WebProNews

Tag: Mozilla

  • Report Looks At Yahoo Firefox Deal’s Impact On Paid Search

    In November, Yahoo and Mozilla announced a new partnership, which would make Yahoo the default search experience in the Firefox browser beginning with version 34, which was released in early December.

    On Thursday, Merkle | RKG released its Digital Marketing Report for Q4 2014 (download page) looking at performance data and trends for Google, Yahoo, and Bing. It looks at a variety of aspects of search, but a section in the middle deals specifically with the effects of the Yahoo/Mozilla deal on paid search.

    “We’re now able to assess the impact of the deal on Yahoo’s share of Firefox paid search traffic, which grew from 12% at the beginning of December to 30% by the end of the year,” it says. “However, digging deeper reveals that Yahoo’s share of Firefox 34 paid clicks has been in decline ever since the first big wave of updates in the second week of December. While the initial rollout saw Yahoo’s share rise to a peak of 43% on December 10th, that figure was just 36% by December’s end.”

    “This is primarily the result of users switching the default search engine of their browsers back to Google, as shown by the corresponding increase in Google’s share of Firefox 34 paid clicks throughout the month of December,” the report says. “All in all, it appears the deal will move about 2% or less of total paid search traffic from Google to Yahoo. This is far less than the 10%+ of paid traffic that stands to be on the table if Safari default search were to change hands, which news outlets have reported is a possibility in 2015.”

    Google has been showing concern about users sticking with Yahoo. It’s been showing Firefox users who visit its homepage a message saying, “Get to Google faster. Make Google your default search engine.”

    On Wednesday, the company tweeted:

    According to the Merkle | RKG report, Bing and Yahoo outpaced Google in paid search growth, not only because of the Yahoo Firefox deal, but also rapid growth from Bing Product Ads.

    Images via Merkle | RKG, Google

  • Google Shows Concern Over Firefox Switch To Yahoo

    As you may know, Yahoo recently became the default search engine in Mozilla’s Firefox browser after Google had held the spot for a decade. As Yahoo’s search market share has already benefited from the switch, Google is telling Firefox users to switch back.

    On Wednesday, Google tweeted this helpful little video demonstrating how to change the default search experience, in case users who care enough about Google to follow the company on Twitter couldn’t figure out how to do that.

    Danny Sullivan points out that Google is now telling Firefox users who visit its homepage to set the default experience back to Google as well. It displays a message that says, “Get to Google faster. Make Google your default search engine.”

    Yahoo itself has been telling visitors to its homepage to “upgrade” to the new Firefox:

    A couple weeks ago, StatCounter released some data on search market share in the U.S. finding that Yahoo saw its highest amount of that in over five years in December, thanks to its new Mozilla partnership.

    “The move by Mozilla has had a definite impact on US search,” said StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen. “The question now is whether Firefox users switch back to Google.”

    It will be interesting to see January’s data. Google is obviously worried enough about it to tweet out explanations on how to switch back.

    This week, comScore also put out its monthly look at U.S. desktop search engine rankings for December. From that:

    Google Sites led the U.S. explicit core search market in December with 65.4 percent market share, followed by Microsoft Sites with 19.7 percent (up 0.1 percentage points) and Yahoo Sites with 11.8 percent (up 1.6 percentage points). Ask Network accounted for 2 percent of explicit core searches, followed by AOL, Inc. with 1.2 percent.

    18.7 billion explicit core searches were conducted in December, with Google Sites ranking first with 12.2 billion (up 2 percent). Microsoft Sites ranked second with 3.7 billion searches (up 5 percent), followed by Yahoo Sites with 2.2 billion (up 21 percent), Ask Network with 372 million (up 5 percent) and AOL, Inc. with 222 million.

    As its share rises, Yahoo is also testing out a search results page layout that more closely resembles Google’s:

    You’d have to think a similar look and feel to Google could keep some used to the Google experience from Firefox from bothering to switch back compared to a more drastic change such as Yahoo’s current layout.

    Apparently Bing’s actually testing a similar look as well.

    This might not be a good time for Google to be losing any search market share, considering that analysts have already grown concerned by slowing growth in its core ad business.

    Images via Mozilla, Google, Yahoo, StatCounter, comScore

  • Firefox 35 Features Improved Video Chat With Firefox Hello

    Mozilla just launched Firefox 35, which includes improvements to its video chat offering. Firefox Hello was first introduced in testing in October. New functionality has been added to make it available for primetime in Firefox 35.

    Mozila is dubbing it “a simpler way to communicate”. It lets you make video calls to anyone using a WebRTC-enabled browser (like Firefox, Chrome, or Opera). It’s free, and you don’t have to sign up for an account to use it. Plus it’s built directly into the actual browser.

    Firefox Hello

    “Before Firefox Hello, making a video call meant giving up your email address and possibly more personal information as well as downloading software before you could start the conversation,” Mozilla says. “Now we’re making it even easier to say ‘hello’ by eliminating some of the call steps and allowing you to save and name your favorite conversations, so you can drop into them as soon as you click a link.”

