A while back I suggested Yahoo could gain instant market share simply by outbidding Google to be the default browser. I immediately got a response from Mozilla lead developer Asa Dotzler saying:
Donations or other financial contributions and arrangements have nothing to do with why Google is the default search service in Firefox. Google is the default service (and was long before there was any money associated with it) in Firefox because our users tell us it’s the service they want.
Or to put it another way, Yahoo couldn’t buy the default slot in Firefox. No one could. Not even Google.
What Yahoo could do, something Google does, is to distribute a version of Firefox with Yahoo defaults. Mozilla has a broad partners program that allows for this and Yahoo could help Firefox and at the same time help themselves by participating.
But that developer even if he is a lead developer must be out of the loop. Danny Sullivan emailed me and pointed me to this article which indeed confirms that the deal between Google and Mozilla was to set Google as the default search engine and homepage for Firefox.
Yesterday Techcrunch reported Google has outbid all other search engines to ensure they remain the default search engine and homepage for Firefox users for at least the next 3 years. The total amount comes to about $180 Million Dollars for 3 years and will account for at least 85% of Mozilla’s funding.
I have to say I am very happy Google is funding Firefox. It is an awesome browser and with out the $57+ Million per year from Google their is no way it would be anything close to what it is today. (Go capitalism!)
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October 8, 2008 at 4:06 am
I agree that firefox is loved by people world wide.I would say that it can exist without google but it need google too.
September 15, 2008 at 7:56 pm
NO.
September 10, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Thats good for Mozilla. I love Firefox anyway. Google and firefox makes a great combination.
September 9, 2008 at 5:24 am
yeah probably , if google stops the funding , yahoo will jump right in (since they can’t make a deal with chrome) ..
September 3, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I’m sure they would still be around.. actually, they would probably be funded by MSN instead!
September 2, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I wonder if the release of Chrome will change this? It seems like it would be sensible for Google to stop funding the competition if they want to ensure their browser dominates…
September 1, 2008 at 3:09 pm
fire fox allows me to download music off of YouTube with one of thier plug INS. Saving me shit tons of money. Long live fire fox. Capitalism too. God bless America.
September 1, 2008 at 7:23 am
Firefox is great product – why not?
September 1, 2008 at 12:18 am
Oh yea they would be around but not nearly as big.
August 31, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Good, keeping Mozilla’s pockets lined will continue to push competition at Microsoft in turn ending developers headaches as they clean up IE.
August 30, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Come on it makes sense. Given a choice who would you align yourself with Yahoo or Google. Of course the cash must sweeten the deal.
August 30, 2008 at 5:44 pm
As an open source project, I’m not sure why Mozilla requires $180 million to operate in the first place…
August 30, 2008 at 5:40 pm
If not google, Im sure other companies will jump in too. Firefox, Opera, anything mozilla has a precense in Windows, UNIX, PDA’s, Cell Phones. Having google back it obviously will beneficial for us users as they can continue to bring us more releases
August 30, 2008 at 3:32 pm
It’s a pretty good deal for Firefox, either way. Pick the top search engine and use it as a default on your browser. If they want to pay for it, so much the better.
August 30, 2008 at 3:05 pm
My Firefox has a hole in it! Leaking memory…
August 30, 2008 at 5:27 pm
No problem if you have a good computer.
August 30, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Yeah my life wouldn’t be complete without Firefox. As a web designer/developer Firefox is amazing, I just wish someone would make using IE against the law or something because it sucks!
August 31, 2008 at 5:30 am
IE is a base browser for many backward countries. Almost half of all Internet users enjoy them.
August 30, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Does Google (through Performics) even offer their affiliate program from Firefox anymore?
August 30, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I think it is a win-win solution for them.. and us
August 30, 2008 at 10:07 am
Google made a very good move by doing this, Firefox is the best browser alive, and will be so for a long time.
August 30, 2008 at 7:39 am
Google makes a very correct bet on Mozilla. That gives him a huge advantage. I think that Google increases its influence through this.
August 30, 2008 at 2:55 am
Even as a big fan of Firefox, I’ve had to switch to Safari until 3.0.2 is out, as 3.0.1’s memory and CPU usages issues grind my relatively high performing PC to a standstill.
Here’s to some of Sergie’s cash pushing the next update out a little quicker!
August 30, 2008 at 2:52 am
Btw..
According to this article Firefox isn’t safe.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Browser-Wars-Internet-Explorer-vs-Firefox-vs-Safari-vs-Opera-83045.shtml
August 30, 2008 at 2:01 am
Firefox would have been killed by Microsoft if Google didn’t fund them.
