I never read anything about this, but the ask.com is a PITA as far as I am concerned. Why the change? Business decision?
Anyway, after Googling “Firefox Google toolbar” in ask.com, got nothing, but going to good ol’ Google, it gave me a place to download an extension, and hooray, Google toolbar is back where it belongs.
My Firefox (I’m pretty sure it’s the latest update, but I don’t remember the v. number) gives you a dropdown on that “Google” toolbar that lets you search in about six or seven search engines. I never use anything but the Google one so I don’t know what all they are beyond Google and Yahoo! but is it possible that you accidentally set it to Ask.com as the default?
Is ‘googling’ a generic term for searching now?
There are a number of softwares that install ask.com as a default to your browser. The install option is in with the I agree with terms of use page and is sometimes at the bottom of the page. It’s easy to miss and unless you scroll down to see it and uncheck install, it installs.
It was entered into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006 as a verb.
Click on the icon/down arrow to the left of the search box. It also contains a last entry entitled “Manage search engines” which allows you to add, remove, reorder and rename them. It should remember your current choice of search engine.
Not sure about the OED, but Websters online defines it as “to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web”.
So according to that, it isn’t a generic verb for internet search, and the OP’s statement is incorrect.
… are you kidding? It has been for a very long time. In fact, I never hear anyone use any other term for it. Where have you been?
I’ve never heard anyone use “google” while explicitly stating that they were using a different search engine. I don’t think it’s a generic verb for “internet search”.
OK, thanks all. Sure enough, clicking the down arrow shows other options. I don’t recall ever doing that, but perhaps when in a hurry, I accidentally clicked on ask.com.
Oh sure, we’ve been “googling” for a long time. I hate seeing nouns “verbalized,” but the trend is probably inescapable. And it is far easier than writing, “I went to Google and searched for xxx.” 
I’ve heard it in contextless form a lot, of course, just never as a generic term in the context of an explicitly-stated non-google search engine. (i.e. “I googled it at ask.com”)
Damned sight better than Yahoo!-ing.
Or jeevesing. That kind of sounds dirty.
(Actually, binging is the one that really sounds dirty! “So I was binging Jorja Fox the other day…”)
Oh, I see. In the OP, that usage was (apparently) a weak attempt at humor.
You will note among the default search engine selections that Bing! is not one of them. You may add it manually, but Firefox does not include it as a potential selectee.
And in Microsoft’s IE, Bing is the only search engine allowed.
No it’s not. It’s the only one that’s installed by default if you just click through the installer, but you can choose any of the others either during the install process, or you’ll be prompted about it immediately afterwards.
Wrong. I just reformatted my HDD last week, and updated Vista and IE8. Bing isn’t included (just Google and Live—I know, Live is MSN but it’s not Bing).
My mistake, it seems Live now is the same as Bing, but it still is not the only one installed.
Oh yeah, don’t you just wish! 