[azakai]

> What makes you think Opera is outsourcing development to Google? Just because something is using a framework doesn't mean they aren't using it to build their own thing on top of it.

They are using Chromium as their browser. Chromium is a full browser, so basically almost all the work on Opera's new browser will be done by Google. That is why I said "outsourcing development to Google", but of course I didn't mean it literally as in "paying Google to develop for them".

That's not speculation, that's just what it means when Opera is switching to Chromium.

Opera will add stuff on top. But Opera can't differentiate much in the core browser stuff, otherwise it would be forking Chromium and it would become harder and harder over time to get updates from upstream. That makes no sense technically or business-wise. What does make sense is to add things on top that are modular and separate, for example remove Google's login and replace it with Opera's, etc.

[prumek]

You are misunderstanding what "using Chromium means." As I replied to cpeterso:

Using the Chromium framework doesn't mean that you are using the actual final Chromium UI. The CEO himself said they're building a new UI.

Differentiation doesn't take place in the browser engine. It take splace in the UI. Most people have no idea which engine they are using, and they don't care.

[azakai]

I think we are in total agreement: They will use Chromium but change some things on top, including the UI. They will also add support for Opera addons, change the login stuff, etc.

I disagree though about your saying differentiation not taking place in the engine. It takes place everywhere, including the engine.

[prumek]

You wrote:

> almost all the work on Opera's new browser will be done by Google. That is why I said "outsourcing development to Google"

According to that logic, using any open-source component is outsourcing development. Doesn't make sense.

[azakai]

Opera has said they will leave all the core stuff to Google and just modify UI and other stuff on top. That means almost all development is done by Google.

This isn't the case when you use a small open source codebase. But it is the case here when Opera is using an enormous codebase by a huge corporation, and just innovating in the UI and other modular features on top of the huge core.

[prumek]

> Opera has said they will leave all the core stuff to Google and just modify UI and other stuff on top.

False. Opera has said they will contribute to both WebKit and Chromium.

> But it is the case here when Opera is using an enormous codebase by a huge corporation

WebKit is not Google's codebase.