    It utilizes a new rooms-based conversations model. To use it, just find the Hello icon in the menu bar or customization panel, and click “Start a conversation”. A window will open showing a self-view until the person you invited clicks on the link and joins the room. You should get an audio notification, and the Hello icon turns blue.

    Conversations have unique URLs. You can create multiple conversations and name them, so you can return to them later without having to start new ones with new links.

    “For those of you who want to contact someone directly, you just need to make sure both parties have Firefox Accounts,” Mozilla says. “If your contacts have a Firefox Account and are online, then you can call these contacts directly from Firefox. You can sign into your Firefox Account on every computer you use, so you can be reached at home or at work. If you have a Google account, you can easily import your contacts to your Hello address book. Simply select ‘Import Contacts’ from the address book and then sign into your Google account to give permission.”

    Firefox Hello was developed in partnership with Telefónica, and uses ToxBox technology. Mozilla says it will be testing features like screen sharing and online collaboration.

    Image via Mozilla

  • Yahoo Up, Google Down After Firefox Switch

    Yahoo Up, Google Down After Firefox Switch

    Well, it looks like that deal Yahoo struck with Mozilla is making a pretty significant difference in the U.S. search market. Obviously Google is still dominating by a very wide margin, but since the deal went into effect, Yahoo has reached its highest share of that market since 2009, while Google is down.

    Do you think this will turn into a more meaningful change in the search market? Will Yahoo continue to gain some of its share back or do you expect this to just be a small blip? Share your thoughts in the comments.

    This information comes from StatCounter, which says Google is at its lowest U.S. share since its been recording the data. The data is based on over 15 billion page views per month to over three million websites.

    Late last year, Mozilla’s long-time partnership with Google came to an end in the U.S. and in a handful of other countries. While Google has been the default search experience for a decade, obviously lending a great amount of queries to the search giant, that honor now goes to Yahoo in the U.S., Yandex in Russia, and Baidu in China. Google remains the default experience in other countries, but some of these could eventually change too.

    “This is the most significant long-term partnership for Yahoo in five years,” a spokesperson for Yahoo told WebProNews in November, adding that the company would also be introducing an enhanced search experience for Firefox users, before launching it to others.

    “In evaluating our search partnerships, our primary consideration was to ensure our strategy aligned with our values of choice and independence, and positions us to innovate and advance our mission in ways that best serve our users and the Web,” said Mozilla CEO Chris Beard. “In the end, each of the partnership options available to us had strong, improved economic terms reflecting the significant value that Firefox brings to the ecosystem.”

    Not only did Firefox switch default search engines in some countries, it added more options as well. In all, Firefox now has 61 different search providers pre-installed across 88 different language versions.

    Shortly after the latest version of Firefox (34) became available, StatCounter shared data suggesting a quick 3x jump in Firefox searches with Yahoo.

    Apparently things have been going pretty well with the partnership since then. Last month, Yahoo achieved its highest U.S. search share in over five years. Here’s how the share looked between November and December.

    It could actually be Bing, who is at risk of losing its ranking in terms of market share.

    “The move by Mozilla has had a definite impact on US search,” said StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen. “The question now is whether Firefox users switch back to Google.”

    According to the company, Firefox users represented just over 12% of US internet usage in December. Yahoo is doing its part to bump that number up. Since the integration went into effect, Yahoo has been telling users on its homepage to upgrade to the new Firefox, regardless of what browser they’re using. Even Chrome users, for example, see the message.

    It’s never been clearer how smart of a move it was on Google’s part to build Chrome and make it arguably the best browser the web has to offer. It’s also clear that it remains in the best interest of Google’s business at large that Chrome remains the market leader. Purely from a search standpoint, it means it can keep a default Google experience for more users without worrying about expiring partnerships and changes of heart from partners.

    Apple is another long-time partner who has been inching further and further away from Google. Apple’s deal with Google, which sees Google as the default experience on Safari, expires this year, and both Yahoo and Microsoft are reportedly eager to step in as a replacement. It remains to be seen if Google will lose another major browser partnership. If Apple elects to go a different route, we can probably expect the company to make some significant improvements to Safari to help it better compete with Chrome.

    In other Yahoo Search news, the Yahoo Directory, which basically put the company on the map, and was the Google of its day, is officially dead. Meanwhile, the company has added search to its Aviate Android app, enabling users to search apps, contacts, and the web from their homescreen. Yahoo acquired Aviate about a year ago.

    Yahoo’s most recent earnings report revealed that its search advertising business is outperforming its display business. While it’s certainly making efforts to improve the display side of things, the Firefox deal should play a pretty significant role in boosting the search ad business even more.

    Do you think Yahoo can make a significant impact in the search market after all these years? Let us know in the comments.

    Images via StatCounter, Yahoo

  • CES: Firefox OS Heads To Televisions

    CES: Firefox OS Heads To Televisions

    At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Mozilla announced some new developments for Firefox OS to help expand it into more device categories. These include televisions, and Panasonic announced a lineup of 4K Ultra HD smart TVs powered by the operating system.

