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Yahoo Releases Firefox Toolbar Beta 184

Posted by CmdrTaco from the battle-of-the-bar dept.
eWarz writes "Following Google's footsteps, Yahoo has released a beta version of it's toolbar for Firefox. The new toolbar is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux."
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Yahoo Releases Firefox Toolbar Beta More

Yahoo Releases Firefox Toolbar Beta

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  • my bad (Score:5, Funny)

    by bigwavejas ( 678602 ) * on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:23PM (#13129929) Journal
    ...and all this time I thought the toolbar was a virus or spamware.

    • Re:my bad (Score:3, Insightful)

      by temojen ( 678985 )
      I thought so too. While it's neat that a big company like Yahoo! is developing for firefox on several platforms, why would anyone want the yahoo toolbar?

      • Re:my bad (Score:2, Informative)

        by alpha_foobar ( 820088 )
        This post is simply old... I've been using the Yahoo Firefox toolbar for at least a month now... at work on Windows and at home on Linux.

        I also have the Google Firefox toolbar and the Netcraft Firefox Toolbar.

        The reason I have the yahoo toolbar is not for search (though I find the yahoo search very comparable to google - and much better at trawling the geocities websites). I use the yahoo myWeb and Yahoo bookmarks which are both available from the toolbar and allow me to save replicas of web pages that I

  • Does this mean... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Does this mean they have figured out how to port spyware to linux/MAC?

  • I'm not the only one I'm sure (Score:4, Insightful)

    by iamdrscience ( 541136 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:25PM (#13129947) Homepage
    I read the headline to this article and I just couldn't figure out what a Firefox toolbar was, let alone why Yahoo would release one.

    Perhaps a better headline would be "Yahoo toolbar beta for Firefox"

  • Mozilla support (Score:3, Funny)

    by Esine ( 809139 ) <admin@tohveli.net> on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:25PM (#13129949) Homepage
    What they should do is release a toolbar for Mozilla Suite as well and not only Firefox.
    And Google needs to release the toolbar for Linux.

    Though, even if they did that, I'd still continue using Opera :)
    • And Google needs to release the toolbar for Linux.
      Google Toolbar for Firefox already runs on Linux.

      The Firefox extension system is cross-platform, or at least most of it is.

  • Yahoo Releases Firefox Toolbar Beta (Score:5, Interesting)

    by emandres ( 857332 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:26PM (#13129956)
    Yahoo Releases Firefox Toolbar Beta and quickly finds out that no one uses because of the already implemented search toolbar in FF. Thank you, I have enough sites reading where I'm going, without Yahoo! doing it for every site. Yes, I realize that Y! probably doesn't do that, but the features on the Y! toolbar don't appeal to me at all. I don't need Y! mail, because I use gmail, and I use Google instead of Yahoo because I hate the sponsored results. And somebody please reply and tell me whether or not they're actually putting the popup blocker in...
  • It's = It is Its = belonging to it

  • How many toolbars do we need? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cashman73 ( 855518 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:28PM (#13129964) Journal
    You know, if every popular website/search engine released some sort of toolbar to be added to your web browser, it might make it a bit difficult to see the actual content of the website we're viewing,... When does this all end?

    I mean, currently in Firefox, I have the FF Bookmark toolbar, the BioBar (a FF add-on for biomedical research; PDB, etc), and the google toolbar. Now they want me to add the Yahoo! toolbar?!?! Please!

    Now, a Slashdot Toolbar could be pretty cool, on the other hand,... ;-)

    • Ok, that was scary. I just re-read my article right after posting and read, "Slashdot Toolbar," as, "Slashdot Trollbar." Methinks a slashdot trollbar would probably be bad,... very, very bad,... ;-)

      //What does it take to get a darned FIRST POST around here anyways?!?!

    • What do you need a slashdot toolbar for when there's an RSS feed? Just link FF into the RSS feed and you're set.
        1. Ofcause a search feature, very important as the builtin search isn't site specific enough. I need a searchbar that specifikly says SEARCH SLASHDOT in bold letters.
        2. Lots of practical features. For example autogenerated 'In soviet Russia'-jokes.
        3. Because toolbars are kewl dude.
        4. ??
        5. Profit!!
    • Hey, a Slashdot toolbar! It could make kneejerk inflammatory comments about whatever you're browsing for, without actually reading the web pages!

      Just think how much time it would save! I'd never have to post on Slashdot again! :-)

  • The Firefox bandwagon... (Score:5, Funny)

    by TopSpin ( 753 ) * on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:29PM (#13129976) Journal
    Q: How many users prefer Beta Yahoo Toolbar for Firefox over Google Toolbar for Firefox?

