Will there be an Opera for Linux or not?
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I know, they claimed "not before march" - not "never". So - that's a lie or delaying tactics? Because today I stumbled over this: [url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7129955]Letter from a previous employee[/url] I do not know what to make of it. At any rate it doesn't sound promising. :huh:
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As with so many things posted on the InterTubes, the veracity of the post remains uncertain. It has a ring of believability, but still…
IMO Opera seems to be pursuing a strategy of chasing the largest apparent segments of the browser-using marketplace - as it perceives those segments to be comprised. Linux and "geek features" are not really a significant part of those perceived segments. The risks in Opera's new path are, first, that the segments may not really exist with the characteristics attributed to them. People don't do things necessarily for the reasons and in the ways that others might attribute when categorizing them. Second, Opera risks over-simplifying its response, one that tries to meet the imputed preferences of the targeted segments to the detriment of satisfying other real preferences of that segment or others. Third, even if Opera gets all of this right, they're not the only ones drawing those conclusions and developing a tailored approach...there are competitors, some of whom have gotten there long before, have already come to better understand and dominate that particular market than any new arrival ever can, and have far more money and marketing skills.
I'm left with the impression that Opera has become a company adrift from its foundations. One that has become so intent on seeking to reinvent itself and become a "hot" software property to impress short-term-focused stockholders that it has blundered far beyond its core competencies. It cannot out-market Google/Chrome unless it becomes Google - a company far more diverse than just a mere browser or software maker.
In the atmosphere that I sense may now exist at Opera, anything that doesn't focus on mass -market generalities (Windows, mobile phones, etc) has become excess baggage. It's probably self-reinforcing as well, since abruptly abandoning your legacy and accumulated knowledge-base to develop a new browser from scratch, built on somebody else's existing rendering and JS engines, is a huge effort. Just getting something bare-bones off the ground is tough enough without the detraction of all the perceived "extraneous" things like Linux versions, "geek" features, etc, etc. In the longer term, as it becomes apparent that the pursuit of the mass market is inevitably falling short, there may be an attempt to re-introduce some of these "extraneous" things in an attempt to broaden the potential market. I still have hope Opera will pull out of its stall before it widens into a full-fledged flat spin... but I'm not betting my money on it. Frankly, if a Linux version appears in March, I'll be quite surprised.
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I have to agree, although at one time I thought they were trying to make themselves look better for one of the biggies to buy them out. But even MS has a better browser than the New Opera. Perhaps Apple, Yahoo??
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The story somewhat over a year ago was Facebook - perhaps that is what they are looking for.
I made a post on their forums last year to the effect that if they are trying to be like everyone else then people will have no incentive to try the new Opera. If they have no niche features, they are too far behind the curve to ever catch up. I'm an optimist, I hope they will do something to actually get people's attention … but they haven't yet.
As for Linux ... we don't know how long ago the unidentified "former employee" left. Given he describes a point at which Windows and Mac versions were still considered unstable, he may well have left before the "March at the earliest" statement. But note it was "at the earliest" also, no promise we would see one in March ...
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I concluded a long time ago that there will not be a Linux version - and judging by the Windows version it would be rubbish even if it did appear. Reluctantly, I have moved to Firefox because Opera 12.16 is already out of date and does not work at some cloud sites that are important to me.
The important question to me is will the "something very interesting" coming from Vivaldi be compatible with Linux - and have a user interface compatible with desktop PCs?
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Opera & Linux got divorced and I see no chance for a happy end … for now without any sign of reunion.
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One of the replies to the above post:
"Opera is actually doing their Linux users a service (albeit not on purpose) by not letting them see the travesty of a browser that now bears their name"
I have to agree.
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I concluded a long time ago that there will not be a Linux version - and judging by the Windows version it would be rubbish
I suspected it as soon as the announcement of dropping Presto was made. I was in denial for some time, but this insider info now removed any further doubts.
I just regret wasting money on Opera/FreeBSD 7 and Opera Mobile 8.
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The important question to me is will the "something very interesting" coming from Vivaldi be compatible with Linux - and have a user interface compatible with desktop PCs?
This is it, I don't think Opera can be salvaged. On my Linux laptop Opera 12.16 is on borrowed time. If Vivaldi does "something" I hope the do a Linux version.