Great job, Google….
August 30, 2008 at 12:58 am
Mozilla in general rocks. They offer so many apps. Firefox, Gimp, Filezilla, KompoZer. All for free. It will constantly evolve because its open source.
August 29, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Capitalism does offer us opportunity – to enjoy a more secure browsing experience with more powerful tools added-on
Hopefully, by being (close) to Google, Fifrefox and its user worldwide will enjoy some ‘perks’
August 29, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I think firefox is living in a fantasy world if they think they would be anything without google.
August 29, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I am glad they have the funding also. Firefox has been my main browser of for several years.
August 29, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I’m not surprised. That partnership is quite nice. $180M for 3 years… not too bad. Go Firefox! Go Google! Go Obama
!
August 29, 2008 at 7:01 pm
You’re right Shoe, without the funding it wouldn’t be where it is. If Linux received this type of funding, it probably would have gone much further as well, though the opensource geeks prefer to pretend everything can be ideal on a completely volunteer, even socialist basis, people need monetary support in order to live and spend a great deal of time developing great products.
August 29, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Firefox has a long history if you take into account the fact that it’s based on Netscape. On top of that, it’s installed by default in several *NIX operating systems (which are slowly but surely gaining terrain). I wouldn’t be surprised if someday I see Microsoft scrape IE and offer Firefox as default browser (or something based on Firefox, maybe Internet Fox or Foxplorer or any other stupid name).
In my opinion, even without the Google fundings, Firefox would continue to exist and improve. There is a large community of users and developers sustaining it.
August 29, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I am happy too, Firefox rules, especially when you look at the alternative piece of crap called IE!
August 29, 2008 at 5:09 pm
yes it would exist
if you have a great product
August 29, 2008 at 6:47 pm
It would exist but it wouldn’t have got to the stage it is at now due to Google providing 85% of its funding.
August 29, 2008 at 4:59 pm
FireFox is awesome, and wouldn’t be the same without the funding from Google… just like the millions received in donations at Wikipedia.
August 29, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Hell yeah! But Google has made the deal more lucrative for Firefox
August 29, 2008 at 2:53 pm
The ultimate irony is that I’ve changed my Firefox home page to Yahoo.com.
August 29, 2008 at 3:39 pm
HAHA! Even its same with me… I was sick of that Google FireFox Page
August 29, 2008 at 6:46 pm
The Google Firefox Homepage is nice, infact they should make their site have that background consistently.
August 29, 2008 at 4:12 pm
one thing I don’t like at yahoo is that once I log out from my email, they are redirecting me to their homepage (what if I would wanted to login to another email account !?!)…I quickly hit the x button. That’s why I can’t stand their homepage.
August 29, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I think it’s great that Google supports Firefox, it’s my browser of choice. IE simply doesn’t compare to the features FF offered even a few versions ago. IE’s catching up, but it’s still late to the party.
August 29, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I won’t say that they are late to the party because they are still leading browser market share. Firefox has somewhere around 19%-20% and IE around 70%-72%
August 29, 2008 at 2:20 pm
this seems right logic that yahoo shoud invest on firefox that would help building its user base
August 29, 2008 at 2:17 pm
It’s very hard to compete against Microsoft, even if you have better technology. So the money that Google pay Mozilla is very important for their existence.
August 29, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I think they are earning from per search made..
OR a share from sponsored ads click..
August 29, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Shoe,
If Yahoo had outbid Google to become the default engine they would have been making a humongous mistake. Most Firefox users are tech savvy and would just change the default to Google. Throwing money away like that is Microsoft’s department. Talk to them about outbidding Google.
Yahoo is tied up in funding Flock anyway.
August 29, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Most people who aren’t tech savvy also know how to change their homepage just like they have been setting it in Internet Explorer.
August 29, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Just noticed your new upgraded design (I’m using a feed reader). Looks great!
August 29, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Its all about the money honey… and googles got it in plenty!
August 29, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Maybe Cuil has a few spare change to fund Netscape?
August 29, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Cuil won’t invest in these browsers until it fixes its results. A Yahoo executive cloned Cuil called it Yuil and gave it better results using Yahoo Boss – then he had to remove it.
Also Netscape is owned by AOL
August 29, 2008 at 11:48 am
I’m glad google is funding Firefox, and even more glad yahoo is not… just about anything they touch seems to crumble lately, let’s not take down a good browser with it
August 29, 2008 at 11:44 am
it may have been the ‘users choice’ before funding, but ever since they disclosed the search revenue they get from having google up there it was obvious they would never change.
