Developer's corner
Opera Unite – In your hands, not in the cloud
Technology enabler
While more Internet users are connecting with each other and sharing their content online, such as on social-networking sites, the places they store this content often require them to surrender sole ownership of that content. Even if ownership is not a concern, what happens if a Web site closes down and takes all of the user’s stored data with it? Beyond which, where has the original intent of the Internet, to bring down barriers and allow people to connect with each other on an individual level, gone?
Opera Unite was created to address the disconnect – and take the interactive aspects and possibilities of the Internet to the next, more personal, level. Navjot Pawera, an Opera Software product manager, spoke about the development potential for and questions about Opera Unite, “Global remote access has been possible for us computer technologists for a number of years. Opera Unite creates the very same potential for every computer out there. Not only does this mean I can do much more with my computer, it also opens up possibilities to develop applications and web services of a whole new powerful breed.”
“Global remote access has been possible for us computer technologists for a number of years. Opera Unite creates the very same potential for every computer out there. Not only does this mean I can do much more with my computer, it also opens up possibilities to develop applications and web services of a whole new powerful breed. ”
Unleashing the potential of the Internet
What is Opera Unite?
Opera Unite is a technology that essentially enables a user’s Opera desktop browser to become a compact server. From this personal server, users can share data and services with others, as well as having simple access to all their own data from anywhere that they access the Web. This is a powerful new way of looking at how information is managed, stored and ultimately owned. At the core of Opera Unite is interactivity – Opera Unite allows for person-to-person (or multi-person) connections and information exchanges, freeing the user from having to upload selected content to third-party sites and freeing him/her from having to install third-party messaging applications.
Figure 1: Opera Unite Services menu
Opera Unite enables direct:
- Data/file sharing
- Collaboration (e.g., shared documents)
- Chatting or playing games
- Hosting of your own Web content
How does Opera Unite work?
Opera Unite puts the power of a local Web server into the hands of the regular, non-technical user. It helps users bypass the complicated configurations of standalone servers/DNS and gets the server up and running with a few clicks. Opera Unite simplifies the process by taking care of the behind-the-scenes technology. Just a simple login gets a user started via his/her existing network setup (figure 2).
Figure 2: The Opera Unite server in your browser
What can a developer do with Opera Unite?
Opera Unite opens up a plethora of opportunities for developers to create powerful Web services. The virtually non-existent setup means that developers can now aim to achieve what the traditional remote hosted Web server model has not been able to allow. All this is made possible through a set of APIs, which enable development using common and open Web standards, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.
Because Opera Unite is built with common Web technologies and open standards, creating Opera Unite services requires negligible know-how/no learning curve for Web developers. To help developers get started on creating and uploading services, the always-updated documentation can be found here.
What about security?
“Opera has always taken the security and privacy of its users very seriously. This is backed up by a solid track record over the past decade. Opera Unite is implemented as a part of the same desktop browser that users have grown to trust over the years,” Pawera explained.
The Web server built into the browser runs in a very secure and tight security sandbox that uses the File I/O specification, which is being reviewed by the W3C to make it a global standard. This specification defines a secure and restricted access architecture while providing the freedom to enable powerful services.
Additionally, all services published on http://unite.opera.com/ go through a series of QA checks by Opera’s engineers. This is done to ensure that the services do not perform any unwanted actions on users’ computers. Opera Unite, while a part of the Opera 10 desktop browser, is not an active feature by default. The user actually has to activate Opera Unite him-/herself.
Beyond technology: “The interpersonal Web”
What Opera Unite will make possible in the future is bound only by the level of imagination brought to bear by developers, corporations and end users as they create (or demand) more applications that unite people online in more innovative ways.