Facebook chooses Opera over Chrome for recommended browser?
It looks like Google's Chrome is out and Opera is in, fuelling further speculation of a possible Opera takeover by Facebook.
(Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET)
Let the conspiracy theories begin.
Facebook has apparently booted Google's Chrome browser off its supported browser list, instead highlighting Opera, according to Favbrowser, which states that it managed to cache the page. (The page no longer appears.)
The alleged switch is particularly noteworthy because of speculation flaring up that Facebook is interested in acquiring Opera. Facebook, meanwhile, has long considered Google a competitor in the social arena.
Sitting alongside Opera in the screenshot cached by Favbrowser is Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox.
It's unclear whether the supposed move has any meaning, or what that meaning may be. Regardless of the switch, Facebook still runs normally using the Chrome browser.
CNET contacted Facebook for comment, and we'll update the story when we get a response.
Via CNET
Latest comments (Add your comment)
stuff still shows up.
http://www.facebook.com/unsupportedbrowser
So this strikes me as a beautiful fit for Facebook. Opera's weakness discourages users from wandering outside. Facebook can guarantee clean markup. It also allows Facebook/Opera to pull fancy tricks you can't do in standard HTML, e.g. the way site colours and icons magically conform to your preferred Opera skin. That would just be the beginning. To get extra speed/responsiveness Facebook could send preparsed/compressed markup, or just deltas, or do far more clever proprietary client-side computing.
Yes, Opera will get some users moving to it because it's the "preferred" browser and Facebook seems to or does work better on it, but I think Facebook will lose more than Opera gains if it becomes too cumbersome to run on other browsers.
Chrome supports HTML5 like all the other browsers - Facebook should stop trying to push its own agenda.
Once upon a time, Time Warner pushed its Netscape products alongside AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and Microsoft tailored their Web sites for Internet Explorer - there was even a lawsuit brought against Microsoft because of the fact that Microsoft was limiting functionality of certain sites when non-Microsoft browsers were used!
Heck, at one stage Microsoft even when as far creating an entire and extensive browser front-end for use with their services - MSN Explorer, which was a front-end for Internet Explorer (a damn fine browser it was too, even if it was a little slow!).
In modern times, Google still has extensive Chrome advertising almost every single time I visit a Google Web site (YouTube in particular) and there are countless Web sites - including a few major ones - that still will not work or will not work properly unless one is using certain browsers!
Realistically, it actually makes a lot of sense to purchase Opera in the grand scheme of things, because Opera Software is notorious for sticking to recognized Web standards... If the world's most popular Web site is recommending Opera with these principals in tow, it should force most other Web sites to follow recognized Web standards more closely (at least in theory).
Of course, there's always the possibility that Facebook actually plan to use Opera to push their own Web standards (something Google has become notorious for with Chrome, particularly with regards to HTML 5), but that's a chance you'll just have to take...