August 29, 2008 at 11:04 am
google is leading the internet world, no doubt about that
August 29, 2008 at 10:46 am
Opera seems to exist without google. Is there a mobile version of firefox?
August 29, 2008 at 1:33 pm
is not ready for user testing yet…The name of the mobile version is Fennec
August 29, 2008 at 3:36 pm
it exists… but has no market share to speak of. Maybe if Firefox was not around it might, but as I recall it was a marginal browser (marketwise), long before Firefox came around.
August 29, 2008 at 10:43 am
I don’t know what I’d do without Firefox. Certainly, I wouldn’t be running IE…
August 29, 2008 at 11:04 am
there’s always opera or safari…both of them are pretty good and way better than IE.
August 29, 2008 at 6:38 pm
There are many other browsers out there including the ones web hosting rebates has mentioned.
August 29, 2008 at 10:43 am
I think they’d still exist but the market share wouldn’t be close and there definitely wouldn’t be as many kick A plugins.
August 29, 2008 at 10:35 am
It’s just a better browsing experience, with very few crashes. Does that make me a firefoxtard?
August 29, 2008 at 10:21 am
Thank god for Google, thank god for firefox. btw, does anyone else think firefox 3 is a bit slower than the last? I’m not sure if its just me or what.
August 29, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I feel it’s faster, but it doesn’t deal with live bookmarks/feeds well for me.
It tries to update all of them at the same time and even with just 10, FF3 becomes unusable for about a minute while it updates them all.
Anyone else with a similar problem?
August 29, 2008 at 10:16 am
Indeed Google makes the world go around!! And Mozilla can count on the moolah and the blessings!!
August 29, 2008 at 6:38 pm
They aren’t counting on the blessing, they’re counting on the fact that they’ve got a good product and Google are prepared to be the homepage for its web browsers
August 29, 2008 at 10:12 am
Thank God GOogle was willing to pay for the default spot. I am not sure if firefox would be as widely accepted as it is without the default search engine being GooGle. Plus at least this keeps GooGle out of the browser wars… for now.
August 29, 2008 at 10:03 am
McCain just commited suicide if it is indeed the alaskan governor. Thanks for taking away the only scare tactic you had with the experience gig. Geesh let’s face it McCain is 72 making his VP choice all the more important.
August 29, 2008 at 9:44 am
Thank God, somebody is helping Firefox. I can’t run IE without it crashing on me every 5 minutes. If not for Firefox browing would be much more difficult.
August 29, 2008 at 11:47 am
ever heard of opera?
http://www.opera.com
September 1, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Opera is not so popular comparing with FF & IE.
August 29, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Best browsers:
K-Meleon
Firefox (my fav)
Opera
special mentions:
offby1 (lightweight)
IE6 (if it displayed pages correctly)
August 29, 2008 at 9:26 am
“Go capitalism!”
Do this mean that you now support McCain instead of Obama?
August 29, 2008 at 9:33 am
Its going to be a tough choice for me for sure.
August 29, 2008 at 11:46 am
anyone who makes a lot of money, chances are they are a republican, or at least vote that way. besides, would you make an intern the CEO of your company? no matter how promising that intern was???
August 29, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Looks like the old washed up CEO who doesnt know what is going on in the world just hired someone as his number 2 who isn’t even intern level yet just because of her looks. God bless america
August 30, 2008 at 7:42 am
This comment is called “a step without any policy”. -)))
September 1, 2008 at 5:43 pm
you are right, this November is going to be tough. Honestly I don’t like either one
August 29, 2008 at 9:24 am
If Mozilla only served Google Search as a default engine because they liked it and it has nothing to do with money or bidding, then why the hell do they serve Yahoo Search in Japan and Asia? Why? Because the money was better : http://tinyurl.com/5ejs39
I too am glad Google is funding Firefox … but I’m sure M$ is not
August 29, 2008 at 9:21 am
If that is what it takes for them to offer a viable solution to IE, I have no problem with it. I’ve changed the default home page on browsers the day I install them forever.
August 31, 2008 at 1:14 pm
So i guess if I have a semi-good search engine as google, but if I get over $185 million to Mozilla to have my site as the default search engine I will get a great market share overnight?
But then IE comes out with MSN website by default, and yet people are still using google to search rather than Live..
September 1, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I’m the same way, I change the default browser day 1. I don’t like MSN