[HN Gopher] When Google paid websites to promote Firefox ___________________________________________________________________ When Google paid websites to promote Firefox Author : leonidasv Score : 51 points Date : 2023-03-30 20:59 UTC (2 hours ago) (HTM) web link (leonidasv.com) (TXT) w3m dump (leonidasv.com) | [deleted] | ameyamk wrote: | This was a brilliant strategy. It allowed Google time to build | Chrome at the same time slowing down : (1) explorer (2) Got | decent data on CAC for browsers and what channels work and what | don't. | | Its interesting to see new era of browser wars playing out with | Chrome firmly in the lead, but Microsoft attacking with Edge | where ChatGPT on bing only available on edge browser and no where | else. Would be interesting to see how Google would respond. | throwaway128128 wrote: | Explorer didn't need "slowing down". It was in maintenance mode | and being developed it on a shoestring budget around the days | of IE6-IE7. Microsoft apparently decided that the web browser | circa 2006 was essentially a finished product because they had | "won" - IE had no serious mass market competition on Windows. | adamwk wrote: | This reminds me when my parents would have half their browser | covered in random toolbars they'd get tricked into installing, | whether by online ads or software bundled with them. The modern | dark patterns are really nothing like the early 2000's windows | days. | MiddleEndian wrote: | Tragically, Microsoft has looked back and realized that people | will put up with a lot of shit, so they decided to implement | about 20% of it themselves. | olyjohn wrote: | Yeah they were obvious, and easy to clean up back in those | days. Now it's happening, and it's just built into the software | you use, including your OS... and most people have no way of | knowing. | kccqzy wrote: | Note that before Google had Chrome, they contributed quite a bit | to Firefox. Some of the features and initiatives (like Safe | Browsing) actually began as features for Firefox. | vinhboy wrote: | Fun memory, I made like $40K selling Firefox downloads.... on | google ads. Learned a lot about google ads and SEO. | | That was a lot of money for me as a poor kid from the TL. | n1b0m wrote: | Were you paid by Mozilla? | rvnx wrote: | Remembering also when Google Chrome was aggressively bundled with | toolbars, antiviruses and various "speed boosters". | crazygringo wrote: | I assume you're being sarcastic, but I can't tell what point | you're trying to make by it? | | In case you're serious, I don't remember any of that. I've | never seen Chrome bundled at all, in fact. It's always been | available straight from Google as a standalone download. Unless | there's something I've missed? ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2023-03-30 23:00 UTC)