# Fucking Firefox toolbars and the fucking fucks who force the fuckers on you **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234 "2012-06-25T11:30:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/1 "2012-06-25T11:30:22Z")
It seems every piece-of-shit software thinks it’s so fucking important that you need a special fucking toolbar. Listen [AVG](http://free.avg.com/us-en/free-antivirus-download), anti-virus software should be transparent. I only need to know about it when something bad comes along. The point of a browser is that bit _below_ the toolbar, the bit with all the information on it! The more toolbars the less of the good stuff. And fucking Yahoo. Who even uses fucking Yahoo anymore? Does Yahoo pay these people to try and force Yahoo as my default search engine? Fuckers… ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/2 "2012-06-25T12:07:27Z")
AVG doesn’t force a toolbar on you, and I’m pretty sure Yahoo doesn’t, either. They might be checked by default during installation, but having the ability to uncheck the option means it’s certainly not forced. You just have to pay attention when you’re installing software that you downloaded for free, which is a good idea for a lot of reasons. Just clicking “OK” every time a confirmation dialog pops up, without reading anything and reviewing the options, will bring you all sorts of grief. ---
**Author:** ![dngnb8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@dngnb8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dngnb8)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/3 "2012-06-25T13:20:23Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > It seems every piece-of-shit software thinks it’s so fucking important that you need a special fucking toolbar. Listen [AVG](http://free.avg.com/us-en/free-antivirus-download), anti-virus software should be transparent. I only need to know about it when something bad comes along. The point of a browser is that bit _below_ the toolbar, the bit with all the information on it! The more toolbars the less of the good stuff. > > And fucking Yahoo. Who even uses fucking Yahoo anymore? Does Yahoo pay these people to try and force Yahoo as my default search engine? Fuckers… Yes, everybodys tool bars have to be like yours. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/96bed5/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/4 "2012-06-25T14:04:05Z")
I’m so glad I don’t use Firefox so I don’t have to deal with these things. Wait… **Voltaire** is right, I haven’t had a browser bar forced on me since the late ‘90s. And the ones that I’ve cleaned off of other peoples’ computers have all uninstalled nice and easy. Also, _I_ use Yahoo about every day. I haven’t used it for fucking, though, and I’m not gonna. Browser bars are pretty stupid, but your pit is weak, like when my two-year-old complains because she has to stop playing to go potty. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/5 "2012-06-25T15:19:01Z")
I still use Yahoo. It’s my default search engine and my default home page.Why is that a problem? I don’t have a Yahoo tool bar though and agree with you there. I use Firefox, set up with only the icons I use all the time. Everything else gets deleted/hidden. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/6 "2012-06-25T15:45:06Z")
Weak Pitting indeed. But toolbars and browser add-ins really should be opt-in rather than opt-out. It’s a lousy thing to trick users by hoping they won’t notice or care about additional software installed on their machines. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/7 "2012-06-25T15:50:17Z")
I think including a toolbar with an anti-virus program is definitely a mixed message. So AVG wants you want to be secure, but they don’t care about the security and privacy implications of sneaking a toolbar in for the ride? This to me says AVG is getting a bit desperate for money. Always do a custom install on any software, at least then you usually have the option to decline the crap. ---
**Author:** ![mister\_nyx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@mister\_nyx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_nyx)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/8 "2012-06-25T16:52:03Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I still use Yahoo. It’s my default search engine and my default home page. This has to be a joke, right? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/9 "2012-06-25T20:22:34Z")
Right now, Adobe and Sun are on my list for trying to sneak in toolbars or change search providers as part of updating things like Java or Flash. Yes, it’s easy to uncheck the box, but you have to be paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/10 "2012-06-25T22:49:25Z")
I remember cleaning up my stepmother’s computer a few years back and I found that her IE had become more toolbar than browser. I mean that literally. More than half the window was filled with something like eight different toolbars. I haven’t run into that problem in a long time though. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/11 "2012-06-26T00:12:44Z")
