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Opera Releases "Bork" Edition 723

Posted by michael from the something-in-the-meatballs dept.
David Arnesen writes "Two weeks ago it was revealed that Microsoft's MSN portal targeted Opera users, by purposely providing them with a broken page. As a reply to MSN's treatment of its users, Opera Software today released a very special Bork edition of its Opera 7 for Windows browser. The Bork edition behaves differently on one Web site: MSN. Users accessing the MSN site will see the page transformed into the language of the famous Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show: Bork, Bork, Bork! Here you can find the press release and download link!"
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Opera Releases "Bork" Edition More

Opera Releases "Bork" Edition

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  • How utterly useless... (Score:5, Funny)

    by YoJaUta ( 67458 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:26AM (#5301099)
    as that's virtually the content of msn.com already.

    • My treat! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by JediTrainer ( 314273 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @11:05AM (#5301821)
      I am proud and privileged to have been a part of this. I got an email from Hakon just a few days ago, asking if they could use my JavaScript encheferizer [vwh.net] (ported from someone else's Java version) on "one of their pages". I had no idea what they intended to do with it, but nevertheless said sure! No problem.

      I'm rolling on the floor laughing my ass off now! Haha! You're my heroes!

      • Re:My treat! (Score:4, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 14, 2003 @12:59PM (#5302831)

        I em pruood und preefileged tu hefe-a beee a pert ooff thees. I gut un imeeel frum Hekun joost a foo deys egu, eskeeng iff zeey cuoold use-a my JefeScreept incheffereezer [vwh.net] (purted frum sumeune-a ilse-a's Jefa ferseeun) oon "oone-a ooff zeeur peges". I hed nu idea vhet zeey intended tu du veet it, boot neferzeeless seeed soore-a! Nu prublem.

        I'm rulleeng oon zee fluur loogheeng my ess ooffff noo! Heha! Yuoo're-a my herues!

  • I love this (Score:5, Interesting)

    by TwistedKestrel ( 550054 ) <twistedkestrel@gmail.com> on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:28AM (#5301106) Journal
    I wish far more companies would respond like this, instead of instantly suing each other until one of them dies a bitter death.

    • Re:I love this (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Corrado ( 64013 ) <rnhurt@@@gmail...com> on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:33AM (#5301140) Homepage Journal
      Amen to that!!!

      This seems like a much more reasonable alternative to litigation. It's funny and it gets the point across. Another possible "solution" would be to mung up the browser id tag whenever you go to MSN (but they would probably work around that pretty quickly).

      Please somebody grab a screenshot and share!!! :)

      • Re:I love this (Score:5, Funny)

        by cioxx ( 456323 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:49AM (#5301248) Homepage
        here [66.186.8.206]

        Please don't mod me up. ;)

      • Re:I love this (Score:3, Insightful)

        by capt.Hij ( 318203 )
        It is certainly a much funnier response, and it must have been a load of fun for the people on the team who did this. Unfortunately, I doubt that it is very effective. The relatively small number of current opera users will probably think it is great, but it will have absolutely no impact on Microsoft.

        It might make a great advertisement for opera. At the same time they are letting people know that if they use opera then they will have problems on at least one (big) web site.

        • Re:I love this (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Moloch666 ( 574889 ) <jeff-junk&tds,net> on Friday February 14, 2003 @11:53AM (#5302164) Journal
          I think what this does in my mind is give Opera some personality. You know there are real people there. With this light on things people may be more inclined to actually buy Opera. They will know their money is going to a group of real people, not some dirty money grubbing corporation. It's just a thought on things, I like Opera maybe I'm partial, or that I'm just a little hungover.

    • Re:I love this (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Pike65 ( 454932 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:41AM (#5301178) Homepage
      Amen.

      There needs to be more humour in situations like this. When things get as daft as this you've got two options - a) laugh, or b) cry.

      Besides, if these two companies started suing each other, wanna hazard a guess who's the bitter death would be?

