Note: I wrote this post 2 days before the launch of Opera Unite. So read it from historical perspective – Where the world was without Opera Unite.



I am writing this post with a hope that Håkon Wium Lie (CTO of Opera) will get a chance to read this post. I used Opera browser 3 years ago. I don’t really remember the reason why i have switched from Opera to Firefox. But i still think it is a great browser. Probably one of the under appreciated ones for the value it provides to the users. I recently came across a blog post from Geek Technica (http://www.geektechnica.com/2009/06/8-browser-innovations-started-by-opera/). It is shocking to see a pioneer known for its innovations has only ~2.2% market share in desktop browsers compared to IE6’s 14.2% market share.

One can categorize the browser players into four major categories.

Microsoft (IE), Apple (Safari) – Both OS and Web play

Google (Chrome) – Pure Web play with Google Native Client

Firefox – Pure Web play with extensible add-on architecture

Opera – Pure Web Play



Since Microsoft and Apple have operating system play they are not going to go in the direction of making operating system completely irrelevant. But they do have the advantage of bundling their browsers with their operating systems. So IE and safari are going to be around for the foreseeable future. They are not going to go away easily.

The other leading browser Firefox commands immense loyalty with their user base. Firefox’s powerful add-ons and extensible architecture make the browser indispensable to its users and it will be hard for other players to poach the Firefox’s committed user base.

The recent entry of Google chrome has made browser market much more competitive. If you look at the chart Google Chrome has gained 5.5% of market share in a short period of time. With the introduction of Google native client its strategy is very clear. Bring the power and speed of native applications to the web platform and make the underlying operating system irrelevant for the end users. Google native client allows the developers to access the full computational power of underlying CPU and enables them to create rich dynamic internet applications. Considering their past track record Google will be able to provide all the mainstream desktop applications in browser with the same functionality and features. I will not be surprised if Google can gain at least 1/4th of total desktop browser market share in a year time.

So with the exception of Opera, all the browsers have one or other advantages (bundling, native client, add-ons, etc..). The situation is precarious for Opera in the desktop segment. Unless otherwise they do something groundbreaking or revolutionary they may not be able to increase the market share from current level and most probably will be delegated to obscure status.

So now coming to the core of the topic. How Tonido can help Opera not only to gain the market share but also to win the the browser war ultimately. For people who don’t know what Tonido is: It is a cross platform , peer-to-peer, personal web application platform.

Tonido Platform Features



Portable: Runs on x86, ARM

Cross platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OSX

Small memory footprint: high performance

Small download: 5 MB download without applications

Open development platform that allows new applications to be built

1-click seamless install of new apps from Tonido app store

Apps have Web based UI

Apps accessible locally, from intranet or internet http://mike.tonidoid.com

Apps can communicate via P2P

Apps run locally and store data locally

Apps can be used online or offline w/o internet connectivity

Rich, Interactive Web 2.0 style UI.

If you want to know more about Tonido Platform, please refer to our post How Tonido Platform Works



So How Tonido Platform can help Opera Browser?

Tonido provides an development platform for Opera to create interesting rich internet applications.

Tonido development platform offers native OS access for Opera without limiting APIs to ones provided by Opera itself. With the native access sky is the limit for number of interesting apps you can develop on Tonido platform. All the popular desktop apps can be targeted for replacement with the help of Tonido Platform.

Tonido development platform offers an in-built http server and a p2p stack to Opera. Now users become not only the consumer of information provided by public online services, but also can become the producers of information. This approach is a game changer and totally revolutionary.

Tonido Platform is light weight. It can run happily on embedded systems. So taking the Tonido platform to Opera’s mobile forte is a cakewalk.

With Tonido’s P2P stack, Opera browser will be able to create the largest private p2p network mankind ever witnessed. Later Opera can use this for content delivery.

Finally with the help of Tonido Platform, Opera can thwart the competitions from FireFox (Extensible app and update architecture offered by Tonido) , Google Chrome (Native OS Access Offered by Tonido Platform), IE and Safari.So all-in-all Tonido Platform is a great fit for Opera. If anybody from Opera Top management reads this please don’t hesitate to contact us. 🙂

— Original Blog Post Ends Here —

Note: Opera’s Unite launch today closes the opportunity for us. But Kudos to the Opera Team and we wish good luck with their endeavors.

For the naysayers, Opera’s Unite launch completely validates the concept of Tonido. We are happy about it! But we are not going to sit idle as well. This is a big space and Opera’s Unite will raise awareness overall about solutions that respect privacy and freedom from thirdparty servers and it is a good thing. And we are going to march steadfast until we reach our goal.

A question to the developer community: If Tonido decides to build a browser based on WebKit with a http and p2p stack, will you be interested in it? Will you be able to develop applications for Tonido? Let us know.

