Effect of Fastmail acquisition by Opera on Runbox

vazwaz · 30 Apr 2010, 11:17 PM

Opera have acquired Fastmail.
What effect on Runbox does everyone think this will have ?
I think it signals the start of the end of small email providers and dominance by the big boys, which can only be a bad thing in my opinion.

Robin

jdtaylor · 1 May 2010, 06:08 AM

I do think some smaller proviiders will keep going if it's financially viable, but if I remember Fastmail was in need of donation to keep going to due to a klack of funds and the only way they may have been able to get funding was to be taken over by someone so large with the funding and technology available to help advance their service and offerings to consumers.

Bamb0 · 1 May 2010, 10:23 AM

I truly hope they dont ruin fastmail!! (Usually when something gets bought out though, it does get worse)

I love FM and i hope they leave well enough alone!

brong · 1 May 2010, 11:51 AM

No, that's not accurate. Fastmail was profitable and actually slowly growing. We could have kept going as we were - but we weren't in a position to do things like add a second datacentre to get offsite redundancy, or hire multiple new staff to get 24 hr support that doesn't involve being woken in the middle of the night! These are good benefits of being in a bigger and more geographically distributed company

NickRem · 1 May 2010, 08:04 PM

Opera isn't really a big company. Small to medium size perhaps?

As for ruining FM, how many times do they have to tell everyone that they aren't planning on suddenly changing the service?

***Edwin*** · 1 May 2010, 09:39 PM

Just a little reminder that this particular thread is in the Runbox forum, so please can we refocus on how Runbox might be affected (if at all) rather than swerving generally towards another "Fastmail sales analysis thread". Thanks!

vazwaz · 1 May 2010, 11:33 PM

I believe quite a few email providers have either given up or been taken over during the past few years, probably since Google started offering email services.
Fastmail was I think one of the bigger small email providers and if they have had to do this to continue it doesn't bode well for the remaining companies does it ?
I am not sure how Runbox compares in size with Fastmail but I don't really see how smaller companies can survive now given the economies of scale and buying power of the bigger boys.
Perhaps there is still a market for specialised services with excellent reliability and sophisticated features (such as Tuffmail) ?

Robin

**ReuvenNY** · 1 May 2010, 11:56 PM

I wonder whether Opera did look into purchasing Runbox (being local) and if they did, why didn't they work out a deal?

Dreambiz · 2 May 2010, 06:32 AM

Runbox isn't necessarily in trouble or for sale.

Not everyone has to have gargantuan profits, only enough to make the people who run it happy enough to keep going.

digp · 4 May 2010, 02:32 AM

unfortunately those at fm who are looking for other providers cannot even consider runbox because it is so awful. if it were not surely it would have been bought out by now.

Dreambiz · 4 May 2010, 09:05 PM

I'm quite happy with Runbox and I'd much rather have them stay small and personal than get swallowed up by someone where I won't get personal service should I require it.

And I disagree that "surely it would have been bought out by now."

As stated in my previous post, Runbox isn't for sale that I'm aware of.

kservik · 5 May 2010, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digp

unfortunately those at fm who are looking for other providers cannot even consider runbox because it is so awful. if it were not surely it would have been bought out by now.

Thats a very strange thing to say? Because we have not sold, we have not been contacted by other companies and something must be wrong with the company? How do you know what companies have contacted us? Why would we want to sell?

The Runbox staff (that also control most of the stock) are more interested in building a better product (and get more customers), than cashing in.

Kim

digp · 5 May 2010, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kservik

The Runbox staff ... are more interested in building a better product ...

Kim

Not very good at this though are you it would appear from reading this forum?

gmit · 5 May 2010, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kservik

The Runbox staff (that also control most of the stock) are more interested in building a better product (and get more customers), than cashing in.

Empty words for now...

bipbop · 5 May 2010, 11:03 PM

I'm wondering if Runbox couldn't utilize more open source technology to fast forward improvements to their email service. There's a lot of great code out there for this type of service.

30 Apr 2010, 11:17 PM	#1
vazwaz Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Here Posts: 130	Effect of Fastmail acquisition by Opera on Runbox Opera have acquired Fastmail. What effect on Runbox does everyone think this will have ? I think it signals the start of the end of small email providers and dominance by the big boys, which can only be a bad thing in my opinion. Robin

1 May 2010, 06:08 AM	#2
jdtaylor Master of the @ Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,693	I do think some smaller proviiders will keep going if it's financially viable, but if I remember Fastmail was in need of donation to keep going to due to a klack of funds and the only way they may have been able to get funding was to be taken over by someone so large with the funding and technology available to help advance their service and offerings to consumers.

1 May 2010, 10:23 AM	#3
Bamb0 Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA Posts: 1,877	I truly hope they dont ruin fastmail!! (Usually when something gets bought out though, it does get worse) I love FM and i hope they leave well enough alone!

1 May 2010, 11:51 AM	#4
brong The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,696 Representative of: Fastmail.fm	No, that's not accurate. Fastmail was profitable and actually slowly growing. We could have kept going as we were - but we weren't in a position to do things like add a second datacentre to get offsite redundancy, or hire multiple new staff to get 24 hr support that doesn't involve being woken in the middle of the night! These are good benefits of being in a bigger and more geographically distributed company

1 May 2010, 08:04 PM	#5
NickRem Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 88	Opera isn't really a big company. Small to medium size perhaps? As for ruining FM, how many times do they have to tell everyone that they aren't planning on suddenly changing the service?

1 May 2010, 09:39 PM	#6
*Edwin* Administrator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: UK Posts: 3,118	Just a little reminder that this particular thread is in the Runbox forum, so please can we refocus on how Runbox might be affected (if at all) rather than swerving generally towards another "Fastmail sales analysis thread". Thanks!

1 May 2010, 11:33 PM	#7
vazwaz Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Here Posts: 130	I believe quite a few email providers have either given up or been taken over during the past few years, probably since Google started offering email services. Fastmail was I think one of the bigger small email providers and if they have had to do this to continue it doesn't bode well for the remaining companies does it ? I am not sure how Runbox compares in size with Fastmail but I don't really see how smaller companies can survive now given the economies of scale and buying power of the bigger boys. Perhaps there is still a market for specialised services with excellent reliability and sophisticated features (such as Tuffmail) ? Robin

1 May 2010, 11:56 PM	#8
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,259	I wonder whether Opera did look into purchasing Runbox (being local) and if they did, why didn't they work out a deal?

2 May 2010, 06:32 AM	#9
Dreambiz Essential Contributor Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 329	Runbox isn't necessarily in trouble or for sale. Not everyone has to have gargantuan profits, only enough to make the people who run it happy enough to keep going.

4 May 2010, 02:32 AM	#10
digp Master of the @ Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,326	unfortunately those at fm who are looking for other providers cannot even consider runbox because it is so awful. if it were not surely it would have been bought out by now.

4 May 2010, 09:05 PM	#11
Dreambiz Essential Contributor Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 329	I'm quite happy with Runbox and I'd much rather have them stay small and personal than get swallowed up by someone where I won't get personal service should I require it. And I disagree that "surely it would have been bought out by now." As stated in my previous post, Runbox isn't for sale that I'm aware of.

5 May 2010, 11:03 PM	#15
bipbop Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 197	I'm wondering if Runbox couldn't utilize more open source technology to fast forward improvements to their email service. There's a lot of great code out there for this type of service.