Google homepage showed for a brief period a link to Firefox 2.0 "optimized for Google", that is bundled with Google Toolbar. It's not the first time when Google recommends Firefox on the homepage (here's another screenshot), but this time Google is more pushy. Also, last time Google explicitly stated that its version of Firefox included Google Toolbar - now you can find out this little detail if you click on the big "Get it now!".
Yahoo promotes Internet Explorer 7 on each and every search results page and promises you can "get Yahoo! Search results faster". But while Yahoo targets IE6 users that will upgrade to IE7 anyway, Google wants to convert Internet Explorer users to Firefox, but also targets Firefox users that don't have Firefox 2.0.
{ Via Digital Micro-Markets. }
I totally agree with this. It's exactly the kind of backing that FireFox needs. It's nice to watch my webstats, and see the number of FireFox users steadily growing!
ReplyDeleteBut the irony of it is, is that by default, IE7 actually uses Google and not Yahoo!
ReplyDeleteActually, by default IE7 uses Live.com as expected. If you already have Google set for your search provider in IE 6 then it should carry forward. Yahoo is the default search engine only in the "Optimized for Yahoo" version of IE7 that Yahoo offers for download.
ReplyDeleteBtw, Yahoo! promotes IE7 right here on a non-Windows(!) Firefox.
ReplyDeletePortable Firefox on a USB flash drive, a Google account using all the Google goodies of Gmail, Google Bookmarks, Google Notebook etc. etc. Your internet experience becomes the same on which ever PC you use.
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty good, even know i personally hate Firefox for the memory problems.
ReplyDeleteBut i'd rather people use FF than IE because IE7 STILL has bad support for things that it should have supported years before in IE6.
Microsoft are years behind in standards support and it sickens me that IE7 is no different.
I'll need to try that portable Firefox.
I use a portable Opera and some other tools from that Crazy Pack (awesome collection of programs!)
Yahoo is used by AT&T so it's not surprise Yahoo has a branded IE7 the browser AT&T ships with their service. So it's no surprise they try to get others to download it.
ReplyDeleteHow can Firefox be "optimized" for Google? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Google's search and results pages are so basic, Netscape 1.0 could probably render them.
ReplyDeleteGmail is slightly more complex with DHTML, etc., but I don't see a noticeable difference in renderability between somewhat recent versions of IE and Firefox.
At the end of the day, Google is a business, and if Firefox ships Google as its default search engine thereby increasing ad revenue, shareholders are happy and Sergey and Larry have a little more money in the bank. Welcome to capitalism.
Yeah. That "optimized for Google" is kind of misleading. Someone who doesn't know too much about computers would think that every Google site will load faster and Gmail won't give errors, search results will be better etc. Instead of "optimized for Google" they could be honest and just say "includes Google Toolbar".
ReplyDeletewho cares as long as i dont have to develop for ie6 any more :)
ReplyDeleteAnyone else think that IE7 is just a copy of most of the features of firefox and firefox extensions?
ReplyDeleteI do.
You could say that Firefox is optimized for Google in a least one way: by default, Firefox prefetches the top Google search result.
ReplyDeleteEnhanced searching with Firefox [Google Blog, 3/30/2005]
Ionut Alex. Chitu:
ReplyDelete> That "optimized for Google" is kind of misleading.
Less misleading, than advertising IE7 to people who open Yahoo in non Windows browser?
d4nnyt:
> Anyone else think that IE7 is just a copy of most of the features of firefox and firefox extensions?
No, i don't think so. It's just a miserable attempt to copy several of the most successful interface concepts from Opera, combined with a complete failure to reach at least Opera's level of compatibility with Internet standards.
google promotes firefox... but the irony is that I am forced to use IE(IEtab) only when I read books on Googlebooks. Can someone tell me how to make google books render in ff?
ReplyDelete"who cares as long as i dont have to develop for ie6 any more :)"
ReplyDeletehear, hear! :)