW is being challenged by companies as diverse as Target and Dollar General.
FB will be the walking dead one day too. The only question is how long....
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I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
By Percy Bysshe Shelley
»www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175903 |
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BlackbirdBuilt for SpeedPremium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:3 Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| reply to regulareader
said by regulareader :... I took a peek at the Opera forums yesterday and there are a lot of Opera users over there who are not happy campers about the possible change. What have they got to fall back on? Chrome? Fox? IE? copycats of those? The interesting thing is, when I looked at the Opera forum topic on the Facebook issue, the thread was locked thereby preventing posts that might offer a useful alternative marketing suggestion. ... Just an observation: Opera's browser forums are user-to-user technical forums, and not as... uhmm... wide open and free-swinging as some other forums. So they're traditionally fairly quick to shut off threads that move in non-technical directions or become general dialogues about Opera ASA. What surprises me is that the main thread stayed open as long as it did... a second one was shut off nearly at once with one of its reasons being it was duplicating the earlier thread that was still left running for a day or two longer. They do have a "lounge" type forum that is pretty open, but I haven't been there in a long time. Reading between the lines for the thread staying open as long as it did, I suspect they wanted a small sampling of user opinion about how this might play - and boy, did they ever get it!
A reality is that with SEC-type non-disclosure, no-comment style rules abounding in nearly every country where stocks are bought/sold, Opera and any prospective buyer have to be very closed-mouth about what might be going on. The best bet, I believe, is that Opera is in play and has been for some months if they can find the right buyer. Facebook is probably just another such buyer, especially with their need for a mobile browser in which Opera excels. While parties due their diligence and negotiate myriads of details, check other offers, etc., it's highly unlikely anybody "official" will make any kind of yes or no comments about this. And anyone "non-official" who leaks inside information risks having both Opera and the securities enforcers breathing down their necks.
That said, I'm still utterly opposed to an Opera/Facebook deal... it will be the eventual death of Opera as any kind of independent alternative, trustworthy browser.
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"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!" -- P.Henry, 1775 |
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| reply to goalieskates
Since FB is also rumored to be trying to bring out a smartphone - who do you think this will hurt? |
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| reply to Blackbird
Thanks for your observations Blackbird. I rarely ever go there as I rarely ever need to. I wanted to see if there was anything first hand from Opera, and of course there wasn't, most likely for the reasons you stated. I was however very surprised by the user feedback in that there really wasn't much support for such a move.
I love the browser and it's my main one..my only one, but if I have to let it go, then so be it. I'm not sure what I'd migrate to at this point, but it looks like a good opportunity for a coder to develop something that isn't connected to something big, and pick up on the niche left behind. I'd love to have something that works well, is secure, preserves privacy and isn't branded or developed to funnel one's private info to a big info collector.
We could name it 'Classical' |
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caffeinatorComing soon to a cup near you..Premium
join:2005-01-16
WA, USA
kudos:4 Reviews:
·CenturyLink
| reply to Blackbird
Another reason not really mentioned is that Opera is one of the few (only?) closed-source browsers available that FB could get it's hands on.
With FB and Opera both being closed source vendors, it's a much easier business deal with fewer loose ends. An OSS browser acquisition would leave them wide open to un-authorized hacks to their product from the existing userbase...or anyone who "disliked" FB. 
--
My 9/11 Tribute..online since 9/14/01
Need an Avatar? Check out Wafen's Avatar Pages |
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 Dude111An Awesome DudePremium
join:2003-08-04
USA
kudos:11 | WHY AM I SEEING PPL TALKING ABOUT DROPPING OPERA BROWSER??
JUST DO NOT UPDATE IT AFTER FACEBOOK TAKES OVER!!!!! -- IF YOUR USING THE LAST RELEASE OF OPERA BEFORE FACEBOOK TAKES OVER,YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY OF! |
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jabarnutLight Years AwayPremium,MVM
join:2005-01-22
Galaxy M31
kudos:2 | Good point, Dude!
Heck, that got me thinking I could always go back to IE6, and use it for the rest of my life like you plan to do. So all is not lost!
Ay, caramba! 
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I had a life once.....now I have a Computer and a Modem. |
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Dude111An Awesome DudePremium
join:2003-08-04
USA
kudos:11 | Indeed my friend!!
I am grateful to have MyIE2 also! (Came out before Google came in and the name was changed to Maxthon (Not as good at all)) |
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BlackbirdBuilt for SpeedPremium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:3 Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| reply to Dude111
said by Dude111:WHY AM I SEEING PPL TALKING ABOUT DROPPING OPERA BROWSER??
JUST DO NOT UPDATE IT AFTER FACEBOOK TAKES OVER!!!!! -- IF YOUR USING THE LAST RELEASE OF OPERA BEFORE FACEBOOK TAKES OVER,YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY OF!
... until the months pass, during which genuine vulnerabilities are discovered in the browser code, and one is possibly faced with either drinking the Kool Aid (using a future Facebook Opera version) or migrating to another flavor of primary browser. Currently, I'm still running Opera 11.52 because of too many "issues" seen in the 11.6x and 12-series Opera versions... and there are at least several security "holes" that aren't (and never will be) patched in 11.52 - this in only a little over a year since it was released. Opera, as many browsers, incorporates its security patches into only the current (and all future) versions.
And yes, I believe in layered security, which is why I still run such a version - I've got other protective layers. But I also recognize that I will only let the holes in one of the key layers get so big before I feel forced to "do something" about it. If Opera "goes under", I'll certainly keep it on these systems (I've still got versions back to 9.x on this particular one) - but such versions I will use only very sparingly for special compatibility situations or for experimentation.
The problem would become what to use for primary browsing, which may include at times going in harm's way. For that, I want an up-to-date browsers, fully patched, that I consider trustworthy... and, though there are a few, there aren't all that many flavors out there that fit that bill. Especially with the speed/customizability/privacy-respect of Opera.
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"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!" -- P.Henry, 1775 |
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