An interesting idea, being able to share files, photo's etc all within a web browser. It could have tremendous potentional for video...I am curious to see what happens..
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nf/20090616/tc_nf/67188 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. The Lounge is a self-contained chat service running on your computer. A user's friends can access the chat room via a direct link. That means they are not required to sign into any particular service. Depending on the user's privacy settings, only a generated password is needed in order for people to log in to the chat room. Fridge users can post a note on their friends' virtual refrigerators. When a user shares a direct link to their refrigerator, the users and their friends, family or colleagues can exchange notes securely and privately in real time. Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret, called Unite a powerful concept that could give it a unique position in the browser wars. The challenge, he said, is evangelizing developers to build applications on top of Unite and explaining to consumers how this enables them to build their own cloud services rather than relying on companies like Yahoo, Google or Microsoft. "Certainly there's enough practical features to get people using Unite," Gartenberg said. "With this type of technology, anyone could host their own Twitter service for themselves and their friends if they wanted to, for example. There's a lot of potential, bandwidth and horsepower here that people can tap into. Opera is definitely on to something innovative." Heath http://heathparks.com