> [@mister\_nyx](#): > > This has to be a joke, right? No. Why? What’s your problem with it? I don’t search for general things every day and Yahoo gives me pretty much the same search results as Google. If I want Google (for maps, translate, whatever) it’s a few keystrokes away. Home page is misleading because I only go there (by clicking on my Home icon) if I want to see a quick synopsis of the headlines. Otherwise my main tab is open on my Yahoo mail. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2012, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/12 "2012-06-26T08:01:28Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > And fucking Yahoo. Who even uses fucking Yahoo anymore? Does Yahoo pay these people to try and force Yahoo as my default search engine? Fuckers… Yes. They even pay more for every person who is suckered into letting it install. And all the ‘trial’ versions of software that come pre-installed on a new machine – the software companies pay the hardware maker to pre-install that crap. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/13 "2012-06-26T10:15:35Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Yes, it’s easy to uncheck the box, but you have to be paying attention. Seriously! We’re supposed to actually pay attention to what we’re doing? What bullshit is that, anyway?! :mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/14 "2012-06-26T11:38:01Z")
> [@mister\_nyx](#): > > > [@Equipoise](#): > > > > I still use Yahoo. It’s my default search engine and my default home page.Why is that a problem? I don’t have a Yahoo tool bar though and agree with you there. I use Firefox, set up with only the icons I use all the time. Everything else gets deleted/hidden. > > This has to be a joke, right? **Equipoise** doesn’t even know about Ask Jeeves. Snigger. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/15 "2012-06-26T17:08:48Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > **Equipoise** doesn’t even know about Ask Jeeves. > > Snigger. I’m still mystified as to why I’m being tweaked here although I’m guessing it’s a “Yahoo is old fashioned and unhip and aren’t you an old fart!” thing, but let the record show that I do indeed know about **Ask Jeeves**. Like other search engine/search engine-type programs, it doesn’t give me any results that Yahoo doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/16 "2012-06-28T19:37:22Z")
AVG’s toolbar isn’t that bad. It’s got some handy features, and you can always hide it. What sucks is that they also make AVG your default search engine. And they lie about it during the installation, saying it just goes through Google, yet the results are demonstratively different, with AVG not finding anything. And, yes, Yahoo pays to get their bar up there, as does [ask.com](http://ask.com) (not AskJeeves anymore). They are dwindling search engines, and they think that putting their bar front in center will get people to use them, because they are there, and thus increase their usage. And of course Yahoo’s search is just like everyone else’s: Yahoo is using Bing, and Bing farms Google results. ---
**Author:** ![Doc\_Dodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Doc\_Dodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doc_Dodge)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/17 "2012-06-30T18:03:53Z")
A toolbar? Is that where clueless, self-centered, assholes go to get an adult beverage? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/18 "2012-06-30T19:42:20Z")
Ah, yes, the browser wars! Okay, I just had a complete system crash, and had to buy a new 'puter. Installing new software for a full week. Over a dozen times, one installer or another tried to highjack my choice of browser, search engine, or home page. Over a dozen times, they tried to install new toolbars on me. I’ve gotten really good at re-assigning my default browser, default search engine, home page, and at uninstalling toolbars. It isn’t that hard. It’s a trivial annoyance. But it shows the vendors’ utter contempt for my individual freedom of choice. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/19 "2012-06-30T19:58:44Z")
AGV tool bars and their stupid agv safe search are really annoying. I finally got rid of AGV because it kept warning me I wasn’t fully protected because I turned off the safe search crap. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234/20 "2012-06-30T20:22:39Z")
> [@mister\_nyx](#): > > This has to be a joke, right? I use Yahoo every day. Their [Yahoo Finance](http://finance.yahoo.com/)page is better than any other for following the market or reseaching stocks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-firefox-toolbars-and-the-fucking-fucks-who-force-the-fuckers-on-you/626234.md?page=2)