    • Re:I love this (Score:4, Insightful)

      by beefguts ( 529522 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:42AM (#5301185)
      I agree, there should be more corperate taunting going on out there. It would be a lot more entertaining for us that a bunch of suits posturing.

    • Re:I love this (Score:3, Insightful)

      by techstar25 ( 556988 )
      Nobody would notice a lawsuit. But a silly muppets reference gets the news posted on the frontpage of Slashdot!

    • Google has done similar things lately... (Score:5, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:18AM (#5301435)
      Another cute, funny, and "non-lawsuit" response was recently made by Google. If you search for a domain name which has been doing a ton of referer log spamming - for example this domain [google.com] or this one [google.com] - a random "SPAM" page shows up near the top of the results.

      This is definitely intentional on Google's part, as the offending referer spammers have no relation to the SPAM-oriented pages (and certainly are not mentioned or linked there). It's like a digital middle finger to the referer spammers.

      Gotta love when the geeks take precedence over the lawyers in the corporate food chain :)

    • Re:I love this (Score:3, Insightful)

      by dbrutus ( 71639 )
      Usually I'm with the laugh brigade but targeting Opera isn't just a shitty thing to do but is an example of fraud. "It's better with the butterfly" unless you want to use your internet connection as you would like, at which point, they'll screw with you on purpose.

      Just another example of Microsoft using its core business value of fraud to screw with a competitor and lower economic value for its customers.

  • Elmer Fudd (Score:5, Funny)

    by giel ( 554962 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:29AM (#5301113) Journal

    I would like to have an Elmer Fudd version so I can get it along with my google preferences!

  • I Am Holding Out for the "Bjork" Edition... (Score:5, Funny)

    by RobotRunAmok ( 595286 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:30AM (#5301119)
    ...which displays differently on *every* site, randomly, while playing the sounds of small birds, chirping backwards, through your soundcard.

  • Good idea! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Some Bitch ( 645438 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:32AM (#5301129)
    Can we have an anti-goatse version? Maybe one that brings up a page saying 'Hello Slashdot newbie, you have been linked to some sick shit by someone, trust us when we say you do NOT want to look.'

  • Blenders? (Score:5, Funny)

    by T-Kir ( 597145 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:34AM (#5301144) Homepage

    It's like putting a moose in the blender -- a recipe for disaster!

    I guess that pretty much describes MSN, Windows ME or any other dubious MS product (i.e. more dubious than the rest of their products that I can't be arsed to list here).

    Oh, and where did the moose/blender term come from? I'm starting to get a little worried about the mental health of the Opera team.. I just hope they don't do a strategic alliance with Joe Cartoon, you know he likes blenders!

  • The dialectizer, for your obfuscating pleasure (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Uninvited Guest ( 237316 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:38AM (#5301165)
    The Dialectizer [rinkworks.com]
    Just type in the URL you want to see, and the dialect in which you would like to see it.

  • Screenshot (Score:5, Informative)

    by _Neurotic ( 39687 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:39AM (#5301171) Journal

    Borked [thedomainworks.com]

  • Huh. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by sparrow_hawk ( 552508 )
    I don't know, I guess this strikes me as petty somehow. Does anyone know if the Opera team tried to contact Microsoft to fix the problem? You know, the old "Never ascribe to stupidity that which is adequately explained by incompetence." And of course we all know that Microsoft is *never* incompetent... no sirree, not a bit! (/sarcasm)

    • Re:Huh. (Score:5, Informative)

      by ag3n7 ( 442539 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:52AM (#5301273)
      Read the thread from the last slashdot discussion. They were intentionally sending erroneious content based on the User String of the Opera browser.

      • Re:Huh. (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Chester K ( 145560 )
        Read the thread from the last slashdot discussion. They were intentionally sending erroneious content based on the User String of the Opera browser.

