Opera on Tuesday unveiled a technology that aims to disrupt the client-server  computing model of the Web. Dubbed Opera Unite, the technology turns any computer into both a client and a server so it can interact with and serve content to other computers directly across the Web. Unite eliminates the need for third-party servers.
Opera CEO John von Tetzchner said Opera is opening up the full potential of the Web to everyone. PCs decentralized computing from large mainframes, he said, and Opera Unite is taking the next step by decentralizing the cloud .
"With server capability in the browser, Web developers can create Web applications with profound ease," von Tetzchner said. "Consumers have the flexibility to choose private and efficient ways of sharing information. We believe Opera Unite is one of our most significant innovations yet, because it changes forever the fundamental fabric of the Web."
More Privacy, Open Standards
Opera pointed to the benefits of Unite for both consumers and Web developers. For consumers, the company said Unite's cadre of services offers greater control of private data and makes it possible to share data with any device equipped with a modern Web browser.
On the Web developer side, Opera Unite simplifies the equation. Since Opera Unite services are based on the same open Web standards as Web sites today, creating cutting-edge Web services is less complex. Opera said Unite makes creating a full Web service as easy as coding a Web page.
"What interests me about Opera Unite is how current technology and the social world are now interconnected," said Molly Holzschlag, an Opera Web evangelist. "Using open standards, including HTML, CSS and JavaScript, developers and even enthusiasts with a little standards savvy can make their own Opera Unite service. Opera Unite allows people the ability to be imaginative with their skills and create a wide range of technical and social applications using the same open standards used today."
Building Your Own Cloud
Opera Unite is available in a special version of the Opera 10 desktop browser from Opera Labs. Opera Unite services include File Sharing, Web Server, Media Player, Photo Sharing, The Lounge, and Fridge. Most of those services are familiar to Web surfers, while The Lounge and Fridge are Opera's unique spin on Web-based communications . (continued...)
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