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Mozilla renews Google agreement for default search in Firefox
Mozilla has just announced it is renewing its search partnership with Google for another three years, putting to rest concerns that the non-profit organization could lose its primary source of revenue.
Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed beyond Mozilla's comments that it will be significant and mutually beneficial for both parties. In 2010, Google contributed 84% of Mozilla's $123 million total revenue.
The previously standing three-year arrangement had expired at the end of November. Mozilla said at the time that it was in "active negotiations" with Google, but with Chrome steadily growing its market share many believed Google could use that as leverage to cut down on a competitor or just let them go.
Coincidentally, Firefox began offering a "Firefox with Bing" at the end of October, adding more weight to the idea that Firefox might stike a deal with Microsoft instead. Mozilla is safe for the next few years, but the company would do well to try and diversify its sources of income to be less dependent on a single company -- which also happens to be one of its strongest rivals.
Just last month, Chrome overtook Firefox in global usage for the first time, according to StatCounter. Chrome has also surpassed the latest version of Internet Explorer in worldwide market share, though Microsoft still dominates the desktop browser landscape when counting all versions of IE in aggregate.
Firefox is trying to regain some momentum with a rapid release schedule using alpha, beta and stable channels -- a la Chrome. The stable version of Firefox 9 was released yesterday, just six weeks after Firefox 8.
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User Comments (9)
Post a comment|
Guest
on December 20, 2011 6:34 PM |
That's great news! Awesome. |
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tragicallyhip
on December 20, 2011 10:22 PM |
This deal was a no brain er for everyone involved,Google has to keep Firefox for no other reason than to deflect the glare of government regulators who are already raking Google over any number perceived acts of maleficence.The Firefox replacement options were a little thin, I.E?,opera?,CHROME?(not on a bet),Safari?. |
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Zutronic
on December 21, 2011 12:47 AM |
This is great news for Firefox! |
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tehbanz
on December 21, 2011 9:18 AM |
AWESOME! i switched to chrome because i was pretty sure google wouldn't re-sign, and i thought for sure Firefox was going to die.. I HATE CHROME! firefox here I come! |
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BabyFaceLee
on December 21, 2011 9:49 AM |
Hooray!!!! I'm so pleased Firefox will be around for a while yet. I tried Google Chrome for a while (and don't get me started on IE!) but the flexibility and fully customisable featureset of Firefox means I shalln't be straying any time soon. More power to their elbow! |
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supportme
on December 21, 2011 11:58 PM |
Chrome sucks... Firefox is the best browser... ohh... but i have accessed TechSpot on Chrome... |
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caravel
on December 22, 2011 2:45 AM |
Firefox would not die without google anyway, it's an open source project, so it would continue anyway and/or find other sources of revenue. |
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Guest
on December 22, 2011 3:08 AM |
I am sorry. Firefox is the first one in the world and after that all the IE, Google Chrome...etc. Simply everyone is following Firefox. I never go out of Firefox. |
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caravel
on January 4, 2012 10:08 AM |
And as to the recent highly publicised "statistics" about Chrome "overtaking" Firefox... Chrome climbdown It has downgraded Chrome in its search listings after the discovery that a marketing campaign paid bloggers to promote a video about it. The search giant has distanced itself from the campaign, blaming third-party marketing firm Essence Digital. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16408850 Still, marketing will always prevail because there are more than enough suckers out there. |
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