Opera, maker of cult web browsers, has today reinvented the web. As we expect from Norwegians, they aren’t going with the flow of cloud computing which moves processing from the desktop PC to central servers. They believe it’s time for the opposite – to remove the middleman (Facebook, Flickr, etc) and get users’ computers to connect directly to each other.
Up to a point.
The product – Opera Unite – adds a web server to your PC’s web browser. It will let you offer content to other users – music, pages, live video, etc. One advantage is that it frees you from Facebook et al’s terms of service and changes in functionality. This point will be appreciated more by users in repressive regimes, but otherwise hasn’t bothered mainstream users too much.
However there are some good reasons why home web serving hasn’t taken off (despite being part of the founding vision of the web). If your computer is off or offline – no-one can reach you. If your internet connection is max’ed out (someone using iPlayer?), it will fail. You need to set up your home server. You need to make sure things are secure. Etc.
Central websites offer a useful middleman service – someone who’s always there, properly connected and secured by experts. Facebook works. Why run your own? Take the easy option…
Plus, direct user-user connections aren’t new – they are the foundation of Skype, the infamous peer-to-peer filesharing networks, and many other services.
Like Opera’s browser, very well done but what’s it for?