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ich glaube auch nicht daran, dass von Opera noch etwas für Linux kommen wird. Darum sehe ich mich langsam nach Alternativen um.
Ich hoffe aber auf eine Überraschung :silly:
[Bing Translate]
I don't believe also that anything for Linux will come from Opera. That's why I'm slow for alternatives.But I hope to be surprised :silly:
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There currently is no replacement for Opera Presto. I'm looking into it since 2012, but can't find one.
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The closest I've seen to a replacement for Opera 12 was Konqueror, if you use KDE. It doesn't allow custom functions on buttons, but you can rearrange the toolbars and keyboard (and add buttons for functions which don't currently have them).
That is to say, if you wanted a button for "Reopen last closed tab" you can do that, but if you want a button with "copy text and open new window and search for text in Wikipedia" you're out of luck.
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Opera has a lot of work to do in the changing of browsing engines, and then adding features back, (they have a few different distros to do), also some plug ins are no longer updated on Linux. They are also trying to help clean up the code in Chromium (remove dead or old code)
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They are also trying to help clean up the code in Chromium (remove dead or old code)
So they are basically working for Google to improve Chrome? Chrome has a Linux version available. So I should use that instead, right?
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The closest I've seen to a replacement for Opera 12 was Konqueror, if you use KDE. It doesn't allow custom functions on buttons, but you can rearrange the toolbars and keyboard (and add buttons for functions which don't currently have them).
I also noticed Konqueror over a decade ago and liked it for the same reasons I liked Opera first: Extensive rearranging of buttons.
However, compared to Opera, Konqueror's customisability is a bit harder to do and is not as extensive. Moreover, Konqueror only looks good on KDE. Not everybody has that desktop.
People like Opera for different reasons. What attracted me most to Opera was the mail client. With the email client gone, I consider Opera dead for good. I just keep the old binaries around as long as they launch.
My honest assessment of the situation is that the company has left the browser business. The current desktop product is just an extension of the lucrative mobile version, and the carrier of the historical name. They monetise on it as long as it brings in money. There is no focus on developing anything with any actual user in mind.
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They are also trying to help clean up the code in Chromium (remove dead or old code)
So they are basically working for Google to improve Chrome? Chrome has a Linux version available. So I should use that instead, right?
No Google is using the Blink engine in Chromium which the engine is being worked on by both Opera & Google, Opera (15+) and the current Chrome both use the Blink engine in Chromium. Chromium is only part of the browser, Opera has added things to it (even on OS X & Windows they are still adding features back from the Presto days)
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No Google is using the Blink engine in Chromium which the engine is being worked on by both Opera & Google, Opera (15+) and the current Chrome both use the Blink engine in Chromium.
Chromium is Chrome without some Google Branding and Blink is an integral part of it. Opera 15+ is a customized Chromium, nothing more. Blink is not a standalone engine.
Chromium is only part of the browser, Opera has added things to it
It's completely irrelevant, what they added, because it doesn't work on Linux, so it is not a usable cross-platform browser, Chrome/Chromium OTOH is one.
If Opera helps Google improving their browser including the Linux version of it, why the hell should I use their non-portable, closed-source version of Chromium, so they can generate revenue from me? I get the browser engine improvements anyway and in weird bullshit like "Discover" I'm not interested in.
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It same question keeps getting asked on the desktop team blog, Opera has already stated they have one in the works, and will have a test version out when it is ready for testing
http://blogs.opera.com/desktop/2013/09/opera-17-next/
"To save some of you a little trouble, there is no Linux release of Opera 17, but there will be Opera for Linux." -
Well, whether they're going to have an Opera for Linux or not, I'm sort of past caring. I did an apt-get purge opera a month or so ago and am quite unlikely to reinstall it again when or if a Linux version arrives, as I'm fed up with the unreasonable long delay, silence and vagueness by Opera.
I've mostly used Firefox (Phoenix way back when it started) as my primary browser, but for over a decade I've also had Opera installed as a secondary browser (although sometimes it became primary), so I didn't take this decision lightly. It might be churlish of me, but there is so much patience one can allow before one gets the impression that you're either not wanted or considered an inconvenient chore to support. Fine, if that's the case, then I'll make your job easier by uninstalling it.
It's a pity, because Opera was an excellent browser. So good that even though it was closed source, I was willing to let that go.
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