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back to article Opera sells open-source Chromium browser for $600m to Chinese bods

Opera will sell its web browser technology to Chinese investors for $600m after a larger sale worth $1.2bn fell apart. The Norwegian company said in a filing to the Oslo Børs stock exchange that it had agreed to an arrangement that will see the Chinese-backed Golden Brick Capital Management private equity fund take control of …

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  1. Lee D Silver badge

    Vivaldi

    Still waiting for Vivaldi to do as promised - i.e. something other than a Chrome-clone with a couple of extra options - let alone the "new" (post-version-12) Opera.

    Poor sods have bought a Chrome rendering window with a different UI, and a handful of aging and obsolete services.

    (P.S. Vivaldi - where's the damn promised in-built email client, the thing that distinguishes you from your competitors?)

    10 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Vivaldi

      the bought the users plus their browsing data not the browser...

      11 0 Reply
    2. Dan 55 Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Vivaldi

      And that Vivaldi lot still haven't delivered the pony either. The nerve.

      1 0 Reply
    3. Charlie Clark Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Vivaldi

      I'm another one waiting for the Vivaldi mail client but I don't expect to see it this year. It's a small team which is obviously and understandably focussing on the browser.

      Over the last year Opera seems have got its act together and started doing sensible things in the browser to differentiate it from the rest. The Chinese are bound to focus on the mobile side, which I uninstalled because I couldn't install an ad-blocker on it.

      In the meantime I'm sticking with Opera Mail even if the filtering in the search seems broken (I have six different mail accounts and nothing comes close to Opera when it comes to searching).

      1 0 Reply
  2. wolfetone Silver badge

    I'd say RIP Opera, but in truth they died years ago.

    22 1 Reply
    1. Spasticus Autisticus
      Reply Icon
      Unhappy

      The fat lady is singing.......

      4 0 Reply
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    darn

    now Opera comes with chinese tracker *as Standard* , back to firefox for me.

    6 0 Reply
  4. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    Uninstalled

    Nothing to see here, move along.

    4 0 Reply
  5. C. P. Cosgrove

    Good one !

    "concern that US regulators, worried about people's privacy"

    That's a new one isn't it ?

    Chris Cosgrove

    28 0 Reply
    1. stizzleswick
      Reply Icon

      Re: Good one !

      I was about to say the same thing... have an upvote.

      2 0 Reply
    2. Stevie
      Reply Icon

      Re: Good one !

      The US regulators are worried that people will have too much privacy.

      0 0 Reply
  6. hellwig

    SurfEasy? Opera Turbo? Opera Max?

    What services exactly are now in the hands of the Chinese? Will my browsing data be routed through Chinese servers?

    When Opera Turbo/Opera Max came out, they seemed intrusive (send most of your web data to our servers so we can compress it for you), but sending that data straight to China seems like an even worse idea. Did China get SurfEasy too (doesn't Opera own them)?

    7 0 Reply
  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The you-know-who is warming up backstage

    Given the Chinese government's constant attacks by the People's Army hacking units and others, running Chinese software represents an unacceptable risk.

    I'm particularly amused and appalled by people who install desktop and mobile "security" software from the likes of CM and Qihoo 360. When the inevitable conflict occurs and these companies' government masters order them to "release the Cracken," all of those compromised devices will make things worse for the rest of us.

    8 1 Reply
    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: The you-know-who is warming up backstage

      "Given the Chinese USA government's constant attacks by the People's Army hacking units NSA and others, running Chinese American closed source software represents an unacceptable risk."

      Any different?

      11 1 Reply
  8. Terry 6 Silver badge

    other chrome alternatives are available

    http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_download.php

    Or if not Chrome why not use PaleMoon? Doesn't have to be FF.

    5 0 Reply
    1. Captain DaFt
      Reply Icon

      Re: other chrome alternatives are available

      "Or if not Chrome why not use PaleMoon? Doesn't have to be FF."

      Or even Seamonkey.

      Up to date, plugins similar to FF, and it's a full internet suite (browser, email, RSS, IRC), in a smaller footprint than FF.

      1 0 Reply
  9. mourner

    Or use several browsers for different purposes and sandbox / segregate them to their own little playgrounds where they can't do any damage.

    8 0 Reply
  10. William Higinbotham

    Except the encryption

    I understand that this is open software per se but I hope they remembered to check that the encryption does meet export codes of Bureau of Industry and Security. Intel payed a hefty fine for such last time:-)

    0 0 Reply
    1. eldakka
      Reply Icon

      Re: Except the encryption

      Since Opera is a Norwegian company, what has the Bureau of Industry and Security, a US government organisation, have to do with it?

      10 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Except the encryption

        There are those Americans who think that the internet only operates in the region between Canada and Mexico.

        2 0 Reply
        1. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Except the encryption

          There are those Americans who think that the world exists between Canada and Mexico. With Mexico being a source of drugs and cheap labour and Canada being a source of natural resources and Eskimos

          0 0 Reply
      2. Charlie Clark Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Except the encryption

        Since Opera is a Norwegian company, what has the Bureau of Industry and Security, a US government organisation, have to do with it?

        US extra-territoriality: companies often need to comply with their rules all over the world in order to be able to trade there.

        Can't remember off-hand but I think the old Opera was. however, allowed to use strong encryption in places like Korea, when it was banned for Microsoft and Netscape.

        2 0 Reply
  11. PNGuinn
    Trollface

    Golden Brick Capital

    Who's just bought a brick then?

    OOPS!

    Hey GBC, if you'd like to ring me on this premium rate number I'd like to have a long chat about a bridge I've got for sale ...

    4 0 Reply
    1. Captain DaFt
      Reply Icon

      Re: Golden Brick Capital

      "Hey GBC, if you'd like to ring me on this premium rate number I'd like to have a long chat about a bridge I've got for sale ..."

      Sorry. But they might not have much cash left after I've sold them exclusive rights to all the seafront property in Nebraska. :)

      0 0 Reply
  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Opera Mini

    Opera Mini has the biggest market share in Pak-Indian sub-continent's mobile market. It's the most valuable esset of this deal. Opera for desktop isn't bad either. It uses Chromium engine but regulary beat Google Chrome in performance tests.

    5 0 Reply
  13. Mr Dogshit

    Dear Mr Chinaman

    Please offload the source code of Opera 12 to someone who cares.

    P.S. I'm not a racist

    1 0 Reply
    1. Captain Badmouth
      Reply Icon
      Pint

      Re: Dear Mr Chinaman

      I'll second that. Have a pint.

      0 0 Reply
    2. wolfetone Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Dear Mr Chinaman

      "P.S. I'm not a racist"

      Because being a racist is what was stopping the chairman giving you Opera 12's source code...

      0 0 Reply

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