Firefox Search In Ubuntu 10.04 Changed To Google

kai_hiwatari writes "Sometime back Canonical decided to change the default search in Firefox that comes Ubuntu 10.04 to Yahoo! from Google. In a surprising turn-around, Canonical have decided to a ditch Yahoo! for Google. Rick Spencer from Canonical announced that Google will now be the default Firefox search in Ubuntu 10.04, not Yahoo! as was previously decided."

Comments

Good for them

[iammani]

I dont think any one would want Yahoo as default search

Re:Good for them

[HarrySquatter]

Money? Google must have offered them more to come back then they were originally paying Canonical.

Re:Good for them

[Krneki]

I dont think any one would want Yahoo as default search

Who gives a shit about what users wants anyway?

Look at Microsoft or Apple, they tell you what you need.

Re:Good for them

[sopssa]

Exactly. Why is this news? Canonical calculated that they get better commissions from Google than Yahoo at this point. It leads me to believe that Google increased their payout for Canonical and they switched back from Yahoo.

/thread

Re:Good for them

[BrokenHalo]

Click on the first link in TFA, read approximately 1.5 lines of text and you have your answer.

It doesn't cost you anything to elaborate:

"Canonical, the company behind the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution, revealed today that it has established a revenue sharing agreement with Yahoo. As part of the deal, the Firefox Web browser that is shipped in Ubuntu will be configured to use Yahoo as the default search engine . . . "

Re:Good for them

[__aasqbs9791]

...It doesn't cost you anything to elaborate: ...

He pays for internet by the character you insensitive clod!

Re:Good for them

[shaitand]

Has anyone considered the possibility they were boycotting Google after they caved to gov censorship in China and now support them again now that they have moved out?

Yahoo? What's that?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think I'll have to Google that one.

Re:Yahoo? What's that?

[Shotgun]

Dude, spend some money and get rid of that 486.

It probably doesn't matter

[blahbooboo]

If you're running Linux as your desktop OS, I suspect you have the necessary knowledge & skills to change the default search engine in your web browser

Re:It probably doesn't matter

[Compaqt]

Well, Ubuntu claims to want to be "Linux for Human Beings".

Although, on the other hand, the switch to Yahoo gives just about the same user experience as Google for the average user. You type a search query, it gives you results, in the same green and blue colors, even.

I doubt many average users would even care to change, but if they did, the UI to change it to Google is right there out in front, and only takes a single click.

Definitely not like the moving of the window controls, which does in fact change the user experience; average users are likely to want to change it; and average users are unlikely to know how to or to want to mess with Gconf to move them back and have them still messed up because the graphics are only meant for a single order of the buttons.

Re:It probably doesn't matter

[Shikaku]

https://addons.mozilla.org/addon/2109

FEBE makes this a quick backup and restore process. It will back up just about everything for you.

Useful for portable versions of firefox as well.

Re:It probably doesn't matter

[jimcooncat]

I disagree. I set up computers for people that have had no or little previous exposure to computers, and I set them up with Linux because it's easier for them to learn. Though I'm now moving to Debian, some of my first victims -- I meant users -- were first exposed to default Ubuntu and Xubuntu installs. You know what? They were able to email, browse the web, and play games with very little help from me.

For something like changing the default search engine, they would give me a call and I'd ssh/vnc into their machine and make the changes; they would watch and sometimes learn how to do it next time. Sometimes they wouldn't.

No longer can you assume that linux users have a clue. I feel it is much harder to use (and maintain) a Windows system. Unless you've had years of exposure to Windows, that is.

A good sign?

[DoofusOfDeath]

The switch to Yahoo was due to a revenue sharing deal. The switch back to Google was (reportedly) to stick users with a more "familiar" default.

So it sounds like Canonical is putting users first, which strikes me as a very good policy in the long-term, if they want to grow the user base.

But why?

[Monkeedude1212]

Perhaps "the brains" over at Canonical decided to finally listen to the open source community that provides the backbone of their business.

Re:But why?

[game kid]

Or maybe they just felt lucky.

Re:Unfortunately

[I confirm I'm not a]

Fortunately one Canonical employee is prepared to share what they know with us: from TFA:
Rick Spencer, who announced the change back to Google, said that Canonical have decided to change back to Google after deciding that Google Search will be more familiar to a lot of users upgrading to Ubuntu 10.04...

Of course, you may choose not to believe that. But Canonical are providing an explanation.

Re:Unfortunately

[Sounder40]

Fortunately one Canonical employee is prepared to share what they know with us: from TFA:
  Rick Spencer, who announced the change back to Google, said that Canonical have decided to change back to Google after deciding that Google Search will be more familiar to a lot of users upgrading to Ubuntu 10.04...

Of course, you may choose not to believe that. But Canonical are providing an explanation.

If "familiarity" was the issue, then why move the fsck'ing window buttons to the upper left? I don't buy that as an argument.

The only solution

[daranz]

I recommend that at install time, the user is presented with a window containing randomly ordered buttons for 6 of the top web search engines on the market today. By selecting one of the buttons, the user makes that search engine the default. This should keep everything fair and everyone happy.

(now we just need to find 6 search engines that people actually use)

Re:The only solution

[SharpFang]

1. piratebay.org torrent search
2. redtube
3. cracks.am ...

Re:The only solution

[macbuzz01]

I've got em:

google.com
images.google.com
video.google.com
maps.google.com
news.google.com
shopping.google.com

Smart move

[IGnatius T Foobar]

Smart move. Ubuntu has figured out that most Linux users will (correctly) follow this line of thought:
  1. Yahoo == Bing
  2. Bing == Microsoft
  3. If Ubuntu search == Yahoo, then Ubuntu == sucks

Firefox can keep its bodily functions to itself

[GoodNicksAreTaken]

...change the default search in Firefox that comes Ubuntu 10.04 to Yahoo! from Google.

Apparently I haven't been watching enough Discovery channel as I've never heard of this type of fox procreation before. Does a Firefox come Ubuntu when you Google it or only when you get it to Yahoo?

Re:Give us a choice! Let us pick!

[natehoy]

Why? No, seriously, why?

Canonical is a for-profit business that builds a seriously kick-ass distro of Linux, and they put a lot of work into doing so, and they give it to you for free. They even let other smart people use their hard work to build derivatives like Mint.

If they can make a few sheckles from setting the default search engine in their distro, when anyone with opposable thumbs and an IQ over 50 can click on the search engine logo and choose another one, why should they be going to the trouble of programming a random-order list?

If they took away the choice list, or blocked all search engines but their "preferred" one, OK, I could see an objection. If choosing a new search engine was as hard as downloading and installing a browser, I could see an objection. But this is literally a two-mouseclick choice. Other than the "in random order" part, Ubuntu already provides exactly what you propose.