        Funny how that broken stylesheet was the same thing MSN served to Opera 6, and it worked just fine in that browser. So as a result, MSN fixed the stylesheet so it'd work in Opera 7, and now Opera 6 is broke (according to Opera's press release, I don't have O6 to check with).

        Sounds like Microsoft put in the invalid CSS to compensate for a bug in O6 (which doesn't handle CSS on list elements properly), and that behavior changed in O7, leading to the clipped text.... which Opera whined loudly about not one week after their browser came out, probably before Microsoft was even informed O7 looked different than O6.

        But of course it's more fun to blame it on Microsoft trying to make Opera look bad, rather than the actual reason that Opera fucked up.

        I really hope Microsoft goes after Opera for this specific borking of msn.com. Opera's childish antics in this situation deserve it.

    • Re:Huh. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by rknop ( 240417 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:56AM (#5301288) Homepage

      I don't know, I guess this strikes me as petty somehow.

      It would have been petty if they had put this into their main release, so that everybody using Opera had to put up with it. You know, sort of like how MS put it into the main release of their web page, so that every Opera user has to put up with it.

      The Opera folks very clearly set aside the "joke" browser, and they've stated very clearly why they are doing it. People who don't want to mess with it won't accidentally stumble acrsos it. They're pointing out, in a manner that makes it very obvious, just what it is that MS is doing. And if the article is right, and MS is still screwing up older versions of Opera, then contacting the MS team clearly hasn't done much good.

      -Rob

    • Re:Huh. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by nordicfrost ( 118437 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:59AM (#5301317)
      I talked to Mr. Håkon Wium Lie [opera.com] myself, and he said that they repeatedly hav complained to MS about this and other problems over a long time, but nothing happened. The Opera problem was very, very obvious and could be seen very easily. Yet, they did not fix it. The error MSN on Opera error was the most reported Opera error of them all and I imagine that MSN got their fair share of complaints from the MSN on Opera users as well.. Mr. Lie said to me that "there's a fair shar of incompetence at Microsoft, but this problem is not caused by that." Seems like he has borked his own site as well... :)

    • Re:Huh. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Hanno ( 11981 )
      Does anyone know if the Opera team tried to contact Microsoft to fix the problem?

      Well, it's been reported in all the major tech news online sites two weeks ago.

      Seriously, if one of my clients' web page was in worldwide news because of a problem that involves fixing one line of CSS, I'd be sure to fix it the very next day.

      MS, however, hasn't fixed it in 14 days. Go figure.

  • Hold on here (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Timesprout ( 579035 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:41AM (#5301183)
    From the artice

    The MSN site is sending Opera users what appear to be intentionally distorted pages. The Bork edition illustrates how browsers could also distort content, as the Bork edition does. The real point here is that the success of the Web depends on software and Web site developers behaving well and rising above corporate rivalry The Opera acticle is a little less direct with it's acusations. I realise this is /. and I am not an apologist for Microsoft but IIRC the source of the problem was a single incorrect figure in the style sheet. NO possiblity whatsoever of a typo there then.

    Can any opera users confirm if the style sheets are still messed up ? If they are they I might start subscribing to the conspiracy theory, but really his smacks of a childish attempt to grab attention. I would guess the Netscape, Moz and Phoenix share of the market is of much more concern to MS than Opera

    • Re:Hold on here (Score:5, Insightful)

      by NexusTw1n ( 580394 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:41AM (#5301615) Journal
      I would guess the Netscape, Moz and Phoenix share of the market is of much more concern to MS than Opera
      Opera is of more concern to MS, because despite MS giving away a free browser with the O/S, despite there being free browsers like Mozilla available for download, some people are prepared to pay for Opera.

      Opera is so good, people are happy to pay money for it, or are prepared to have a constant banner ad on the screen. That makes Opera a serious commercial rival. Couple that with the fact Opera is their major rival [theregister.co.uk] in the mobile phone market, a market MS desperately wants control of, and you start to understand why it is suspicious that the Opera stylesheet for MSN mysteriously changed a few days after Opera 7 rolled out.

