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Microsoft's IE7 Search Box Bugs Google
tessaiga writes "The New York Times reports that Google is crying foul over a new IE7 search box feature that defaults to MSN Search. Although the feature can be modified to use Google or other search engines, Google asserts that "The best way to handle the search box [...] would be to give users a choice when they first start up Internet Explorer 7." Google goes on to assert that the move "limits consumer choice and is reminiscent of the tactics that got Microsoft into antitrust trouble in the late 1990s". I notice that in my version of Firefox the search box defaults to Google, and that the pulldown menu of pre-entered options doesn't even include MSN Search, but Google seems to have been oddly quiet on that front for the many years prior to IE7 that Firefox has made this feature available."
Firefox isn't a Google product, and isn't subject to the same sorts of antitrust restrictions that IE is. Various combinations that rhyme with 'Clucking Nidiot' were going through my head when I read the blurb.
It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
I thought it was strange that my IE7 beta 2 defaulted to google search...I have the google toolbar installed but the default box is google not msn search. Anyways, Google should stop crying for all the other reasons given (ie; firefox and safari default to google).
I tried changing the default search to google and it would take.
Is this because it's beta? I didn't like the thinbg anyhow. And too,
a new home page wouldn't take either not even about:blank
It's not Googles job to cry foul over things that benefit them. Especially, when it is a third party software.
Complaining about Google being default in Firefox is Microsofts job (or Yahoo or someone else). However, if Microsoft had complained about that they would have _had_ to make it optional in IE7 as well. So, Microsoft kept quiet about that.
If Google had complained about them being the default in FireFox then they would have been on the moral high ground when complaining about IE7. But they wouldn't be in a much better position to convince Microsoft though.
The Internet is full. Go Away!!!
Search engines pay money to the browser makers to get their search engines in there anyway.
If Google wants their engine to be in IE7 - they should find out how much Microsoft wants them to pay.
Join the Free Software Foundation
IE7 and MSN Search are both developed by a convicted monopolist. Integrating them together smacks of a(nother) Sherman Antitrust violation. Firefox is NOT developed by Google (not a convicted monopolist) and therefor cannot be held to the same standard. If Firefox defaults to Google, it is because the Firefox development team concluded it is a better search engine. FF appears to be motivated primarily by technology, not profit and market share greed. However, it would further appear (and history shows, i.e., Apache v. IIS), technology, not bundling, ultimately drives market share. Furthermore, in regards to Safari having only a single search engine available as an integrated feature, last I cheched Firefox still was a distant second in terms of browser user base while Safari user base barely registers on the radar screen.
The initial IE7 beta actually had a 5 or 6 useful search providers- including Google. I'm guessing suits hadn't gotten to it at that time. A couple betas later it only had MSN.
Talk about sour grapes.
When you first install Firefox, the default search provider is Google, and in fact Google even kindly provides their own startup page for Firefox users!
The fact you can easily change the configuration of Internet Explorer 7.0 to default to Google instead of MSN Search shows that (IMO) Microsoft hasn't really done anything wrong.
They do...
kinda...
http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/godsdebris/
Here's a little trick for Google users who are going to use IE7: go to the address bar and type "www.google.com." Voila!
This is so much pissing in the wind. Google needs to get over itself and Microsoft needs a good, swift kick in the browser. Who cares! Use the browser you want to use and use the search engine you want to use! Until browsers start blocking particular search URLs of search engines refuse to run in certain browsers, there is... say it with me now... nothing to see here!
GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
It's not like Microsoft is trying to prevent users from changing their default search page, and if they did then it would definitely be an antitrust violation. If I am not mistaken, Microsoft makes it easy for a website to make their search engine default:
Do you own a site? Promote your favorite search engines (including your own, if you have one) on your site with Internet Explorer 7! All you need is to run the following script on your page: window.external.AddSearchProvider('URL') Where 'URL' points to an OpenSearch description document, which will tell Internet Explorer 7 how to add the search engine to the browser.
Maybe Google should stop whining and put this on their page and they could easily have users change their default search page when they visit Google.com. Considering they already prop up FireFox from their homepage, would it realy be that hard?
