Posted on 02/10/2005 7:17:10 PM PST by Eagle9
Yahoo Inc. on Thursday launched a beta release of a toolbar for Mozilla Firefox, a sign of the increasing popularity of the open-source web browser.
The Sunnyvale, Calif., portal giant is providing Firefox users with a version of the toolbar Yahoo currently provides for Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer. The purpose of the software, which is installed under the browser's address bar, is to give people one-click access to Yahoo services.
Features in the toolbar beta include search that looks for information on the web, Yahoo or on a particular website. There's also a search history to check previous searches.
Translation of web pages written in foreign languages is available through the use of Babel Fish, a translation tool provided by Overture Services Inc. that ships with the Yahoo Toolbar.
In addition, the beta software provides mail notification and alerts for subscribers of Yahoo's email service.
Mitchell Baker, president of the Mozilla Foundation, which oversees the development of Firefox, said in a joint statement with Yahoo that the announcement "demonstrates the popularity of the browser and the success of the Mozilla platform."
Indeed, the most recent figures from WebSideStory Inc., a San Diego-based web analytics firm, indicate that Firefox has about 5 percent of the browser market, while Internet Explorer has about 90 percent. The Mozilla Foundation says the browser has been downloaded 23 million times since the 1.0 version was released in November.
The Firefox toolbar does not support Yahoo's Anti-Spyware feature, which the company plans to include in a future update. The toolbar is available only for Windows, with versions for the Mac OS X and Linux expected soon.
My 1.0 already has a yahoo search box right there with the Google and Altavista et. al.
no thanks, I don't need more stuff on my browser. I have a tab for yahoo if i want to use their stuff...
I wonder how much spyware or adware is involved?
In fact, I may use AdBlock to blow away some more Yahoo ads, just out of spite.
This will be the portal the spyware hacks have been waiting for
Firefox ping!
Putting an advertising toolbar on Firefox after switching from IE ==> Like driving through a carwash straight into a mud pit.
Adware. That was just what I was thinking. I was wondering how long it would be till they hacked firefox.
Does anyone else find Firefox slower to load?
If your talking about it taking longer to show the text of some sites then yes. I think it's trying to position the page framework before it places the text or something. It seems like forever on sites like foxnews and others. It's release 1.0. Give them a chance, I'm sure they'll fix it.
This is an optional add-on toolbar like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. are for Internet Explorer. It should not affect your Firefox browser, unless you decide to install it.
You can bet I Won't. I like FireFox a lot and hope it will stay that way :-)
Those that are listed but not linked can be found by going to the link below and typing the web site name, e.g., allmusic, into the plugin search box, or looking in the categories below it.
http://mycroft.mozdev.org/
I have little use for Yahoo or Howard Dean, but I have to admit the commercial he recorded for Yahoo making fun of his primal scream was pretty clever.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.