    A: Both.

  • Darn (Score:3, Interesting)

    by djrogers ( 153854 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:29PM (#13129984)
    Wanted to try this out, but install fails with my nightly Deer Park build. A few other great extensions have too, so maybe it's time for me to switch back to 1.0x...

  • My Yahoo (Score:4, Informative)

    by onion2k ( 203094 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:30PM (#13129989) Homepage
    The only Yahoo! specific thing it does is the My Yahoo system of adding pages to a central server so you can take "favourites" with you between computers. The Yahoo search is an easy addition to the site searcher (defaults to Google, easy to switch), and the rest of it is just duplicating the bookmarks system. I'll ignore the "anti-spyware" stuff because that's Windows specific.

    At least Google's toolbar does stuff like reporting PageRanks. This one seems to be bloat for the sake of getting a Yahoo logo onto your desktop.

    • Re:My Yahoo (Score:2)

      by X ( 1235 )
      Actually, it's got lots of Yahoo specific features beyond that (although that is a good feature). You have the "Save to My Web" button, the translation button (uses Babelfish), the Yahoo bookmarks stuff, the Yahoo Mail support. It also has a whole host of links to Yahoo services, although I'd just as soon just use bookmarks for them. The only non-Yahoo specific stuff it has are some of the reference links (and actually they are all under Yahoo Reference, even if some are from 3rd partis).

  • Everyone else is doing it.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by springbox ( 853816 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:30PM (#13129992)
    Come on Microsoft, how about an MSN toolbar for Firefox? ;)
    • speaking of which, i just got to play with the msn toolbar for ie. did you know that the toolbar gave ie tab-support?

      i was quite amaze. even google toobar doesn't have that feature. now if only google implemented that...

      but google wouldn't want ie to win the browser war again...

  • Resource Hog!? (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Every single time the Yahoo Toolbar gets installed on one of my PC's at home I have nothing but trouble with the resources afterwards. The last time it snuck onto one of my computers at home was with the Macromedia Shockwave install. I've banned it's use and installation in my house. Anyone else have the same experience with this particular toolbar?

    • I don't have proof, but I have a strong set of circumstances that suggest the Yahoo toolbar for IE is delivering ads and spyware to machines. I too ban it at home and at work. I have had everyone of my family members bring their PC to me for 'repair' after having it installed for a short time. Each of them was ridden with spyware. After removing it and cleaning the machines. They have not had any more trouble. After a dozen or so machines, with the same results, I have to question Yahoos integrety.
      • Very unlikely. I work in the industry.
        • " Very unlikely. I work in the industry."

          Lol, oh, I guess I was wrong. If you work in the industry, then there could not possibly be an issue. No personal disrespect meant, really. But that is not much in the way of proof.

          That is what every one of them say. It isn't me!
    • Adobe Acrobat tries to install the damn thing too, use foxit [foxitsoftware.com] instead of Acroreader.

    • Re:Resource Hog!? (Score:2, Informative)

      by PeelBoy ( 34769 )
      With out a doubt. It's a pile of crap.
    • I've used Y! toolbar for IE on Windows 98se, 2000, ME (yeah, I know, but I did use it for a few weeks till I found my 98 cd), and XP and have yet to have ANY issues, either spyware or resource

  • making a better search engine is too hard (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward

    so we shall make fluffy user-tracking products instead

  • Similar? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:31PM (#13130004)
    http://toolbar.yahoo.com/firefox [yahoo.com]
    http://toolbar.google.com/firefox [google.com]

    Yahoo! Toolbar --> Beta ---
    Google Toolbar BETA

    coincidence?

    Why are the download buttons both on the right of the screen (I know it can be anywhere, but not many sites before google seemed to put buttons on the right hand side like that).

    Before you link to 100 different sites with the download button on the right, how come the hotmail login has moved to the right hand side of the screen only since gmail did it.

    It seems they are hinting at a google layout (not that this is a bad thing, nor that google owns two column web page layouts), it just seems a bit strange?
  • ... competition working at its best :-) How long has Yahoo been dragging its feet about this? Low and behold - a week after Google Yahoo releases its own. Did they think Firefox wasn't important before that? Who knows - but it's clear that Yahoo is losing the race, especially when it comes to being an innovative company that continuously wins the hearts and minds of geeks like us :-)

  • old newz (Score:5, Funny)

    by njko ( 586450 ) <naguil@yahoo3.1415926.com minus pi> on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:33PM (#13130025) Journal
    Following Google's footsteps, Yahoo has released a Search Engine"

  • Resource Hog!? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by GecKo213 ( 890491 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:34PM (#13130028) Homepage

    I've had nothing but trouble with this particular toolbar in the past. Every machine at my house that it's been installed on seems to all of a sudden have resource issues. These are not slow machines either. The slowest is an AMD 1.5 GHZ with 1 GIG Ram. I remove it and the machine is right back up to *snuff* as it were. The last time it made it onto one of my machines was inside the Macromedia Shockwave install. I've since banned it's use in my home. Has anyone else had this type of problem with this toolbar?

