Imagine Mozilla Firefox Without Google
According to a report in BusinessWeek, executives at Mozilla (the company responsible for popular browser, Firefox), are thinking about cutting ties with Google.
Ever since Google launched its Chrome browser, people have been questioning the stability of the search giant’s relationship with Mozilla. While Google continues to support the Mozilla Foundation, the CEO of the latter has admitted recently that things aren’t exactly a bed of roses and said the relationship is strained. Today, news reports say Mozilla is rethinking things altogether.
Up until September it seemed like a fool proof deal penned to greatly benefit both parties. BusinessWeek reports that Google accounts for more than 88 percent of Mozilla's revenue, which totaled $75 million in 2007 and as more folks go Firefox, Google adds to its already huge share in the search market. Firefox has about 22 percent of the browser market placing it second only to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
Mozilla Chair Mitchell Baker told BusinessWeek that the company is busy brainstorming about other possible search partnerships as well as alternative ways to generate revenue. Baker said Google could breach the contract or simply decide not to renew in 2011 but that she doesn’t expect Google to do either. CEO of Mozilla John Lilly said in December that the Google agreement is the longest deal the company had entered into (three years) and detailed that one can’t depend on a single organization. He also said companies cooperate in certain areas and compete in other areas all the time and that the company was cooperating with Google because it gives the best search experience, something that is a fundamental entry point to the web which, to us, roughly translates as, “This isn’t forever, we’re just biding our time.”
So Mozilla is thinking of alternatives, but what are they? Barker said an obvious one would be replacing Google with another search company and said that such a deal would present an easy way for a competitor to garner some of Google’s market share quickly. She detailed that one company had offered a blank check to take Google’s place but was quick to add it wasn’t Microsoft. Could that be the work of Yahoo!’s newly hired and fairly nutty CEO, Carol Bartz? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, this deal is on the rocks. The two companies may share a backyard, but we fear the collaboration between them is running into extra time.
I would argue that the majority of those using Firefox actively chose a different browser, and would thus be intelligent enough to change their home page. It's the first option on the first tab in Preferences, or you can just drag the icon by the url about 20 pixels to the left to the home icon.
I really want to believe most of those who use Firefox use a different browser, but I myself use Google esp with the search bar on the top right. Would you have any research to back up this claim?
I'm confused as to what you want me to back up. Firefox does not ship with Windows or Mac operating systems, which account for 98% of total operating system market share. Thus, for Firefox to hold 22% of the market, many using Mac or Windows must have actively installed Firefox as their primary browser.
I disagree. Anyone who reads a newspaper or watches television knows about Firefox. Back when IE was getting hit with malware on a weekly basis it was a regular feature on network news. People are just lazy.
TH has had some good articles today, most of them very interesting to read and respond to.
Unless google and firefox started despising each other and decided they would not allow users to use each other's services, then Google and Firefox will always work together. If Firefox stopped allowing Google to be used, Firefox would lose tons of market share. If Google decided to stop allowing Firefox users, Google would lose tons of market share.
I'm not an expert, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!
There are a lot of technology illiterate people out there (I work with some).