Opera releases its latest browser
OPERA HAS RELEASED the latest version of its web browser, which includes something it calls Unite.
Opera Unite is the firm's technology for turning the browser into a file sharing communications portal and web server. In announcing the release, Opera explained that amongst its features is the ability to share 10GB of video direct from your home computer.
When it first announced Unite the firm said that it would stop Internet users from having to share their photos, videos and other media on third-party hosting sites. Now that Unite is available the firm is saying that it will let users share their documents in a 'semi private' manner.
"We promised Opera Unite would reinvent the web," said Jon von Tetzchner, Opera's CEO. "What we are really doing is reinventing how we as consumers interact with the web. By giving our devices the ability to serve content, we become equal citizens on the web. In an age where we have ceded control of our personal data to third-parties, Opera Unite gives us the freedom to choose how we will share the data that belongs to us."
As well as sharing photos Unite users will also be able to stream their music connections to other machines, including game consoles and mobile phones. In addition there's the Turbo feature that speeds up content delivery by up to eight times, something that might be useful when you are creeping through someone else's photos.
The company is asking developers who want to create applications for Opera and Unite to enter a competition. Prizes on offer for the best apps will include gift certificates.
We know. Wow. µ
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I hope this is good, they've been hyping this up quite a lot.
This article got me thinking. When was the last time The Inquirer or Another Place™ actually tried out a new version of a browser before writing about it, instead of just rehashing press releases and peppering the text with phrases like "the firm claims...", "...which is supposed to", "something called..." or "apparently".
Seriously, why can't specialist IT news sites install a browser and try it for themselves? This doesn't happen nearly as much with hardware - which you have to physically get hold of and connect to a computer, configure, install the drivers, etc.
But always finish on an up-note. This article managed to avoid describing Opera as open source!
Opera calls it Unite, but i believe everyone else calls it P2P. It sure sounds like the same thing to me.
Quite the opposite. Pure client/server.
It's definitely not P2P. It's a series of web pages, where you can put up your photos, music, videos, messages... It's more like your own personal social site: like everyone has an email, now everyone gets a site, without being dependent on 3rd parties and reliquishing all types of rights over your own content.
The good news is it's very easy to set up and use.
The bad news is is quite ugly and rustic. version 1.0 without a doubt.
I hope the idea catches on though, I for one don't want to entrust my data to a glorified advertiser, anonymous subcontractors...
...is that it only works as long as you have your own PC switched on. Since I do not run a full-time datacentre in my house, I will continue to use hosted Web solutions for a long time, yet (especially as they have a short hop to a major backbone, and I do not.)
But I *can* appreciate that for many people who just want to share something with a friend, it is a far better idea that using something like MSN (which practically blocks you from sharing anything these days) or having to find somewhere to host files.
I'd be far more impressed, however, if Opera focused on usability. A lot of Web pages I surf with Opera simply do not work as intended - and the last update even made links on The Inquirer non-responsive to clicks. I do not see much point in a browser that does not follow links when they are clicked, personally, so I think some testing and bug-fixing is called for...
Instead of lurching for the comment button to comment an opinion on something you have no idea about, why not try it and then post some informed analysis?
You seem to equate any form of data transfer as P2P, which just shows a misunderstanding of the medium.
And as for the person comparing Unite with professionally hosted 'web solutions', oh please. You're just like all the idiots who commented on the original articles announcing Unite by saying it wasn't as good as Apache and was therefore rubbish and none of them had any intentions of removing Apache and installing Unite instead.
Facebook and Twitter are no substitute for your own website either, and the iPlayer is no substitute for a real TV. Horses for courses.
Only think I hate about Opera is the large menu which takes up far too much of the screen. With Firefox and IE you can make it smaller although they are to begin with!
Do you mean the menu bar? How about disabling it from the File menu and then use the Alt key to bring up the pop-up menu instead?