    “Mozilla and Panasonic collaborated to create a new innovative, interactive and customizable user interface powered by Firefox OS, which will be available on Panasonic’s new Life+ Screen TVs starting this spring,” Mozilla said. “Through the collaboration, Panasonic’s 2015 TV user interface has advanced significantly from last year, making it even easier for users to quickly access their favorite content – including live TV, applications, websites and content on other devices. Also, for the first time, these Panasonic TVs powered by Firefox OS will allow TV on-screen notifications from applications, and, in the future, from compatible connected appliances.”

    “We’ve made it easy to find your favorite content and applications or customize the user interface on our Life+ Screen 4K Ultra HD Smart TVs, powered by Firefox OS,” said Yuki Kusumi, Director of the Home Entertainment Business Division of Appliances Company of Panasonic. “Firefox OS uses open Web technologies, which allow us to maximize compatibility with other devices like smartphones and laptops to send content (such as your favorite photos or videos) to your TV.”

    Matchstick also launched a new open source streaming platform with new hardware partnerships with Philips/AOC and TCL for devices that utilize Firefox OS.

    Image via YouTube

  • Yahoo Tells Users To ‘Upgrade’ To Firefox

    As you may know, Yahoo recently secured a five-year deal with Mozilla to become the default search engine for the Firefox web browser in the U.S. This went into effect with the latest Firefox release, which was launched last week.

    Now, Yahoo is going so far as to tell users on its various web properties, including its popular homepage, to “upgrade to the new Firefox.” They’re not just telling Firefox users to upgrade to the new version. They’re telling other users, like those using Chrome, to “upgrade” to it.

    You’ll also see it at Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Finance, and elsewhere.

    Yahoo stands to gain a lot if it can get more people to opt for Firefox over Chrome, as it could put a bigger dent in Google’s share of the search market. An early report from StatCounter after the latest version of Firefox was release found that a lot more people started searching with Yahoo. In fact, Yahoo saw a 3x jump in Firefox searches right after the update.

    The firm found that Yahoo usage on Firefox 34 was 29.4% compared to 9.6% for Firefox 33. Google search usage by Firefox users dropped from 82.1% to 63.5% as they upgraded to the new version, it found, and Bing declined from 6.5% on Firefox 33 to 5.8% on Firefox 34.

    Even ahead of the Firefox deal, Yahoo’s search business was looking up. This should help add some momentum to that, and help the company’s search revenue even more.

    Via TechCrunch

    Image via Yahoo

  • Yahoo Sees 3x Jump In Firefox Searches With Browser Update

    As you may know, Yahoo recently entered a five-year partnership with Mozilla to see Yahoo Search become the default search experience in Firefox. This is a big deal in search because the browser has had Google in this spot for the past decade. It gives Yahoo a chance to gain some searches it wasn’t otherwise getting.

    The first version of Firefox – 34 – to utilize Yahoo as the default launched this week, and it appears to already be helping Yahoo significantly.

    StatCounter says on December 2nd in the US, Yahoo search was used three times more on Firefox 34 than on Firefox 33.

    The firm found that Yahoo usage on Firefox 34 was 29.4% compared to 9.6% for Firefox 33. Google search usage by Firefox users dropped from 82.1% to 63.5% as they upgraded to the new version, it found, and Bing declined from 6.5% on Firefox 33 to 5.8% on Firefox 34.

    While this is obviously a limited data set, this brings up a pretty interesting point in that Mozilla’s move to Yahoo could actually hurt Bing. In the past, users who simply didn’t want to use Google may have switched their search preference to Bing, whereas now, perhaps they’re more likely to just leave it at Yahoo.

    We’ll look forward to seeing an update on these numbers as users have had more time to update their browsers and their search preferences.

    “Firefox 34 is still being rolled out so its usage is currently quite low. It will be interesting to see how this develops,” said StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen. “At the moment the change is having a negligible impact on overall search share in the US, but if this early usage trend on Firefox 34 continues then Yahoo could be on course to gain a number of percentage points.”

    According to StatCounter, on December 2nd, overall search share across all browsers in the US was 78% for Google, 12.4% for Bing and 7.9% for Yahoo.

    In the meantime, it seems Yahoo and Bing are vying to replace Google as the default experience for Apple’s Safari browser, which should have a significant impact on market share for either. It remains to be seen whether or not Apple moves away from Google here, but if past moves by the company are any indication, it’s a very real possibility.

    Yahoo’s most recent earnings report illustrated that its search business has begun to perform better than its display ad business. It’s deals to become the search provider for third-party services that give engines like Yahoo and Bing the best chance to gain some market share against Google.

    Image via StatCounter

  • Mozilla Is Working On Firefox For iOS

    Mozilla Is Working On Firefox For iOS

    A lot of things seem to be changing in Firefox Land since CEO Chris Beard took over this year. Recently, Mozilla announced a five-year partnership with Yahoo, which sees the search engine replacing Google as the default search experience in the Firefox web browser in the U.S.

    That alone was a huge move as it had been with Google for a decade. It has also added advertising to the browser experience, and launched some new privacy-related features and a developer-specific version of its browser.

