# Firefox changes default search to yahoo **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 9, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706 "2014-12-09T00:17:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/1 "2014-12-09T00:17:20Z")
Something else we have to fix after Firefox upgrades. ☹ Pick the third most popular search engine for your default? It’s not even written and supported by Yahoo’s programmers anymore. . Yahoo search is a front end for Bing. Firefox seems determined to repeat the mistakes of their prior incarnation. Netscape started great and was the default for years. Then it went downhill quick. The current version changes are a major annoyances and not improvements. ymmv [http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/20/technology/firefox-mozilla-google-yahoo/index.html?hpt=ob\_articleallcontentsidebar&iid=obnetwork](http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/20/technology/firefox-mozilla-google-yahoo/index.html?hpt=ob_articleallcontentsidebar&iid=obnetwork) > [@](#): > > Yahoo is replacing Google as the default search engine for Mozilla’s Firefox browser, the companies announced late Wednesday. With 10% of the market, it is the Internet’s third most popular search engine, behind Google’s Chrome and Microsoft’s (MSFT, Tech30) Bing (which powers Yahoo searches). ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/2 "2014-12-09T00:36:58Z")
Yep I got real ticked at that. Don’t like them messing with my search tool - I had it just where I wanted it. I “fixed” it in the options but it still doesn’t work right. I finally rolled back to 33.1 because it annoyed me that much. Probably stupid but I want my browser to work the way I want it to work, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/3 "2014-12-09T01:04:05Z")
This is why (well, not the Yahoo thing, I never use the search box) I’m still using Firefox 28. If PaleMoon was available on OS X I’d probably use that instead. I’m sick of designers constantly changing or breaking things while chasing the latest trends. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/4 "2014-12-09T01:15:31Z")
Google gave Firefox money in the past; is this move part of a nasty divorce? There is a google default add-on listed in [this](http://www.christianpost.com/news/mozilla-firefox-to-change-default-search-engine-from-google-to-yahoo-130640/) article. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/5 "2014-12-09T01:15:56Z")
Well, Firefox is a free product, and if they’re not making any money from end users like you, they’re going to have to find another source of income. Previously, they made the vast majority of their income from Google, through their default search partnership (like, almost 90% of their money), ad it seems that Google either declined to pony up again when the agreement ended, or Yahoo offered more money. I haven’t upgraded to 34 yet, but i really can’t imagine that it’s going to be very hard to get my search engine back to how it was. Firefox occasionally makes usability and aesthetic changes that i don’t like, but it’s generally so customizable that i find it pretty easy to get things working how i like. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/6 "2014-12-09T01:56:53Z")
[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/google-default/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/google-default/) heres the link. I just installed the add-on on my pc’s at home. At least I think I did. It’s not showing in my add ons list. even restarted firefox ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/7 "2014-12-09T18:21:42Z")
Firefox just switched to Yahoo as the default for me. I switched it back to Google in about 30 seconds with no add-ons or any appreciable effort. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/8 "2014-12-09T18:36:42Z")
In [2012](http://www.cnet.com/news/what-mozilla-is-doing-with-its-big-pile-of-new-money-q-a/) (last year I’ve seen numbers for), 90% of Mozilla’s revenue came from Google. Redirecting search traffic is big bucks for them. Google has also been otherwise quite generous to Mozilla. Why bite the hand that feeds you? Google’s Chrome browser is making major inroads. Google is no longer seen as a partner but as a competitor. Think about it- what search company is the least likely to do _anything_, let alone take away business? Yahoo! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/9 "2014-12-09T18:54:36Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Think about it- what search company is the least likely to do _anything_…Yahoo! Yep, they’re fairly useless. Unless Bing has been awarded that title in perpetuity. ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/10 "2014-12-09T19:16:42Z")
Paraphrasing from what I heard on the APM Marketplace podcast: Firefox’s policy on not collecting information from users doesn’t mesh with Google’s user data collection. So in order to stay in line with their policy, Firefox has had to let Google go in order to use a search engine that agrees to not collect user information. Presumably Yahoo agreed to this policy. I am not a big fan of Yahoo, but I like the idea of at least some of my user data not going to The Google. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/11 "2014-12-09T20:17:20Z")
If you click on the magnifying glass in the left of the search box you can set your default search engine to a number of choices. It takes about ten seconds to do. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/12 "2014-12-09T20:33:46Z")
Earlier today I thought I was the victim of a browser hi-jack because of this. I just stumbled upon this thread by accident. > [@OldGuy](#): > > If you click on the magnifying glass in the left of the search box you can set your default search engine to a number of choices. It takes about ten seconds to do. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/13 "2014-12-10T04:39:10Z")
Coincidentally, Firefox informed me it had an update to apply as I was reading this thread. The update tried to force Yahoo on me, but it was bootless. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/14 "2014-12-10T16:15:58Z")
The new Firefox broke Flashblock. I discovered the problem when youtube videos stopped playing. Theres a update for Flashblock. 1.5.18 works btw the google add on link I posted earlier didn’t work for me. I still had to manually change my default search back to Google. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/15 "2014-12-10T16:23:31Z")
I wouldn’t rule out that somehow this is a Marissa Meyer screw up like paying Mozilla $10B per year to default to Yahoo. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/16 "2014-12-11T03:40:16Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Previously, they made the vast majority of their income from Google, through their default search partnership (like, almost 90% of their money), ad it seems that Google either declined to pony up again when the agreement ended, or Yahoo offered more money. No, Firefox used to have one default search engine for the entire world (and Google was the only one who would pay for that). But in many areas of the world, there are other search engines that have much more of the business than Google. For example, both Russia and China have another search engine that is the biggest in those areas. But neither of them have much business elsewhere in the world. So they were not interested in buying from Firefox the right to be the worldwide default search engine. So Firefox will now they have several – a default for each region of the world. They think that this will enable them to collect more money overall, since they can sell this to multiple companies for different regions. So Yahoo has bought the rights for the USA, Yandex has bought them for Russia, and Baidu has bought them for China. If Google of Bing or some new company wants to try to take over one of the regional markets, becoming Firefox’s default search engine would be a good start. So that might might create a bidding war, with Firefox collecting the benefit. The continuing conflict with Google over collecting info on users that Wednesday Evening mentioned, and the competition with Chrome that ftg mentioned are likely factors, but I think the real bottom line is the money. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-changes-default-search-to-yahoo/706706/17 "2014-12-11T03:50:43Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Previously, they made the vast majority of their income from Google, through their default search partnership (like, almost 90% of their money), ad it seems that Google either declined to pony up again when the agreement ended, or Yahoo offered more money. No, Firefox used to have one default search engine for the entire world (and Google was the only one who would pay for that). But in many areas of the world, there are other search engines that have much more of the business than Google. For example, both Russia and China have another search engine that is the biggest in those areas. But neither of them have much business elsewhere in the world. So they were not interested in buying from Firefox the right to be the worldwide default search engine. So Firefox will now they have several – a default for each region of the world. They think that this will enable them to collect more money overall, since they can sell this to multiple companies for different regions. So Yahoo has bought the rights for the USA, Yandex has bought them for Russia, and Baidu has bought them for China. If Google of Bing or some new company wants to try to take over one of the regional markets, becoming Firefox’s default search engine would be a good start. So that might might create a bidding war, with Firefox collecting the benefit. The continuing conflict with Google over collecting info on users that Wednesday Evening mentioned, and the competition with Chrome that ftg mentioned are likely factors, but I think the real bottom line is the money.