Yes, but once you have changed it, its no longer the default, its the one YOU chose.
Come as you are, do what you must, be who you will.
Because Firefox does not gain from making Google a default, it is more permisable
3 590756 Even though I'm an avid M$ basher I don't really see what they're doing wrong here. What else should they default to? Also, if you've set another engine in the IE6 preferences for autosearch, you'll get that engine rather than msn. http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/04/30/587373 .aspx
You never read this did you? http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/
They might think about including some other options by default though just to make the courts happy.
OMFG have you seen the bottom?
Providers can add their own search by including a single line of javascript.
That means that the search dropdown on IE7 will *very* rapidly fill up with porn, casino, etc. sites.. Ugh.
Funny, I thought that "accusation" was common knowledge. Opera, for instance, hasn't exactly been hiding the fact. Back in September, Jon von Tetzchner said:
And later in the same interview:
Umm, I think the migration to Google began BEFORE IE had a search from address bar setting, but I could be wrong, here.
If thats the case, and MS is so awesome at leveraging their monopolies - how did Google gain share? How did they become dominant?
This one is easy. The MSN search was absolutely HORRIBLE before. In order to get decent results, people had almost no choice but to switch to another engine.
People keep arguing that MS is leveraging a monopoly that was already in existence when Google took over. Why the hell would Google magically begin losing share now, especialy if it gained so much in the face of this monopoly?
The difference now is that the MSN search has improved significantly -- they paid attention to what Google did. Does MS deserve to gain back some market share? Yes. But they should do it without the tactics they are trying to employ.
I don't see anyone here screaming "MSN YAY!" I see alot of counter arguments, but no one actually cheering for MSN.
That's because you're reading Slashdot. Outside of this forum (and others like it), you'll see differing opinions. Yes, you and I and most of our friends know what Google is, and use it almost exclusively, but there are a lot of folks out there who don't know the difference between MSN search and Google. They just want to search the internet. In fact, some of them will use MSN Search and calling their activity "Googling". Ever hear anybody say "Yesterday, I used MSN to Google the internet..."?
GreyPoopon
--
Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?
Yeah, Google employs Firefox developers directly and indirectly pays Mozilla salaries. I suppose technically they're independant, but realistically Mozilla.org is a division of Google, Inc.
Whenever I hear the word 'Innovation', I reach for my pistol.
Out of curiosity, why would someone do this when google will do it?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
MS's market share in Web browsers was 8% once too, before they started bundling it with the OS.
Except that's not true. Microsoft achieved nearly 40% market share BEFORE IE was ever bundled with Windows. People switched to IE because, at the time, it was BETTER than Netscape. Simple as that.
I suggest you read David Bank's Breaking Windows. It has a lot of great information about the browser wars and what really happened, as apposed to the popular myths and misinformation proffered on Slashdot.
I installed one of the first IE7 beta releases. I was surprised that the new search box includes a drop down that lets you change to AOL, Yahoo, Google, or Ask Jeeves (but defaults to MSN). I selected Google once, it worked as expected, but the next time I launched IE, it was set back to MSN Search. Without digging much further, I figured that was just how it had to be... Microsoft was giving space to the others, but still asserting its control.
Then when I browsed to the Google homepage, I got a little DHTML pop-up window that said something to the effect of "hey, you're using IE7, wanna change the default for your searchbox to use Google?" Perfect, I had wanted to do that, and I guess they figured out how. So I press OK. I restarted IE7, and sure enough, my default search was now Google. Thanks Google.
Except, a funny thing happened when I let Google change my settings. That list of alternate search engines that Microsoft had provided, for the user's benefit, was now replaced by a single choice: Google. Yes, I wanted Google as my default, but I never said I wanted Google as the only choice! That's annoying.
That is when I noticed the Search Settings... menu option at the bottom of the search bar's menu. It includes a Restore Defaults... button, which does exactly that. I clicked it, and all of my search engines were back (and MSN Search was back to being the default). From that Search Settings screen, I selected Google, and clicked Set Default. Now Google was my default search engine, AND I still had the choice of selecting a different engine from the drop down. That is what I wanted. Why didn't Google give me what I wanted?