    Another thing on Mozilla’s list is apparently getting iOS users to use the browser. While Firefox has been available for Android for years now, Mozilla has historically indicated that it wouldn’t be making the browser available for iOS. The problem has been that Mozilla can’t use its rendering engine on iOS as Apple requires browsers to use the WebKit engine that’s employed by Safari and Chrome.

    Under the new management, however, things may soon change. Mozilla executives indicated they want to get the browser on Apple’s popular operating system. After that sparked some interest in the blogosphere, Mozilla posted this statement to its blog:

    At Mozilla, we put our users first and want to provide an independent choice for them on any platform. We are in the early stages of experimenting with something that allows iOS users to be able to choose a Firefox-like experience.

    We work in the open at Mozilla and are just starting to experiment, so we’ll update you when we have more to share.

    That’s certainly a good start as far as Firefox fans are concerned. Unfortunately, Mozilla is pretty late to the game on this one, and will have to overcome longtime iOS users’ habits of using browsers like Safari and Chrome.

    Image via Joshua Wolford

  • Firefox Adds To Its New Search Efforts

    Firefox Adds To Its New Search Efforts

    Mozilla really wants to give you more non-Google ways of finding things. As you may know, it recently announced that it has entered into a five-year agreement with Yahoo, which will see the search engine become the default experience for the Firefox browser in the U.S. Mozilla has also secured Yandex and Baidu as the default search engines for Firefox in Russia and China respectively.

    When Mozilla announced all of this, it also mentioned that all in all, Firefox has 61 search providers across 88 different languages pre-installed. In the U.S., it will continue to have Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, eBay, Amazon, Twitter and Wikipedia in that mix.

    On Wednesday, Mozilla made another search announcement aimed at helping users search for things using the different engines more quickly.

    “How often have you done a web search, already knowing that you would click the first result that looked like a Wikipedia page?” asks Mozilla’s Philipp Sackl. “Quite often? Then Firefox is about to make your life easier. With the new one click searches, you can instantly find what you are looking for across the web.”

    “When typing a search term into the Firefox search box, you will notice two new things,” he explains. “First, we improved the design of search suggestions to make them look a lot more organized. And second: there is an array of buttons below your search suggestions. These buttons allow you to find your search term directly on a specific site quickly and easily.”

    You’ll be able to add additional search engines, as well as show and hide the ones that are included in the feature.

    Image via Mozilla

  • Could Google Lose Apple Like It Lost Firefox?

    Google may be in danger of losing a major deal for its search engine, which could result in a reduction in market share.

    Google has already lost out to Yahoo as the default search engine for Mozilla’s Firefox browser in the U.S. While Google will remain the default experience for Firefox in Europe, that could change in the future. Mozilla also elected to go with Yandex and Baidu in Russia and China respectively.

    According to a new report from The Information, Apple’s deal with Google will expire next year, and Yahoo and Microsoft are both eager to step in as a replacement, which shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise.

    As Bing has basically acknowledged that it can’t win the war against Google from Bing.com, such a deal could be of major help to the search engine. Meanwhile, Yahoo has really been on the upswing with its search business, and no doubt wants to continue that momentum.

    While this could ultimately come down to a bidding war, Apple is also not likely to want to compromise the user experience, so Microsoft and Yahoo will have to prove that they can do search just as well as the king.

    Yahoo, of course, once was the king, but that was long ago. Under former Googler Marissa Mayer, however, the company has been making some significant moves in tech. Becoming the default search for Safari would be huge for the company.

    Apple, which in recent years has increasingly tried to distance itself from dependence on Google, has already partnered with Microsoft to make Bing the default web search on Siri.

    The search engine Apple chooses could have a major impact on the search landscape. It’s hard to say just how big of an impact though, as Google would certainly still be an option and a setting adjustment away.

    Image via Apple

  • Yahoo Takes Major Search Partner Away From Google

    Yahoo may have lost its way in search over the years, but it would appear that CEO Marissa Mayer is determined to bring search back to the forefront. Going to head with her former employer in its specialty may not be an easy feat, but she’s doing everything she can, it would seem, to cement Yahoo’s brand back into search relevance. Keep in mind, Yahoo was the king of search at one point, and a lot of people are frustrated with Google for various reasons (look no further than the comment sections on our Google search articles for proof of that).

    Can Yahoo make a significant comeback in search? Share your thoughts in the comments.

    Yahoo and Mozilla announced a strategic five-year partnership making Yahoo Search the default search engine for Firefox in the United States both on mobile and desktop.

    “This is the most significant long-term partnership for Yahoo in five years,” a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews. “As part of this, Yahoo will introduce an enhanced search experience, which U.S. Firefox users will receive first in December 2014.”

    This is huge news for both parties as well as for search in general. Google has been the global default search experience in Firefox for the past ten years. While Chrome has emerged in the meantime, Firefox remains a popular browser, and should give Yahoo a significant boost in searches.

    Here’s what the desktop web browser market share looked like last month (via Wikipedia):

    The Mozilla Google deal came up for renewal this year, and Mozilla decided to review its competitive strategy and explore its options.

