Could an Opera browser based web-server on-your-desktop (!) be the new Facebook, Dropbox, Flickr, File server and data sync all rolled into one!? .. is Opera’s little browser about to change the [internet] world?

Opera’s new paradigm, user-servers?

I read assertTrue()‘s blogpost predicting (on the basis of nothing it seems) that Opera will embed a web server in the next version, Opera X (ie Opera version 10) and thought .. yeah that could be cool.

Then I read Silicon Valley Insider on why MySpace is in far worse state than News Corp realised when they bought it. And then I grasped some of the potential of the paradigm shift that Opera may be about to swing …

Social networking without the central organisation. Serving MySpace or Facebook or Orkut like content from my own computer … no need to worry about losing control of your information, inability to backup, etc.. Probably the greatest first move here will be the ability to sync your browser, there’s no additional problem about relaying information (links, history) elsewhere – another computer, as authorised, can simply connect to your port 80 (assuming it’s open) and download the information. Simples!

Dropbox might be about to get a kick in crotch! The user controlled web-server could make it as easy as drag-and-drop to share files, but without having to use additional software.

Further thoughts, problems, solutions

Wow, I wrote most of this post then walked home for 20mins and these things struck me:

• Going offline
• Opera is mainly installed in other places than on a PC
• This goes beyond the internet! (So my tweet mentioning web 4.0 wasn’t even wild enough)
• Opera is a MUA, RSS reader too.

The upshot is that if a browser is serving content then there’s going to need to be some heavy caching, possibly simple mirroring, e.g. at an Opera web address that intercepts users if the browser is off-line (ie not serving web pages/content). Opera’s install base is important here too. Opera is on a lot of phones and used by Nintendo as their installed browser on the DS. Phones are usually on 24/7 … so no problems with being offline provided you’ve got free 24/7 access to the internet. Or …

Beyond the internet – double awesome

PeerNet?

Although … a browser based server, using Opera, that is installed on devices with Wifi and Bluetooth connection doesn’t need the internet. This is not just WWW as we’re talking file sharing beyond web pages. This is not just internet as content could be accessed only over local nets (intranet) or via Bluetooth, say. “PeerNet” or “PeerWeb” seems a good description of this sort of distributed micro-server amalgamation of p2p and the web.

What do you think?

What possibilities does such a paradigm shift create?

Please add your comments. I think there is a whole lot here that we can probably not even imagine. Despite the potential security implications and some obvious roadblocks (ISPs blocking traffic) it’s got my inner-geek quite excited! Could Opera on-your-desktop (!) be the new Facebook, Dropbox, Flickr, File server and data sync all rolled into one?

Update (2009-06-13 17:38) : Or maybe not, no mention of it in other previews … perhaps Opera XI?