Microsoft's IE7 Search Box Bugs Google 803
tessaiga writes "The New York Times reports that Google is crying foul over a new IE7 search box feature that defaults to MSN Search. Although the feature can be modified to use Google or other search engines, Google asserts that "The best way to handle the search box [...] would be to give users a choice when they first start up Internet Explorer 7." Google goes on to assert that the move "limits consumer choice and is reminiscent of the tactics that got Microsoft into antitrust trouble in the late 1990s". I notice that in my version of Firefox the search box defaults to Google, and that the pulldown menu of pre-entered options doesn't even include MSN Search, but Google seems to have been oddly quiet on that front for the many years prior to IE7 that Firefox has made this feature available."
Defaults vs. Presets (Score:5, Informative)
Well, that, and Firefox doesn't have a setting for a "default" provider. It "defaults" to the last one you used, which can be helpful if, say, you use Google most of the time and want to do a bunch of IMDB lookups in a row. (Yes, you can add IMDB as a search engine.) Of course, if you've never used the box before, it starts out with Google...
Of course, you can always read what the IE team has to say about searching [msdn.com]...
Here's Page 1 of the NYT article (Score:3, Informative)
Nice writeup submitter as you presented an excellent balanced example rather than the often one-sided point of view.
Re:They don't complain about FF (Score:0, Informative)
pay attention man (Score:3, Informative)
it only has 2 web search engines, the rest are specialized (ebay, answers.com, etc) but it DOES include an "Add Engines" link. the page it leads you to does have MSN search
Don't search!!!!! (Score:5, Informative)
OTOH, I would much prefer it DOES NOT search for anything. For example, if I type in stuff like 'wwwww.yahoo.com', that STUPID IE just search for it and with the address bar ending up modifed as "http://sea.search.msn.com/dnserror.aspx?FORM=DNSA S&q=wwwww.yahoo.com". Now I need to go delete those characters to modify the original URL!!
Ernest
Re:One other detail (Score:5, Informative)
*sigh* you are 2 clicks from Google on IE... (Score:3, Informative)
Google needs to buck up and become a man, whining doesn't get you much of anywhere. Just like Firefox and Opera you can change your default search engine.
I also thought it was pretty interesting that IE supports OpenSearch [wikipedia.org], an open standard to add search engines (unlike FF and Opera).
Abuse of monopoly powers (Score:5, Informative)
That's not quite what the problem is either.
The real problem is that it's illegal to abuse monopoly powers by using your (otherwise legal) monopoly in one industry to force users to adopt your inferior product in another industry.
For a concrete example - if you have a monopoly in Operating Systems, you can NOT use your operating system monopoly to force users to use your online-store or your media-player or your single-sign-on-service. Google's arguing that you are also not allowed to force people to use your search engine either -- and that users are so unlikely to switch default browsers that making this the default in IE is effectively forcing the users.
Firefox does not have this problem, because it is not illegally abusing any monopoly powers.
Mod parent -1 Wrong (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Cue the "Google is a hypocrite" posts (Score:1, Informative)
Having a monopoly isn't illegal. Leveraging your monopoly in one area (operating systems) to dominate another (browsers) is illegal. That is what Microsoft was nailed for.
So, not only would it appear to be inaccurate, but it just makes you look like an idiot to use it.
Pot, kettle.
Re:Antitrust trouble... (Score:2, Informative)
1. Most PC's still only come with IE,
2. IE is the # 1 browser in terms of usage.
3. The Vista ones will come with IE 7.
4. If people search using the search box in IE 7, a lot of traffic will not go to Google.
I'm not sure if a court needs to be involved to make MS give people the choice, but it would be nice.
On the other hand..
considering that most PC's come with IE 6 pre-installed, and the default homepage is some MSN Smorgasboard, and Google is still #1, it makes you wonder if people are savvy enough to change their default pages to go to Google, and if they'll be savvy enough to change the search box.
This behaviour suggests, people are either changing their default home page, or actually going to Google, to search for something. In this case, Google has nothing to worry about.. the average user has become smarter.. plus Google could make deals with OEMs, install IE 7, make Google the default engine.. something like the Opera deal.
Re:Defaults vs. Presets (Score:3, Informative)
I got it from installing IE7 beta 2 and clicking on the down arrow next to the search bar. MSN was the only search engine in the list, but there was an option to add more providers. Google was, indeed, on the page that led to.
My copy of IE7 came with: MSN, Yahoo, Google, and Ebay.
Just to hazard a guess, do you happen to have the Yahoo and/or Google toolbars for IE? According to the IE blog, they pick up settings from any search toolbars that are installed.
Re:Defaults vs. Presets (Score:3, Informative)
Except:
1) Google doesn't control which search engines are added to Firefox's 'alternate engines' list MS does control which search engines are added to (or removed from) their list)
2) Firefox doesn't have a dominance in one market & are using that dominance to extend into another market (hurting both markets overall & reducing competition in the long run).
Re:Defaults vs. Presets (Score:5, Informative)
I run Firefox 1.5.0.1 and MSN is indeed an available option. IIRC I did have to select "Add Engines" but it is most definitely in the list now, as is Dictionary, IMDB, and Wikipedia respectively.
Re:Defaults vs. Presets (Score:4, Informative)
Now, this is not impossible to be gotten around. The entire reason why Windows XP was shipped one year after Windows 2000 is simple: Microsoft wanted to bundle Windows Messenger, and a new version of IE and Outlook Express with Windows 2000. But they couldn't. How do you get around that?
Simple: make them an "inseparable" part of a "new" operating system. Voila! Windows XP.
In any case, the spirit is obvious: MS should not be able to do this. The *leteter*, though, may be different...
Re:Care to support that accusation? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Defaults vs. Presets (Score:3, Informative)
You heard wrong. Please, bash Microsoft on the merits. There's plenty of stuff to deride them for without resorting to falsehoods.
As to the topic, as much as I dislike Microsoft, I think Google's in the wrong on this one. They're paying Mozilla a lot of money (presumably; I don't think the actual amount has been disclosed publically) to be the default in Firefox. If they want to be the default in Internet Explorer, they should offer the same amount to Microsoft.
Besides, Google's doing the same thing with IE that Yahoo is doing with Firefox - their home pages provide instructions on how to set the default search engine. There's enough people using Google that they'll figure it out.
Re:Defaults vs. Presets (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Defaults vs. Presets (Score:1, Informative)