    • Re:Hold on here (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Ilgaz ( 86384 )
      It was validated by Opensource WGET.

      Yes, MSN sends crap CSS to Opera.

      Yes, MS takes Opera serious, they are being losing ground on mobile market, TO OPERA, not Moz/Netscape.

      No you didn't read the press release, did you?

    • Re:Hold on here (Score:3, Informative)

      by silvaran ( 214334 )
      MS is intentionally sending a crippled page to Opera. It's not a typo. When they changed the user string to "Oprah", the correct page was sent (the IE one) and rendered fine. The server is scanning the user agent string for "Opera" and sending it a crippled page purposely.

    • enough is enough (Score:5, Informative)

      by stinky wizzleteats ( 552063 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @12:31PM (#5302529) Homepage Journal

      I have fucking had it with all this "voice of moderation" karma whoring.

      IIRC the source of the problem was a single incorrect figure in the style sheet. NO possiblity whatsoever of a typo there then.

      Okay, let me get this straight. You develop a completely seperate css file to work against the user agent string sent by Opera browsers, despite the fact that Opera can easily handle the default stylesheet. So your characterization of a single incorrect figure is incorrect:

      diff site.css site-win-ie6.css |wc -m

      2627
      My research indicates that you are off by two thousand six hundred twenty six characters. In this completely fucking seperate stylesheet, you copy shared values by hand rather than copy/paste and place -30px (a value which, in the css universe, is insane) rather than 23px for the standard production stylesheet. This is a typo in your universe?

      Can any opera users confirm if the style sheets are still messed up ?

      From TFA:

      MSN now allows access to users of Opera 7, but is still targeting and sending users of earlier versions a broken page.

      Moderators, please, stop mistaking skepticism for insight.

  • The others need to jump on the bandwagon (Score:5, Funny)

    by jpsst34 ( 582349 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:42AM (#5301190) Journal
    This is truly a great story and a great event. I am really looking forward to the others, such as the omniweb "Yup Uh-huh" version that translates MSN to the "Yup yup yup yup yup yup yup, uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh" language from Sesame Street. And the version of Konquerer that translates gnome.org to the language of the Dozers from Fraggle Rock.

    These are gonna kick ass!

  • An Open Letter to Opera Software (Score:5, Funny)

    by Lethyos ( 408045 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:43AM (#5301198) Journal
    I was taken back to learn that only Windows users benefit from this new technology. Here's an open letter I sent to Opera Software, inquiring about bringing this enhancement to other platforms.

    I'm very excited about the new Bork technology in Opera, however I am disappointed to find it is not available for Linux. I am a little distressed that Windows users get the superior browser, while Linux users are stuck with yesterday's news. Does Opera Software plan on bringing this enhancement to other platforms? I hope in the future all platforms will be equally supported with enhancements to the Opera browser. Many thanks!


    You can send this letter to Opera Software using their feedback page [opera.com].

  • Google-a seerch (Score:5, Funny)

    by Equuleus42 ( 723 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:43AM (#5301199) Homepage
    For those of you who want more Swedish Chef, be sure to visit Google's Bork, Bork, Bork [google.com] search page.

  • Childish (Score:2, Insightful)

    by mccalli ( 323026 )
    As I understand it, MSN served a stylesheet that aligned elements 34pts over because Opera was broken. Opera v6 that is. So what was wrong is MSN's version checking code, not some grand campaign against Opera. In fact, the very fact that this alternative stylesheet existed shows that Microsoft had put in extra work and tried to provide Opera users with a usable page.

    Who here thinks their incentive to do that has been increased by this move?

    Cheers,
    Ian

    • Re:Childish (Score:5, Informative)

      by howcome ( 618813 ) <howcome&opera,com> on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:57AM (#5301298) Homepage
      This is untrue. Opera6 displays the page which is sent to MSIE6 just fine. You can see screenshots on this page [opera.com].