    “In evaluating our search partnerships, our primary consideration was to ensure our strategy aligned with our values of choice and independence, and positions us to innovate and advance our mission in ways that best serve our users and the Web,” said CEO Chris Beard. “In the end, each of the partnership options available to us had strong, improved economic terms reflecting the significant value that Firefox brings to the ecosystem. But one strategy stood out from the rest.”

    Firefox will on longer have a single global default search provider. Mozilla says it’s adopting a “more local and flexible” approach with different partnerships for different countries. While Yahoo is the U.S. partner, it’s Yandex in Russia and Baidu in China. In all, Firefox will have 61 different search providers pre-installed across 88 different language versions. Google will still be among those options, and it will continue to power Safe Browsing and Geolocation features in Firefox. Google will also remain the default in Europe.

    That could change, however, and given that Mozilla and Yahoo are now buddies, you have to wonder if Yahoo will eventually take the reins there too.

    Mayer said, “We’re thrilled to partner with Mozilla. Mozilla is an inspirational industry leader who puts users first and focuses on building forward-leaning, compelling experiences. We’re so proud that they’ve chosen us as their long-term partner in search, and I can’t wait to see what innovations we build together. Yahoo, we believe deeply in search – it’s an area of investment, opportunity and growth for us. This partnership helps to expand our reach in search and also gives us an opportunity to work closely with Mozilla to find ways to innovate more broadly in search, communications, and digital content.”

    “Our teams worked closely with Mozilla to build a clean, modern, and immersive search experience that will launch first to Firefox’s U.S. users in December and then to all Yahoo users in early 2015. The interactive and integrated experience also better leverages our world-class content and personalization technologies,” she said. “Search inspires us because we think it’s something that will change and improve dramatically, and because fundamentally, search is about human curiosity — and that is something that will never be finished.”

    “Search is a core part of the online experience for everyone, with Firefox users alone searching the Web more than 100 billion times per year globally,” said Beard. “Our new search strategy doubles down on our commitment to make Firefox a browser for everyone, with more choice and opportunity for innovation. We are excited to partner with Yahoo to bring a new, re-imagined Yahoo search experience to Firefox users in the U.S. featuring the best of the Web, and to explore new innovative search and content experiences together.”

    In recent years, Yahoo has become known more for its display advertising business than its search business, but in its most recent earnings report, it actually revealed that it’s doing better in search. The company saw its eleventh quarter of year-over-year search revenue growth with price-per-click up in most regions.

    “We continue to find ways to enhance the performance of our search ads through better user interfaces and higher quality traffic and as advertisers ultimately find our search ads more valuable,” Mayer said at the time.

    She also talked a little about search on the conference call that followed the earnings release. She said, “When we think about what will search look like, on a phone, on a smaller device 10 years from now, we think it looks pretty different then it looks today. We really like the Aviate technology that we acquired we’ve been looking at how can really enrich the experience such that its not a lot of different answers perfectly ranked but actually the one answer you need when you’re on the go, or you’re working in a more constrained display, real constrained screening environment.”

    More on the Aviate acquisition here.

    As you probably know, Yahoo made a deal with Microsoft in the pre-Mayer years, which saw Bing powering Yahoo search, but it’s become increasingly clear that Mayer isn’t a big fan of the deal, and it will likely end eventually. Having a partnership with Mozilla will help it better compete with both Google and Microsoft, which of course uses Bing for its Internet Explorer browser.

    Interestingly enough, it sounds like Bing doesn’t think it will really ever be able to take significant market share away from Google when it comes to core search.

    For what it’s worth, the Yahoo/Bing partnership saw its biggest paid search market share increase in five years in Q3.

    As far as Firefox goes, Mozilla is doing plenty to keep its flagship product relevant, which will only help Yahoo in the United States. It recently announced some major privacy-related initiatives, and that’s something that’s been on a lot of people’s minds, particularly since the whole NSA/PRISM scandal came to light. By the way, under the partnership, Mozilla says Yahoo will support Do Not Track in Firefox.

    Mozilla is also courting developers with a new Developer Edition of Firefox.

    As of this summer, Mozilla is under new leadership as Beard became CEO, though he’s been “deeply involved with every aspect of Mozilla” since 2004.

    Google’s dominance has been helped by partnerships like the ones it has held with Google and Apple over the years, but those are starting to break down. Apple has also been distancing itself from Google reliance in a variety of ways over the past couple years.

    Google is too big at this point to face any major threat, but losing such significant partnerships has to hurt it to some extent. And if you’ll recall, when Google released its latest earnings report, one of the storylines was whether or not Google’s core business is actually in trouble. Some analysts seem to think it might be as growth has slowed. Google has also seen twelve straight quarters of ad price decline.

    In case you haven’t noticed, Yahoo has been making a lot of acquisitions over the past couple years, and has been launching major overhauls to its core products while getting rid of others so it can focus on the ones that really matter. It’s hard to argue that Mayer hasn’t breathed new life into the company since she took over.

    Yahoo doesn’t have to become top dog in search again to have a major impact on the web and businesses. Either way, for the first time in a long time, it would seem that Yahoo has plenty to be excited about when it comes to search.