  • WHAT?? Yahoo! Toolbar was first. (Score:5, Informative)

    by keepper ( 24317 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:34PM (#13130031) Homepage
    Seriously guys, this yahoo bashing google loving is pathetic..

    This was released Feb 2005 ..
    http://www.ysearchblog.com/archives/000077.html [ysearchblog.com]

    Googles was released this month ( I think, double check that )

    And yes, i do work for Yahoo, but these are not the opinions of my employer.

  • And those of us using safari, still don't care. A yahoo toolbar will be a great idea when Yahoo becomes a worthwhile place to visit for something other than yahoogroups, internet poker, and webcam girls.

  • Yahoo's search doesn't match Google (Score:3)

    by NineNine ( 235196 ) on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:45PM (#13130118)
    Unfortunately, as much as I like Yahoo's other real estate (mail, calendar, etc.), I gotta say that I won't be installing it. Their search, from what I can tell, is now primarily for paid listings only. We've had our company's web site up for 3 years, with Google spidering it completely every day and it has a Google Page Rank of "5". Yahoo only just in the past week added our front page. Of course, that's tiny anecdotal evidence, but to me, that says a lot about the quality of Yahoo's search.

  • From Yahoo's blurb (Score:3, Funny)

    by lheal ( 86013 ) <lheal1999@yah[ ]com ['oo.' in gap]> on Thursday July 21, 2005 @05:45PM (#13130119) Journal

    "Protect yourself from spyware with Anti-Spy for Windows"

    First it's the anti-virus industry totally ignoring Mac and Unix users. Now Google and Yahoo leave Mac and Unix users to swing in the wind. Does anyone have anti-spyware for something other than Windows?

    I don't want to have to switch to Windows just to get this support.

  • Googles success has came from innovation, simply copying everything Google does from revamping their search to be exactly the same to this doesnt have the same impact.

    • Yahoo have had a [Windows] toolbar for years longer than Google. Back when I used to use Yahoo Groups (or Clubs, as it was called then), I was quite content to use the Yahoo toolbar with IE.

      Nowadays I just use Firefox's built-in search box, but this isn't entirely a case of Yahoo copying Google.

    • What, did you just learn how to use the computer last week?

      Yahoo has been around much longer than Google, as has their browser toolbar. So if anyone is copying anyone, its Google.

  • i hear this and i just wonder why is yahoo releasing this toolbar for mac and linux when the rest of the site pretty much requires IE?? iirc you can't even play any games from linux(i dunno about mac) and everytime i try to play games from firefox my firefox crashes!!! i personally will not use this plugin(and anything else from yahoo) til they support other browsers and platforms....btw i wonder if google would add a games section
  • The purpose of using Free Software is to be FREE from corporations/individuals that wants to tell you what you can do with your computer and what you can't, and still, many companys keep releasing proprietary software for Free plataforms, If i wanted Proprietary software, i woudln't be using GNU/Linux. In certain cases where they release some software for which there is no real Free Software alternative, i can see they know they will have a marketshare (It's still ethically wrong, but i understand it), but
    • > The purpose of using Free Software is to be FREE from corporations/individuals that wants to tell you what you can do with your computer

      Like yourself, telling me what the purpose of the software I run on my computer is? I like the free software because it sucks less and the price is right. This does not make it mutually exclusive with commercial software.

      Not that I think the yahoo toolbar is worth a pile of dingo's kidneys, but it's their prerogative to make it available.
    • The purpose of using Free Software is to be FREE from corporations/individuals that wants to tell you what you can do with your computer and what you can't

      Corporations also like free software, for much the same reasons.

    • Lots of people use FireFox becuase it is a better browser than IE an is free as in beer.

      So they are going to be more than happy to install a Yahoo! bar or a Google bar if they want the functionality.

      Free as in speech just really doesn't matter to most users, they will use software that happens to be that way if they like the software and the price.

  • What is the news here? Yahoo did it because Google did it. And then also most of big players will - it is like race in features - we got that, they also etc. etc.

