Comments on: Firefox loses its sugar daddy

By: Jayden

Jayden — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:13:09 +0000

to see them merge will be like amazing!
the web will grow 10 fold
if were luck we might even see Microsoft get blown to the southern hemisphere

By: nicomo

nicomo — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:17:55 +0000

Please note Gmail is still a Beta

This browser nice as it may be is still a Beta

They both need each other and both work on the same ‘like’ projects / code.

They will continue to work together for the next three years and even after that might even merge as one – who knows this might be the case.

By: Barry Collins

Barry Collins — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:29:11 +0000

Fabien,

Thanks for your comments. I agree, Internet Explorer is more of a target for Chrome than Firefox.

Nevertheless, Google is a business not a charity. I can’t see it continuing to dish out tens of millions of dollars to Mozilla for a search deal in three years’ time if Chrome has given it sufficient market share to not make such a deal worth its while.

If it makes commercial sense for Google to cut off Mozilla’s oxygen supply, it will. No matter what its motto says.

Barry Collins
Online Editor

By: Fabien Benureau

Fabien Benureau — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:18:36 +0000

I respectfully disagree with you, Barry, with the title of your article, and the fact that you imply that Chrome success would mean that Firefox has lost its usefullness for Google, and that losing revenues for Google would be damaging for Mozilla.

1. Mozilla is simply not a competitor to Google. Google has not anything to fear from Mozilla, because, even if they are launching a browser, they don’t get much of it being used more than Firefox.
2. Google has money to spend. It can afford giving bucks to Firefox.
3. Firefox, with new ideas such as Weave, Ubiquity, TraceMonkey (the latter which is especially important to web-apps performances), is a big innovator in the browser market. And anything than can improve browsers, which are the portals to Google web-apps, is good for Google.
4. Mozilla is beloved by a huge community. Google don’t want to be that evil, it makes no financial sense.
5. Chrome is open-source built onto Mozilla parts. Open-source mean that Mozilla can benefit from it by reusing the code. Mozilla part mean that the process of reusing code is eased for Mozilla. It would also suggest that Chrome will benefit for advances made by Mozilla, making it interesting for Google to keep Mozilla well-funded.

I’ll bet that right now, Google has not any plans to pull the rug out from under Mozilla’s foot in three years – but no one knows how the situation will change in three years, I’ll give you that.
Besides, Mozilla has carefully saved most of the money Google gave them. As so, they have money (even as a rent) for years to come.

By: Dean Shawn

Dean Shawn — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:25:56 +0000

Goodbye Firefox it was fun…

By: Ian Taylor

Ian Taylor — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:37:45 +0000

But will people use a Google browser? I’m sure a lot of people are getting more than a bit wary of Google by now – and will be very reluctant to switch from Firefox – me for one. Of course, if Mozilla can’t afford to do anything for lack of funds, then that’s a different thing.

I think it’s distinctly possible that Google will just help Microsoft consolidate its position as market leader.

By: David Wright

David Wright — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:58:17 +0000

Considering that Chrome uses code from the Mozilla code-mill, I don’t think that Google will have a problem with it, in the short term at least.

At this point they both need each other.

The same is true of the WebKit engine it uses, that comes from the KDE team, now supported by Apple…

By: pcernie

pcernie — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:57:19 +0000

Good blog post, Barry

By: Alex Pepper

Alex Pepper — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:25:03 +0000

Tough break, I for one would be curious enough to at least try a google browser, despite an allegience to Firefox….