
Firefox 34 Launches with Yahoo as Its Default Search Engine - lettergram
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/01/firefox-34-launches-with-yahoo-as-its-default-search-engine/
======
mmastrac
The search change doesn't bother me at all -- Google search is just three (?)
clicks away and it took zero effort to reset it for me.

What I was really looking forward to in this release was:

    
    
      - JS template strings: `Hello ${'world'}`
      - Direct jQuery event in the inspector

~~~
monk_e_boy
JS Template strings ([https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Refe...](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/template_strings)):

Template strings are enclosed by the back-tick, `string text ${expression}
string text`

    
    
      var a = 5;
      var b = 10;
      console.log(`Fifteen is ${a + b} and not ${2 * a + b}.`);
      // "Fifteen is 15 and not 20."
    

You can also 'tag' a template string:

    
    
      tag`Hello ${ a + b } world ${ a * b}`;
    

where the 'tag' is a preprocessor function.

------
Larrikin
The new search bar is in no way improved. I have to always keep in mind what
my default search engine is now since they removed the icon, and I can no
longer do multiple searches on a different search engine without having do a
lot of extra clicking. Any way to fix it?

~~~
PetitPrince
Use Yubnub or Duckduckgo as your search provider, and take advantage of the
command line nature of Yubnub or the bang operators in DuckDuckGo.

~~~
__Joker
Bang operator and "feeling lucky" search is one of the reason I started using
DDG and I am happy with it. Google has removed the "feeling lucky" due to
advertising reasons may be. Need to try out Yubnub.

------
bad_user
The only thing I don't like about this is that I'm not seeing myself using
Yahoo! for my searches, because I'm not living in the US and everything else I
tried has poor local results. This is OK for me, because switching search
engines is easy in Firefox.

However, this means that the searches I'm doing will not generate revenue for
Mozilla anymore. And I feel bad about that. I hope they'll cut a deal with
Google for Europe.

~~~
cpeterso
How much worse are Yahoo! or Bing search results compared to Google in Europe?
Is the problem that Yahoo! or Bing don't crawl enough European language sites?

~~~
bad_user
I'm a Romanian and speaking from personal experience, they are much, much
worse.

For example I just searched for "restaurante" (the Romanian word for
"restaurants"). Google gives me nearby restaurants in Google Maps plus links
to Romanian guides to restaurants, whereas Yahoo is giving me the Spanish
Wikipedia page for the Spanish definition as the first result (WTF!) and the
results are complete bullshit. And look, DuckDuckGo is also returning the same
bullshit (yes, even with regional searches turned on, I still get Spanish
results):
[https://duckduckgo.com/?q=restaurante](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=restaurante)

I could think of other blunders, as whenever I tried using alternatives it's
been very painful for me (i.e. fixing the individual example above won't solve
my needs) and Google is also often able to infer what I want based on my
profile. For example when I search for Ruby I get a different set of results
than my wife does ;-)

You can say what you want about Google's privacy invading tactics, but their
search results are really the best and if people wonder why they have a
monopoly in search, well this is why.

------
51Cards
So effectively it's Bing results?

~~~
what_ever
Doesn't Yahoo just use Bing index but has own search engine running on top of
it?

------
shmerl
For some reason I don't see "Hello" client in the Linux version.

And I don't like the new search bar - it's too cluttered and not really useful
for those who rely on DDG search bangs which offer way more direct search
options and don't require mouse clicks.

You can revert the search bar to classic style by setting this key in
about:config

    
    
        browser.search.showOneOffButtons = false
    

What could be good however if Firefox somehow could integrate DDG search bangs
in the browser search bar itself. That would be awesome since it would save an
extra trip to DDG. But that would require Mozilla to synchronize bangs list
with DDG periodically.

~~~
ploxiln
Isn't it funny, these "search bangs" were first available in browsers, way
back around the time of firefox 1.

[https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-search-from-
address...](https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-search-from-address-
bar?redirectlocale=en-US&redirectslug=Smart+keywords)

edit: better link
[http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_keyword_searches](http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_keyword_searches)

~~~
zidar
These were nice, but you had to configure each one yourself. I had one for
google and youtube, but that was it. With DDG, the bangs come quite nicely
preconfigured.

~~~
TazeTSchnitzel
And because of that, they work on any device. Even my iPhone!

~~~
bad_user
Well, you should get a phone that doesn't restrict so much what you can do
with it. Sending every query to DDG, even when you're not searching DDG is
very problematic for privacy too.

