Lending credence to the rumor, says "a very solid source" says Opera Software is talking to potential buyers and that there's currently a hiring freeze at Opera, an indication something significant may be in the works.

Such an acquisition, if it happens, would make perfect sense for Facebook. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has assured investors that are to transform Facebook's mobile and advertising experiences; bringing the Opera web browser into its fold would help make that happen.

Yet many Opera users aren't happy about the idea of Facebook gobbling up their beloved browser. Since the rumors surfaced many of them have been howling about the idea in online forums.

As PCWorld's John P. Mello, Jr. points out, Opera has been ambitious in a crowded industry. Last December, it purchased two mobile advertising companies, Mobile Theory and 4th Screen Advertising, to improve its position in the U.S. and European mobile advertising markets.

"Since its arrival on the browser scene in 1994, that browser users take for granted today, such as tabs, the integrated search bar and pop-up blocking. It also introduced server-side web page compression, a controversial feature later incorporated into , the web browser found on the Amazon Kindle Fire," he writes.