Opera: we will reinvent the Web

six7s said:
Maybe...

As a long-time advocate of Opera being 'standards compliant', I was going to make a quip about validation - assuming that http://unite.opera.com/ would get the green seal of approval from the w3c

But alas, no...

Result: 89 Errors​
:(
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Ouch. That's some pretty shoddy markup.

Lesson: Don't specify XHTML 1.1 Strict as the doctype if you don't know how to live up to it.
 
Wudang said:
A fair point but it's difficult to see how to ensure such security on current wintel architecture with its history of vulns.
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This is a platform for running services from a browser that's OS independent (assuming they release for all platforms.) This could potentially mean a security issue across the board if there is a way inside the browser to hijack services to do what you want.
 
Let's just hope that Microsoft doesn't nick the idea from Opera.

Imagine the same functionality implemented in the next version of IE. The horror....:eek:
 
Ducky said:
This is a platform for running services from a browser that's OS independent (assuming they release for all platforms.) This could potentially mean a security issue across the board if there is a way inside the browser to hijack services to do what you want.
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Linux/Unix & OS/X builds are already available.
 
This is wrong on so many levels... They go on and on about how this sets you free of the evil Facebook and Google (i.e. you don't have to use their servers to store your data etc.). But... Wait a sec... You have to log in with an Opera account! OK, no biggie... Oh, there's more? That's right! You also have to use their DNS servers to access other people's services. Bleah. Pot calling the kettle black... Did I mention there's no end-to-end security either?

So yeah, big advantages. You get to store your own data. Cool. Your PC has to run 24/7 if you want to share at a level comparable to 3rd party services. Everyone else's too, for that matter. Facebooks runs let's say on 1000 servers. Does it service 1000 users? I'm guessing not. Talk about economy and performance.

Not to mention the security implications others in this thread have already addressed.

It is really disgusting to see how Opera got here from being the leanest and meanest browser out there a few years back. Just plain disgusting. I think I'll go and throw up now...
 
Darat said:
Linux/Unix & OS/X builds are already available.
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In which case Opera may be the first software to provide malware to all platforms it supports without OS-dependent variables.

I really hope they don't miss anything. It is an interesting idea, but I fear this implementation is going to be built of fail.
 
Ducky said:
In which case Opera may be the first software to provide malware to all platforms it supports without OS-dependent variables.
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Come on... Let's not give too much credit to Opera... What about Java, which all major browsers support? Or Flash? Even Mozilla/Firefox's addons are cross-platform.
 
laca said:
Come on... Let's not give too much credit to Opera... What about Java, which all major browsers support? Or Flash? Even Mozilla/Firefox's addons are cross-platform.
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None of which run server functionality.
 
Ducky said:
None of which run server functionality.
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Yeah, and what's stopping anyone from exploiting a vulnerability in either of those and thereby run a server of choice? I'm assuming Opera will want to close all back-doors as well, so in that case too there will be a need for a vulnerability to be exploited.
 
laca said:
Yeah, and what's stopping anyone from exploiting a vulnerability in either of those and thereby run a server of choice? I'm assuming Opera will want to close all back-doors as well, so in that case too there will be a need for a vulnerability to be exploited.
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You do understand the difference between a plug-in that pulls content down to a machine and an active service running inside a browser? Botnets are basically homebrew servers, that's what the trojan or virus does to you: it gives someone else a platform to serve things from your machine. Opera has written the platofrm that if exploited, can create botnets without having to target an OS with a virus, etc.
 
erlando said:
Ouch. That's some pretty shoddy markup.

Lesson: Don't specify XHTML 1.1 Strict as the doctype if you don't know how to live up to it.
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Is there ever a good reason to use any XHTML (cf HTML) doctype?

I have read/asked this question many times on many forums and have yet to see ONE (evidence-supported) reply in the affirmative




--------

Back on-topic...

Has anyone yet seen/implemented Unite in a way that is 'impressive'?
 
Oh? When was that?
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As far as 'full-featured' browsers are concerned, Opera was relatively excellent up until around 2003 or so...

Note that up until Firefox, the competition was pretty crap

Opera was the first with tabbed browsing... it used to be (again, relatively) very fast - with what were some bleeding edge pretty good (image) caching abilities...
 
Ducky said:
You do understand the difference between a plug-in that pulls content down to a machine and an active service running inside a browser? Botnets are basically homebrew servers, that's what the trojan or virus does to you: it gives someone else a platform to serve things from your machine. Opera has written the platofrm that if exploited, can create botnets without having to target an OS with a virus, etc.
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Yes, I do understand the difference. What I'm saying is that Opera's service will have to exploited just the same as the plugin that pulls content down to the machine. In that regard, there is really no difference. It *might* be easier to exploit Opera's, but that's another issue. Basically, the possibility was there for a long time, it is nothing new. The main reason that this attack vector was not widely used is that there were (and are) much easier ways to "own" a machine.
 
There is a reasonable analogy in that java runs under the java virtual machine (hence portability) and I would assume unite establishes something analogous. However I also think the analogy falls apart fairly quickly (as many do) when examined in more detail
 
Floppy?? Who uses them any more?

:D

I used Opera for a number of years actually. I think it was around 2003 when I stopped using it. I just found the number of tiny niggling bugs to be too much. That's when I switched to Firefox, and I've had no reason to reconsider. I was wondering whether this new "revolution" Opera was promising might be a reason.

Seems not.
 
laca said:
Yes, I do understand the difference. What I'm saying is that Opera's service will have to exploited just the same as the plugin that pulls content down to the machine. In that regard, there is really no difference. It *might* be easier to exploit Opera's, but that's another issue. Basically, the possibility was there for a long time, it is nothing new. The main reason that this attack vector was not widely used is that there were (and are) much easier ways to "own" a machine.
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You don't need to own the machine with Opera's services. You just need to own the browser. That's the difference. There's no OS worries here, they have already set up the server inside their browser. If it's an attack vector coming from a downloaded content, say from an iframe or javascript hack, it still has to work on the OS level: Ie. it still has to root the box, which is different for linux and windows and mac. This is not a worry here. The services run *in the browser*
 
six7s said:
Is there ever a good reason to use any XHTML (cf HTML) doctype?

I have read/asked this question many times on many forums and have yet to see ONE (evidence-supported) reply in the affirmative
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I think most of the reason is "Just because it's there". That and "Because the client told us to".

But I tend to agree with you. XHTML is a bit of a bastard child. A "transitional species" betweeen HTML4 and HTML5. Hopefully we will arrive at HTML5 soon (I'm looking at you, Microsoft...)

{/derail}
 
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