Slashdot Mirror
Google Returns As Default Search Engine In Firefox (techcrunch.com)
Mozilla today launched Firefox Quantum, which the company is calling "the biggest update since Firefox 1.0 in 2004." It brings massive performance improvements and a visual redesign. It also sets Google as the default search engine again if you live in the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan. TechCrunch reports: In 2014, Mozilla struck a deal with Yahoo to make it the default search engine provider for users in the U.S., with Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and others as options. While it was a small change, it was part of a number of moves that turned users against Firefox because it didn't always feel as if Mozilla had the user's best interests in mind. Firefox Quantum (aka, Firefox 57), is the company's effort to correct its mistakes and it's good to see that Google is back in the default slot. When Mozilla announced the Yahoo deal in 2014, it said that this was a five-year deal. Those five years are obviously not up yet. We asked Mozilla for a bit more information about what happened here.
"We exercised our contractual right to terminate our agreement with Yahoo! based on a number of factors including doing what's best for our brand, our effort to provide quality web search, and the broader content experience for our users. We believe there are opportunities to work with Oath and Verizon outside of search," Mozilla Chief Business and Legal Officer Denelle Dixon said in a statement. "As part of our focus on user experience and performance in Firefox Quantum, Google will also become our new default search provider in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan. With over 60 search providers pre-installed as defaults or secondary options across more than 90 language versions, Firefox has more choice in search providers than any other browser."
"We exercised our contractual right to terminate our agreement with Yahoo! based on a number of factors including doing what's best for our brand, our effort to provide quality web search, and the broader content experience for our users. We believe there are opportunities to work with Oath and Verizon outside of search," Mozilla Chief Business and Legal Officer Denelle Dixon said in a statement. "As part of our focus on user experience and performance in Firefox Quantum, Google will also become our new default search provider in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan. With over 60 search providers pre-installed as defaults or secondary options across more than 90 language versions, Firefox has more choice in search providers than any other browser."
If they had users' best interest in mind they wouldn't have made something like 90% of all the UI and feature-related changes they've made over the last decade...
If you're not familiar with the specifics Yahoo contract*, it includes clauses for situations like the sale to Verizon where they get to keep all the payments without having to do anything for that money if they decide they don't like Yahoo's new owners for some reason. More probably than not they just decided use this part of the contract to get double income, Mayer deal money from Verizon and search money from Google.
* https://www.recode.net/2016/7/...
"Why should I want to make anything up? Life's bad enough as it is without wanting to invent any more of it."
It is kind of hurtful to recognise that it definitively is. Many of their policies are horrible, sell every bit they have about you, some of their products aren't that good lately, etc. But their search engine is certainly good. What is even worse: the competition (for a so juicy market!!) is quite weak or, at least, aren't doing all what is required to really beat Google.
Some time ago, I wrote various posts here asking slashdotters about reliable alternatives to Google. I have been testing some of them during the last months and, so far, the best option has been startpage.com/ixquick.eu. Although I have found some problems, in general, the experience has been reasonable good. The main issue here is that the results are precisely provided by Google! A restricted (and theoretically respectful with your privacy) version of what you can find there.
I have still to do proper tests with yandex.com (which looks quite nice, but as a Russia-based search engine might have some issues) and bing.com (whose performance in the past wasn't too good, but perhaps they are better now; on the other hand, as a Microsoft company might also have some issues). A so big and profitable market, so much available money and knowledge (no idea if in general, but if you give me enough resources and a reasonable time frame, I will certainly create something really good) and so much crap! How can this be possible? We are constantly reading articles about VCs throwing lots of money at virtually anything! This is one of the safest bets ever! And all what you need is money, doing things properly and some patience!
Custom Solvers 2.0 = Alvaro Carballo Garcia = varocarbas.
But it's now slower than it used to be for all the hype of being faster.
You broke something. Nuke your profile and start again.
Yes I am most definitely blaming the user here. If you think this is in any way slower than you have done something wrong.