    But actuall I find some smaller sites to be promoting FF. Like biggest polish dictionary providers (encyclopedia, dictionaries etc. etc. former communist monopoly) have provided search plugin for FF... That is interesting. It is like they really find FF more convinient themselves so they suggest it for use with their services - not "me too" stuff.
    • What is the news here?

      Fair point, as this is a dupe from February [slashdot.org].

      Yahoo did it because Google did it.

      Ah this is the point. Sigh. Actually, Yahoo did it several months before Google did it. However, by posting this dupe Slashdotters can choose to believe that Google did it first.
      • Actually my point was about {any big company} doing it cause {another big company} did it... :)

        I mean they must do it due to PR and shit. I more welcome smaller sites that implement such features in their sites (like come on - how hard it is to code search plugin and put a banner on site?) cause they really tend to belive Firefox is best. And I know few such sites that are non-techie and they did so.
  • Not only is this a dupe [slashdot.org] that of a story from like four months ago, but the story submitter appears to have not noticed the dates and therefore confused who is in who's footsteps.
  • But what are these toolbars (both Google's and Yahoo's) really good for? It seems that they give the user the power to "search directly from the toolbar" and similar things. But Firefox already has a search field in the default address toolbar! It seems to me that they are only taking up screen real estate.

    I'm not trying to troll, and I'm glad to see that corporations are acknowledging Firefox in this way -- I've just never understood why anyone would want to use these toolbars. Does someone use this, and

    • Re:But why? (Score:2, Informative)

      by GJSchaller ( 198865 )
      The reason I use it is because it carries my bookmarks / favorites, and other settings (groups, search prefs, etc.) not only from PC to PC, but also from Browser to Browser. I use IE at work (Corporate Standard), FF & IE on Windows at home, and FF on Linux at home. My settings follow me seamlessly on all 3 platforms, as well as any other PC I log into that has the toolbar.

      If I am at work, and find a cool site, I can bookmark it and know I'll find it at home on my toolbar, regardless of what OS or Bro
    • I built a yahoo toolbar long ago. I live on the Yahoo family of sites :P So, I pulled my "Bookmarks Toolbar Folder" up along side the menus, so I have: File ... Help | []My Yahoo []Mail []Yahoo (drop down folder)... I've recently been using del.icio.us for quickly saving bookmarks that can be accessed from other computers. Of couse, yahoo seach is the default search tucked nicely along the address bar. You have everything you need all nicely scrunched up on top, so you can also use tabs without cutting

  • I tried it on several systems long ago (it's been out for many months as others have noted), and again recently (a few weeks ago after the 2nd or 3rd slashdot announcement) hoping that it was a newer version - nope.

    Anyways, the reason I ask is, it works fine on the windows machine I'm forced to use at work, but it complains that it can't load images and does absolutely nothing under the several Linux systems I've tried it on (various releases of Fedora).

    The _only_ thing I want it for is the portable bookm
  • The Yahoo Toolbar was posted quite awhile ago. How else would you explain the Yahoo Toolbar's 7 PageRank while Google's Toolbar is only 0? I mean, like, duh.
  • See the press release [yahoo.com]

    I installed it, tried it for a few days, decided I did not use it and disabled it a good while ago. Now Slashdot gets round to telling me its available. How would I keep up with whats happenning without /.'s timely news aggregation.

  • I'm using the Yahoo Toolbar on both my Windows and Mac boxes so I can share bookmarks. It's also nice to share my bookmarks live between Firefox and IE.

    But Yahoo Toolbar won't install on Deer Park 2 (aka Firefox 1.1 alpha 2). It complains that "0.5b" is not a valid version number.

    Can I hack the version string somehow to allow it to install? Change it to "0.5.0" or something?

    James
  • Does this mean other features such as LAUNCHcast will be ported over as well?
  • After installing The 0.5b Beta toolbar in Firefox 1.0.6, I noticed that when I tried to customize the toolbar's built in to Firefox that I could not click and drag items that were already in the toolbars. I could add items to the toolbar, but not move or remove them. Basically the toolbars never switch into customize mode; they stay in normal mode (where they can't be modified).

    Disabling or removing the Yahoo toolbar fixed the problem.

    I guess that's why they call it a beta.
  • Considering Slashdot has managed to dupe a five-month old story [slashdot.org], I figured I'd dupe my five-month old comment [slashdot.org]... One update: The Community developed OSS Yahoo! Companion for Mozilla website is currently way out of date. To get a current version of the toolbar, go to the mailing list archives. The latest build should be attached to one of the mid-July emails.

    As one of the more minor members of the community-created Yahoo! Companion for Mozilla [mozdev.org], I'd like to point out that there is another option if you dist

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