      Håkon Wium Lie
      CTO, Opera Software

    • Re:Childish (Score:5, Insightful)

      by cuyler ( 444961 ) <slashdot AT theedgeofoblivion DOT com> on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:58AM (#5301307)
      The problem was both Opera v6 and v7 rendered the page that was sent to Internet Explorer browsers perfectly. Opera v7 renders the page that was sent to v6 just fine. The only thing that can't be rendered properly is a special page that is only sent to Opera v7 browsers that aligns elements by -34pts.

      Opera wasn't broken yet MS decided it needed to be fixed (as is fixing a cat).

    • Re:Childish (Score:3, Informative)

      by oddrune ( 102921 )
      Maybe the homepage of Opera's CTO have some info that can enlighten you?

      http://people.opera.com/~howcome/2003/2/msn/ [opera.com]

    • Re:Childish (Score:5, Insightful)

      by PigleT ( 28894 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:19AM (#5301443) Homepage
      "So what was wrong is MSN's version checking code,"

      Web-sites have no business sending different content to different browsers in the first place. There is never any need to change anything you send; just settle for whatever subset of valid content still looks good in the majority of browsers.

      Particularly in the case of CSS, it's up to the browser to choose whether to render it or not, and if so, there's lots of scope for how it's done.

      If website authors learned this small fact, assigning the bug to the correct party would not be a problem.

      • Re:Childish (Score:3, Insightful)

        by AmigaAvenger ( 210519 )
        I have an online wysiwyg editor I developed for content managed, completely breaks using anything but IE (active x crap...) so should I just send that to the clients and expect them to not care when it doesn't work, or should I send them a straight text version.

        Sorry, different content for different browsers is completely appropriate.

    • Re:Childish (Score:3, Informative)

      by gosand ( 234100 )
      As I understand it, MSN served a stylesheet that aligned elements 34pts over because Opera was broken. Opera v6 that is.

      Well, you understand it wrong. Yes, the page sent to Opera7 renders fine in Opera6 - but the page sent to MSIE6 renders fine in Opera6 and Opera7. So why the special Opera style sheet? It doesn't require one.

      So what was wrong is MSN's version checking code, not some grand campaign against Opera. In fact, the very fact that this alternative stylesheet existed shows that Microsoft had put in extra work and tried to provide Opera users with a usable page. Who here thinks their incentive to do that has been increased by this move?

      Yes, they put extra work into something that they didn't need to do, and the result made their website render poorly in Opera7. You hit it right on the head. Kudos to Opera for not taking it lying down.

  • If a special version IE did that to linux.com or opera's webpage, you'd all be up in arms, converging on Microsoft's campus with torches and pitchforks, even if it was meant as 'good humored'. Look, I download a browser to SHOW ME THE PAGE I AM GOING TO. If, oh, lets say msn.com doesn't work, then either I'll switch browsers or NOT GO TO THE PAGE.

    This is cute, this is funny, ha ha. But it sets a BAD precedent. Next iteration of IE borks or bjorks or beans slashdot or whomever, then opera does it to yahoo or someone, pretty soon you need two browsers--one for each half of the web that isn't borked.

    • Re:Other side of the coin (Score:5, Insightful)

      by tomknight ( 190939 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:59AM (#5301308) Journal
      I don't think you get what they're actually trying to say. Maybe you didn't read the linked page...? Well, here's part of it:

      "Hergee berger snooger bork," says Mary Lambert, product line manager desktop, Opera Software. "This is a joke. However, we are trying to make an important point. The MSN site is sending Opera users what appear to be intentionally distorted pages. The Bork edition illustrates how browsers could also distort content, as the Bork edition does. The real point here is that the success of the Web depends on software and Web site developers behaving well and rising above corporate rivalry."

      Does that help you at all?

      Tom.

