Ubuntu To Change Default Search Provider to Yahoo!

For the longest time, the default search provider in Ubuntu Linux has been Google, but this is going to change in the next release, Lucid Lynx, scheduled to release April 29. The change comes after Canonical has signed a revenue sharing deal with Yahoo!, so you can imagine who the new default search provider will be.

The change was announced on the ubuntu-desktop mailing list by Rick Spencer. The gist of it all is that the default search provider in the little Firefox search box will be changed from Google to Yahoo!. In addition, Firefox’ default home page (the search page thing) will respect the user’s choice of default search provider.

Spencer was adamant to emphasise that users cans till change the default search provider to Google with just two clicks. “It’s literally 2 easily discoverable clicks to change this setting, a simple matter of switching to that search provider in the [search box] by clicking on the icon and choosing the desired provider,” he explains, “Note also that Yahoo! does not share any personally identifiable or usage information.”

The reason for this change is obvious and understandable: Yahoo! has signed a revenue sharing agreement with Ubuntu, which is good for the Linux distribution. “I am pursuing this change because Canonical has negotiated a revenue sharing deal with Yahoo! and this revenue will help Canonical to provide developers and resources to continue the open development of Ubuntu and the Ubuntu Platform,” Spencer explains, “This change will help provide these resources as well as continuing to respect our user’s default search across Firefox.”

sudo apt-get remove firefox-3.5 is my favourite command anyway, preferably executed right after installing Chrome, so it bears no relevance on me. I know I’m a minority though, so how about all of you? How do you feel about this change?

78 Comments

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