    Do you use Firefox? Yahoo Search? Do you you think Yahoo is headed in the right direction? Discuss.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mozilla’s New Browser Ads Make Their Debut

    Mozilla announced in February that it would sell ad space in its popular Firefox browser through “Directory Tiles,” which would replace the nine blank tiles on the tab page with “pre-packaged content” for first time users.

    “Directory Tiles will instead suggest pre-packaged content for first-time users,” explained Mozilla’s VP of Content Services, Darren Herman at the time. “Some of these tile placements will be from the Mozilla ecosystem, some will be popular websites in a given geographic location, and some will be sponsored content from hand-picked partners to help support Mozilla’s pursuit of our mission. The sponsored tiles will be clearly labeled as such, while still leading to content we think users will enjoy.”

    On Thursday, Mozilla and Mindshare North America announced a partnership, which will see the agency network provide its clients with access to these ad spot in the browser. The first client to go live is CVS Health.

    “We believe there is a huge gap in the marketplace around user participation in advertising: it’s non-existent at scale. We believe users will trust advertising if it’s transparent and they have control of their experience,” said Herman. “We built our own solution to show the world that putting the user first is possible and we will partner with different technology companies over the coming months to extend our principles beyond Firefox.”

    “We are excited for CVS Health to be one of the first launch partners with Mozilla’s new content initiative. We are always looking for ways to be innovative, break through the clutter, and bring first-to-market opportunities to our brands,” said Marisa Skolnick, Associate Director, Mindshare North America. “Mozilla has given us that opportunity and allowed us to help ideate and take a first look into future concepts.”

    GroupM, which is Mindshare’s parent company, will work with Mozilla to refine new ad products, and will provide “product advisory” through next year.

    Image via PR Newswire

  • Mozilla Puts Greater Emphasis On Privacy In Firefox

    Mozilla is celebrating ten years of Firefox with a handful of announcements. We told you about the launch of Firefox Developer Edition, which it had previously teased, but that’s only part of the celebration.

    The regular Firefox browser is getting a Forget button to keep browsing history private on shared computers or protect users from visits to suspicious sites.

    Mozilla commissioned a survey from Harris Poll, which found that men are three times more likely to have visited an adult website and “wish they could forget it.” Men are also twice as likely than females to have visited an online dating site while already in a relationship (and again, wish they could “forget” it).

    Over half of young adults (19 – 34) have done something online they’d like to forget, while one in three women want to “forget an online shopping binge,” the survey finds. Men are more likely than women to clear their online browsing history daily.

    Firefox is also adding DuckDuckGo, a search engine that doesn’t collect or store search info, as a search option across Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.

    Finally, Mozilla announced a new strategic initiative called Polaris to “bring together the best and brightest to explore new approaches to enhance privacy controls online.”

    A spokesperson said in an email, “Polaris will bring together Mozilla’s global community with industry experts from the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and the Tor Project, and others, with an open call for participation. Initially, Mozilla is exploring an experimental tracking protection tool and working closely with Tor to test and strengthen their network.”

    More on Mozilla’s new announcements here.

    Image via Joshua Wolford

  • Mozilla Launches Firefox Developer Edition

    Earlier this month, Mozilla teased an upcoming version of Firefox specifically for developers. It’s now released Firefox Developer Edition.

    The browser replaces the Aurora channel in the Firefox Release process, and features will land in Developer Edition every six weeks, just like Aurora. This is after they have stabilized in Nightly builds.

    Developer Edition gives developers access to tools and platform features at least twelve weeks before they reach the main Firefox release channel. It will also include experimental tools.

    “For example, the Developer Edition includes the Firefox Tools Adapter, which enables you to connect the Firefox developer tools to other browsers such as Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS,” Mozilla says.

    The browser uses a separate profile from other versions installed on your computer so you can run the alongside one another. Default preference values are tailored for web developers. Chrome and remote debugging are enabled by default, for example.

    You can download and learn more about Firefox Developer Edition here.

    Image via YouTube

  • Mozilla Teases Browser For Developers [#Fx10]

    Mozilla has a new browser specifically dedicated to developers coming out soon. It will be unveiled on November 10th. Mozilla teased it with a brief video on Monday:

    “When building for the Web, developers tend to use a myriad of different tools which often don’t work well together,” Mozilla said in a blog post. “This means you end up switching between different tools, platforms and browsers which can slow you down and make you less productive. So we decided to unleash our developer tools team on the entire browser to see how we could make your lives easier.”

    “We’ve redesigned the browser by looking at it through a completely new filter to put developers’ interests first,” it added. “It’s built by developers for developers so you can debug the whole Web, allowing you to more easily build awesome Web experiences. It also integrates some powerful new tools like WebIDE and the Firefox Tools Adapter. Soon, we’re going to bring you more, a lot more, in a package that you deserve as a builder for an independent Web.”

    We’ll be learning plenty more about what Mozilla has in store in a week. Stay Tuned.

    Image via YouTube

  • Google Discovers ‘POODLE’ Vulnerability In SSL 3.0

    Google announced that it has discovered a vulnerability (referred to as POODLE) in SSL version 3.0, the details of which can be found here. Bodo Möller of the Google Security Team found the issue along with fellow Googlers Thai Duong and Krzysztof Kotowicz. Makers of web browsers, including Google, are working on a fix.