    • Re:Other side of the coin (Score:5, Insightful)

      by rknop ( 240417 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:59AM (#5301313) Homepage

      If a special version IE did that to linux.com or opera's webpage, you'd all be up in arms, converging on Microsoft's campus with torches and pitchforks, even if it was meant as 'good humored'. Look, I download a browser to SHOW ME THE PAGE I AM GOING TO. If, oh, lets say msn.com doesn't work, then either I'll switch browsers or NOT GO TO THE PAGE.

      Your righteous rage might be a little more justified if it were a main version of Opera that did this. As it is, though, the only people who will get this will be the ones who know about the joke and are specifically downloading the joke version of Opera. It would be a very different matter if this were a "trojan" sort of thing in their main release, but since it's not, sit down, relax a bit, and take a few deep breaths.

      -Rob

    • Look, I download a browser to SHOW ME THE PAGE I AM GOING TO.

      Uh, it's a special version. You download the Bork version specifically to see a "Borked" MSN page. The regular Opera doesn't do this.

  • Here's a Screenshot (Score:3, Informative)

    by simetra ( 155655 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:46AM (#5301221) Homepage Journal
    www.squirm.net/bork.jpg [squirm.net]

  • Anticompetitive? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by WPIDalamar ( 122110 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @09:59AM (#5301312) Homepage
    1) MS has monopoly (practically) on web browsers.
    2) Opera is a competitor.
    3) MS is using it's webiste (a different product) to maintain it's monopoly.

    Isn't this almost the definition of illegal monopolistic practices? I think the definition is slightly different, like "Using a monopoly to further your business in another area." They're "Using another area to further a monopoly."

    Hmm... Perhaps if IE was distorting the Opera web page, it would be the exact definition.

    But then again ...

    1) MSN is not a monopoly on ISP's (or portals?)
    2) IE is a monopoly on browsers.
    3) Making opera apear broken will make more people use IE.
    4) IE's default homepage is MSN.
    5) MSN is benefiting from IE's monopoly and unfair business practices against opera.

    So perhaps that fits the definition more closely?

    (can't help my self...)
    6) ???
    7) Make money

  • Obligitory Screenshot (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:01AM (#5301326)
    http://www.amoebasoft.com/madcamel/bork.gif [amoebasoft.com]

    Thanks rdesktop!

  • Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:03AM (#5301344)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Now all we need... (Score:5, Funny)

    by hyphz ( 179185 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:06AM (#5301363)
    Is a browser that detects HTML errors in the pages it reads. If it finds any, it will display/fix up the pages just like all current browsers do, but it will also add a big banner at the top of the page that says "WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO WRITE WEB PAGES PROPERLY."

  • Translation Skins (Score:3, Interesting)

    by simetra ( 155655 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:07AM (#5301375) Homepage Journal
    This would be cool, having translation skins, kind of like the look-n-feel skins. Sure, it would be useful say if you wanted to automatically translate whatever language you're viewing into your own language. But then you would have the ability to use fun language skins, like the Bork, or the Miguel Web Filter [fatchicksinpartyhats.com] found at fatchicksinpartyhats.com

  • I predict... (Score:5, Funny)

    by kinnell ( 607819 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:18AM (#5301442)
    Microsoft will respond to to this insult by releasing "Microsoft Internet Explorer Yosemite Sam Edition", which will deface the opera corporate website in a witty manner. Except it'll have a bug, and will also deface the KDE webiste. The konqueror team will respond in their next version by replacing every 'c' on the MSN website with a 'k'. Microsoft will take this as an assult from the open source community, and will render the mascots on both the KDE and Mozilla sites with comedy spectacles and moustaches. Lynx users will be served graphics only versions of MSN with lots of frames. Mozilla will respond in kind, by rendering MSN upside down. Applewill by default not be able to provide a browser which does not offend anybody, and will be reluctantly drawn into the frey. It will be the browser wars all over again, but this time more bitter, and somehow, more hilarious. It will escalate out of control, until the entire internet is rendered and defaced in a comical fashion. Internet Obfuscation Protcol (IOP) will become an ECMA standard, but each browser will maintain its own incompatible version. Everyone will go back to using phones and fax machines.