Firefox on Android is pretty cool, being the only trustworthy browser that
supports add-ons on smartphones right now, so I can use AdBlock Plus, HTTPS
Everywhere and LastPass with it. It also has the Awesome Bar and does keyword
searches as well, synced with my desktop Firefox of course.

I just received an iPhone 6 as a gift and while it's really cool, I quickly
felt its limits and I sold it, because I couldn't see myself using it. Firefox
is not available on iOS because of Apple's restrictions. VLC is also currently
kicked out of the app store, by Apple of course, yet there are dozens of
shitty apps available that violate its trademark, yet Apple doesn't kick those
out. Dropbox on iOS, to have a working background process for backing up your
photos, has to resort to dirty tricks like keeping location alive and
triggering the background sync when detecting movement. There's non such thing
as Tasker for Android. And the list can go on.

~~~
TazeTSchnitzel
On the other hand, iOS has a far better privacy model than Android. I can deny
apps specific permissions and don't have to accept a laundry list of them
wholesale.

~~~
bad_user
True, but it's not a solved problem because apps can keep asking ad-nauseam
about wanted permissions and even refuse to work. For example Facebook's
Messenger asks about being able to show notifications every time you open it,
until you say Yes. For me personally it is much easier to not use apps that
want unjustified permissions (for example I refuse to install Facebook's app
and whenever I feel the need to checkout updates, I open the browser version
which works fine).

Point taken though. Android's permissions model needs some serious
improvements. I would also like to lie to an app. If it wants my contacts
list, it could get a blank list, if it wants my location, it could get random
coordinates in the middle of nowhere, etc...

------
eridal
why dont DuckDuckGo? IMHO it would be a better fit

~~~
spikels
I like DDG too but I bet thay can't afford to pay Mozilla enough to survive.
Google was paying them close to $300 million. Hopefully Yahoo can afford
something similar or Mozilla will need to cut back on spending.

Long-term given the switch to mobile where FireFox is almost nonexistent (and
to a lesser degree their decline in desktop market share) they may need to cut
back if they can't find new sources of funds.

~~~
dpcan
Serious question, what are they burning $300 mil on? AND, if they are getting
$300 mil from Google every year, why on earth is it asking me for donations on
my Firefox start tab?

To help answer my own question, Googled it. Got this:

[https://www.mozilla.org/en-
US/foundation/annualreport/2012/f...](https://www.mozilla.org/en-
US/foundation/annualreport/2012/faq/)

~~~
lucaspiller
Here is the financial report for 2013:

[https://static.mozilla.com/moco/en-
US/pdf/Mozilla_Audited_Fi...](https://static.mozilla.com/moco/en-
US/pdf/Mozilla_Audited_Financials_2013.pdf)

The biggest expenses are $197m on 'software development' and $46m on 'branding
and marketing'.

~~~
martinald
Interesting to see revenue went from approx $150M in 2011, to $310M in 2012
and then stuck steady at that same rough figure in 2013.

Is that a result of Firefox stopping growing or Google not paying as well, or
something else?

~~~
hkmurakami
multiyear contracts at that fixed amount.

------
nikbackm
Looks like you now can sync saved passwords also if you have a master password
set. Previously it was disabled in that case.

------
ck2
I don't get the yahoo search business model - aren't they just showing Bing
results?

Didn't they retire all their indexing bots years ago?

For awhile they were the only contender to google with most of their search
options and apis

------
ExpiredLink
Unfortunately, FlashBlock doesn't work any more.

~~~
zyx321
Well, between the built-in click to play for simple use cases and noscript for
more advanced setups, do you even still need FlashBlock?

~~~
ExpiredLink
Maybe Flashblock actually isn't needed any more.

------
wodenokoto
I wouldn't mind this if it would direct me to the new Yahoo search.

No, I am not in the US.

------
vinothtimes
this is bad move by mozilla ,

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mrmondo
Poor move by Mozilla IMO - clearly a profit driven decision and not one in be
best interest of their users.

~~~
hosay123
Financial independence from a company that increasingly seems to be little
more than an extension of US intelligence apparatus is very much in the best
interest of their users

~~~
klipt
Any information Google can be subpoenaed for, Yahoo can also be subpoenaed
for.

------
broodbucket
Try not to read the comments on this article, they're around YouTube quality.

------
Iuz
The best thing there is this one comment:

    
    
        "NOOOOOOOO.not that HORRID, irrelevant Yahoo? I may go back to , gulp, Google."
    

what.