    Möller writes:

    SSL 3.0 is nearly 15 years old, but support for it remains widespread. Most importantly, nearly all browsers support it and, in order to work around bugs in HTTPS servers, browsers will retry failed connections with older protocol versions, including SSL 3.0. Because a network attacker can cause connection failures, they can trigger the use of SSL 3.0 and then exploit this issue.

    Disabling SSL 3.0 support, or CBC-mode ciphers with SSL 3.0, is sufficient to mitigate this issue, but presents significant compatibility problems, even today. Therefore our recommended response is to support TLS_FALLBACK_SCSV. This is a mechanism that solves the problems caused by retrying failed connections and thus prevents attackers from inducing browsers to use SSL 3.0. It also prevents downgrades from TLS 1.2 to 1.1 or 1.0 and so may help prevent future attacks.

    Möller also notes that Chrome has supported TLS_FALLBACK_SCSV since February, and says it has “good evidence” that it can be used without compatibility issues. Chrome will also begin testing changes that disable the fallback to SSL 3.0. Some sites will break because of this, Google notes, adding that such sites will need to be updated quickly.

    Google hopes to have support for SSL 3.0 removed from its client products within the coming months.

    Mozillla says it has a plan for Firefox as well. SSL 3.0 will be disabled by default in Firefox 34, which will be released on November 25th. It’s releasing the code to disable it in Nightly immediately, and that will be promoted to Aurora and Beta in the coming weeks.

    Additionally Firefox 35 will support SCSV, which is described as a generic TLS downgrade protection mechanism. Mozilla says:

    For Firefox users, the simplest way to stay safe is to ensure that Firefox is configured to automatically update. Look under Preferences / Advanced / Update and make sure that “Automatically install updates” is checked.

    For users who don’t want to wait till November 25th (when SSLv3 is disabled by default in Firefox 34), we have created the SSL Version Control Firefox extension to disable SSLv3 immediately.

    Microsoft had this to say:

    Microsoft is aware of detailed information that has been published describing a new method to exploit a vulnerability in SSL 3.0. This is an industry-wide vulnerability affecting the SSL 3.0 protocol itself and is not specific to the Windows operating system. All supported versions of Microsoft Windows implement this protocol and are affected by this vulnerability. Microsoft is not aware of attacks that try to use the reported vulnerability at this time. Considering the attack scenario, this vulnerability is not considered high risk to customers.

    We are actively working with partners in our Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) to provide information that they can use to provide broader protections to customers.

    Upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to help protect our customers. This may include providing a security update through our monthly release process or providing an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs.

    The company has further guidance, an FAQ, and a list of affected products available here.

    By the way, POODLE stands for “Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption”. This article at ImperialViolet.org has more technical information explaining it.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Firefox For Android Gets Chromecast, Roku Support

    Firefox For Android Gets Chromecast, Roku Support

    Mozilla announced that Firefox for Android will now let users send supported videos to their televisions via Roku and Chromecast.

    In a blog post, the company explains:

    You might be entertaining friends and want to share a clip from your recent vacation or a news video from sites like CNN.com. Whatever the reason, sending videos to your TV has never been easier. All you need to do is find and start to play a video in Firefox for Android. You’ll then see the ‘send to device’ icon in the video playback controls and the URL bar. Tap on the icon for a list of connected Roku or Chromecast device(s) that are on the same WiFi network. Simply select the device you want to send your video to.

    You can choose the content you want to view in your living room and can play, pause and close videos directly from the Media Control Bar in Firefox for Android. This appears at the bottom of the screen on your Android phone when a video is being sent and stays visible as long as the video is playing, even if you change tabs or visit new Web pages.

    Of course the Chromecast app itself lets you mirror your Android device’s screen (at least for the growing list of supported devices), and more and more apps (including Chrome) enable casting on their own.

    The addition of Roku support is the standout feature with Mozilla’s offering. While it doesn’t offer any specific plans, the functionality would seem to suggest that Firefox could add support for additional streaming devices.

    Image via YouTube

  • Chris Beard Is Mozilla’s CEO (Not Just Temporarily)

    Mozilla announced today that it has appointed Chris Beard as CEO of Mozilla Corp., the for-profit part of Mozilla. They’re going with Beard after reviewing “many internal and external candidates”.

    Beard was appointed interim CEO (as well as to the board of directors) back in April after Brendan Eich stepped down amid controversy surrounding his support for California anti-gay law Prop 8. He’s been with Mozilla since 2004 before they even shipped Firefox 1.0. The company says he’s been “deeply involved in every aspect of Mozilla ever since.” From the Mozilla blog:

    During his many years here, he at various times has had responsibility for almost every part of the business, including product, marketing, innovation, communications, community and user engagement.

    Before taking on the interim CEO role, Chris spent close to a year as Executive-in-Residence at the venture capital firm Greylock Partners, gaining a deeper perspective on innovation and entrepreneurship. During his term at Greylock, he remained an Advisor to me in my role as Mozilla’s chair.