  • To all the naysayers... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ndogg ( 158021 ) <the@rhorn.gmail@com> on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:24AM (#5301481) Homepage Journal
    For all those who called this "childish" or "unprofessional" or "juvenile" or any such names--firstly, RTFA, and secondly, lighten up, they didn't put this in their main version. It's a special purpose, no-other-good-use offshoot of the main version. You can still download the regular Opera without this "feature." If they did put this in their main version, then I would agree with all of you, but they didn't. This is merely a parody, no worse than any portrayed on Saturday Night Live. In a month or so, we'll all have had our laugh, and forgotten the entire event.

    So, if I may so repeat myself, lighten up!

  • Legal Beagle (Score:3, Interesting)

    by the_real_tigga ( 568488 ) <(ten.egrofecruos.sresu) (ta) (sorhpen)> on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:34AM (#5301560) Journal
    Isn't that a risky step to take? After all (I guess) they have a copyright on the content of msn.com, and Opera is actively defacing their site.

    Won't they (i.e. MS) sue?

  • Not only the MSN page is in Bork... (Score:5, Informative)

    by new_breed ( 569862 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:39AM (#5301603)
    Check out the copyright stuff in 'about Opera'..

    "
    Zee oothur ooff thees sufftvere-a is Defeed M. Gey. Bork Bork Bork!
    Cupyreeght (c) 1991, 2000, 2001 by Loocent Technulugeees. Bork Bork Bork!

    Permeessiun tu use-a, cupy, mudeeffy, und deestriboote-a thees sufftvere-a fur uny poorpuse-a veethuoot fee-a is hereby grunted, prufeeded thet thees inture-a nuteece-a is inclooded in ell cupeees ooff uny sufftvere-a vheech is oor incloodes a cupy oor mudeefficeshun ooff thees sufftvere-a und in ell cupeees ooff zee sooppurteeng ducoomenteshun fur sooch sufftvere-a. Bork Bork Bork!

    THIS SOFTVERE IS BEING PROFIDED "ES IS", VITHOOoT ENY IXPRESS OoR IMPLIED VERRENTY. IN PERTICOoLER, NEITHER THE EOoTHOR NOR LOoCENT MEKES ENY REPRESENTETION OoR VERRENTY OoF ENY KIND CONCERNING THE MERCHENTEBILITY OoF THIS SOFTVERE OoR ITS FITNESS FOR ENY PERTICOoLER POoRPOSE. Bork Bork Bork!
    "

  • finally MSN is usable (Score:5, Funny)

    by mrycar ( 578010 ) <mrycar AT gmail DOT com> on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:40AM (#5301611) Homepage Journal
    In other news, slashdot users all agree, The Bork edition makes MSN usable.

    Opera, the Bork Edition does what MSN editors have failed to do, make MSN a site that people want to visit.

    Joe M Soft said, "Wow after the Bork Edition was released, web hits increased over 10000%. I can't believe all of the positive comments I have recieved."

    In other news, Microsoft signs the Swedish Chef to be Editor at Large.

  • Oh, THAT Bork... (Score:5, Funny)

    by jratcliffe ( 208809 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @11:01AM (#5301787)
    When I first read this headline, I thought that it meant that using this version of Opera would cause the Senate Judiciary Committee to come to your house and harass you for hours on end, eventually prohibiting you from using your computer! Guess I should watch more Muppets and less CNN.

  • Great way to get PR outside of geek community... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Kjella ( 173770 ) on Friday February 14, 2003 @11:39AM (#5302057) Homepage
    I've seen this news reported on several fairly mainstream sites (at least far more mainstream than /.) You see "Opera and Microsoft arguing over CSS sheet" is a lot less interesting to most people than "Opera borks MSN homepage. See the screenshots here!" More people will know of it, and why, this way...

    Kjella

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