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I seriously doubt it. What IP or userbase does Opera have that either Google or Apple would want? If either of the two of them wanted to copy Opera's browser f

I seriously doubt it. What IP or userbase does Opera have that either Google or Apple would want? If either of the two of them wanted to copy Opera's browser features they would just go ahead and do so. If anything this makes Opera less interesting as a potential purchase. Their rendering engine was a massive piece of original IP.

rplnt 14y ago
> If either of the two of them wanted to copy Opera's browser features they would just go ahead and do so. They mostly do. Dozens and dozens and features. But it works other way around as well, and it's a great thing in the end. The most beneficial features are virtually on every browser.
- Dylanlacey 14y ago
  As an aside, feature copying was one of the greatest sources of irritation my friends had when Opera was still this really weird, unique thing that I used and they didn't. It was quite regular to have them excitedly tell me to switch to Firefox because "Dude, there's tabbed browsing, it's SO great!" Uh, thanks, I've... I've had that for years. But I'm glad you're discovering it too!
geon 14y ago
> Their rendering engine was a massive piece of original IP. How can it be worth anything when the competition is free?
- gcp 14y ago
  If it runs faster, with less memory, or is easier to port to new platforms that the other browsers have problems reaching. Do you remember how long it took Google to port Chrome to Android? There was a Firefox and Opera release for Android even before Google got their own browser ported to their own OS.
  - estel 14y ago
    But that wasn't a problem with Chrome's rendering engine: there were plenty of WebKit browsers on Android from the start (including Browser).
    - gcp 14y ago
      Yes, but they were all using the platform version, which was older. Porting the new features took time.
  - ImprovedSilence 14y ago
    >>There was a Firefox and Opera release for Android even before Google got their own browser ported to their own OS. That's why I installed opera on my phone. It works so good, I never bothered to install chrome on it. So it looks like I'm an Opera user. Granted I still use chrome/FF on everything else...
mcpoulet 14y ago
Opera is a huge hit in asia. And this is where Apple and Google struggle the most to get market share. That would make a lot of sense for either of them to try to acquire Opera.

rplnt 14y ago

> If either of the two of them wanted to copy Opera's browser features they would just go ahead and do so. They mostly do. Dozens and dozens and features. But it works other way around as well, and it's a great thing in the end. The most beneficial features are virtually on every browser.

Dylanlacey 14y ago
As an aside, feature copying was one of the greatest sources of irritation my friends had when Opera was still this really weird, unique thing that I used and they didn't. It was quite regular to have them excitedly tell me to switch to Firefox because "Dude, there's tabbed browsing, it's SO great!" Uh, thanks, I've... I've had that for years. But I'm glad you're discovering it too!

geon 14y ago

> Their rendering engine was a massive piece of original IP. How can it be worth anything when the competition is free?

gcp 14y ago
If it runs faster, with less memory, or is easier to port to new platforms that the other browsers have problems reaching. Do you remember how long it took Google to port Chrome to Android? There was a Firefox and Opera release for Android even before Google got their own browser ported to their own OS.
- estel 14y ago
  But that wasn't a problem with Chrome's rendering engine: there were plenty of WebKit browsers on Android from the start (including Browser).
  - gcp 14y ago
    Yes, but they were all using the platform version, which was older. Porting the new features took time.
- ImprovedSilence 14y ago
  >>There was a Firefox and Opera release for Android even before Google got their own browser ported to their own OS. That's why I installed opera on my phone. It works so good, I never bothered to install chrome on it. So it looks like I'm an Opera user. Granted I still use chrome/FF on everything else...

mcpoulet 14y ago

Opera is a huge hit in asia. And this is where Apple and Google struggle the most to get market share. That would make a lot of sense for either of them to try to acquire Opera.