    Board member Katharina Borchert said, ““Chris has been deeply involved with Mozilla for a long time but has also been able to gain a fresh perspective in the last year. He understands the importance of the Mozilla community and has a strong product vision. I’m confident that he is the right person to lead Mozilla and help fulfill the mission in a radically changing landscape.”

    Board member Reid Hoffman said, “I’ve worked with Chris for nearly a decade. He brings the leadership that inspires and unites community, products, and technology for a free and open web. He is the right CEO for Mozilla, as the organization, community, and movement for open technologies.”

    Since Beard took over in April, Mozilla has released major updates to Firefox, launched Firefox OS with new operators and devices, announced Firefox OS’ expansion into new markets, filed comments with the FCC regarding net neutrality, and launched the Maker Party.

    Image via Greylock Partners

  • Mozilla Shows Off ‘Most Customizable Firefox Ever’

    Mozilla announced the launch of Firefox 29, which it calls its most customizable Firefox ever.

    It includes a new design, a customization mode, a new Firefox menu, new bookmarks, a new add-on manager, and enhanced sync powered by Firefox Accounts.

    “The first thing you’ll notice in Firefox is the beautiful new design that makes it easy to focus on your Web content,” says Mozilla. “The tabs are sleek and smooth to help you navigate the Web faster. It’s easy to see what tab you’re currently visiting and the other tabs fade into the background to be less of a distraction when you’re not using them.”

    “The Firefox menu has moved to the right corner of the toolbar and puts all your browser controls in one place,” it says. “The menu includes a ‘Customize’ tool that transforms Firefox into a powerful customization mode where you can add or move any feature, service or add-on. This level of Firefox customization puts you in control of your Web experience and is unmatched by any other browser.”

    The new Firefox Sync gives users access to the Awesome Bar browsing history, as well as saved passwords, bookmarks, open tabs, and form data across computers and Android devices.

    Mozilla also lists supported web platform and developer tools including WebRTC, WebAPIs, asm.js and Emscripten, Web Audeio API, CSS Flexbox, App Manager, and Extension APIs.

    Image via YouTube

  • Mozilla Now Has An Interim CEO (Chris Beard)

    Mozilla announced that it now has an interim CEO – Chris Beard, who has also been appointed to the board of directors. He’ll be filling in for Brendan Eich, who stepped down amid controversy surrounding his support for California anti-gay law Prop 8. Mozilla insists he wasn’t forced out, but that’s not exactly the way it’s been perceived in a lot cases.

    Beard has been “actively involved with” Mozilla since before Firefox 1.0 was launched, and has served as CMO.

    “Chris is the right person to lead us through this time and he is a strong candidate for CEO,” says Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker. Mozilla needs to act quickly and decisively. This is key for any leader at Mozilla, including our CEO, whether interim or otherwise. Chris’ experience and insight is highly aligned with our goals. We will continue to deliver Firefox OS to additional markets and form factors in 2014 as we demonstrate the unique user experiences that only the open Web can provide. We will continue to bring the richness and flexibility of the Web to Firefox users and will further integrate our services offerings.”

    “The open Web and Mozilla are facing challenges that are very similar to those we faced when we first started Mozilla — centralized business models and technology with barriers to interoperability and new entrants,” she adds. “Today, online life is feature-rich, highly centralized and focused on a few giant organizations that exert control over almost all aspects of the experience. In this environment, there is a deep and urgent need for an open, exciting alternative that shows what the open Web brings to this setting.”

    The next steps, she says, include a long-term plan for the CEO role, and adding board members.

    Beard is also an Executive in Residence at Greylock Partners.

    Image via Greylock Partners

  • Mozilla Insists CEO Eich Wasn’t Forced Out

    There have been a lot of stories about Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich’s resignation, suggesting that he was fired or forced out by the board. Mozilla has put out an FAQ about the situation, insisting that he was not forced out.

    He stepped down following the controversy surrounding his support of California anti-gay marriage law Prop 8, which recently came to light. Mozilla took an opposing stance, putting out a post on the 29th called “Mozilla Supports LGBT Equality“. In that, it said:

    Over the past few days we have been asked a number of questions about Brendan Eich’s appointment as CEO. This post is to clarify Mozilla’s official support of equality and inclusion for LGBT people.

    Mozilla’s mission is to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just. This is why BOTH Mozilla Corporation and Mozilla Foundation support equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally.

    In its next post, which announced Eich’s resignation, it said:

    Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He’s made this decision for Mozilla and our community.

    In the FAQ, which was posted on Saturday, Mozilla says that Eich was not fired, was not asked to resign by the board, and was not forced out by employee pressure. It shares a quote from Eich:

    I have decided to resign as CEO effective April 3rd, and leave Mozilla. Our mission is bigger than any one of us, and under the present circumstances, I cannot be an effective leader. I will be taking time before I decide what to do next.”

    Mozilla says it is not becoming a social activist organization, and does “not take stands on issues outside the scope of the Mozilla Manifesto.” It does note, however, that both Mozilla Corporation and Mozilla Foundation have provided benefits and support for same-sex couples for years.

    Eich blogged about his resignation here.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons