Therefore they would have to go open source first. I have my doubts that Facebook would pay top dollar just to open source the software. On the other hand that might be a move to put the current user base in a merciful mood, as the userbase is probably the least likely aspect they are interested in for that takeover.
> I have my doubts that Facebook would pay top dollar just to open source the software.
They wouldn’t buy it just to open source it. Facebook will buy Opera for its own strategic reasons, and they will open source it only because it’s the optimal model for them to develop this kind of project.
They already open source bunch of stuff. They have the culture and the know-how.
Opera Software ASA’s product is Opera Web Browser. Facebook wouldn’t buy Opera to continue making money on licensing. And we know that Facebook uses Open Source model for developing things they don’t profit directly from[1]. It also makes everyone more easy about the privacy issues etc. The question really is, why wouldn’t they open source it? The have plenty to benefit from and nothing to lose.
