Yahoo vows to open all services to Firefox users

By supernova_00
in Back Page News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

supernova_00

Posted
Posted
Yahoo has confirmed plans to allow Firefox users to access all its products and services, many of which are currently only available through Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser.

In February, Yahoo launched a search toolbar for Firefox but users of the open source browser were forced to revert back to IE to access some Yahoo features. For example, Yahoo Messenger users still cannot use Firefox to customise their online avatar and have to revert back to IE.

However, a Yahoo spokesperson told ZDNet Australia  on Tuesday that the company would not launch any new products or services in the future without ensuring that they work on both IE and Firefox.

"Due to the explosive popularity of the Firefox browser, it has now been added to our suite of browsers to test our products against. All new products that Yahoo develops will be tested against Firefox," the spokesperson said.

However, Yahoo would not commit to a date when all its current services ? including avatar customisation ? will be available to Firefox users.

"We understand that consumer usage of Firefox has steadily increased and we are committed to providing an enhanced consumer experience. While we are unable to provide you with an exact date, I can tell you we are actively working to provide Firefox support for avatars," the spokesperson said.

Yahoo's decision to only launch new products that support both major browsers is huge boost for Firefox, according to Foad Fadaghi, senior industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan Australia.

"The momentum right now is behind Firefox. The Internet players are making sure they don?t miss out if there is a mass migration--they have realised that it is not just a Microsoft game anymore," said Fadaghi.

Fadaghi said that another likely reason why Yahoo has committed to Firefox is because the open source browser has such close ties with Google.

When Firefox 1.0 was launched late last year, its default home page featured a Google seach box.

"There is already a lot of support from Google, so as far as Yahoo is concerned they are 'keeping up with the Joneses'. It is a bit of a land grab," said Fadaghi.

Source: ZDnet.com

~~~~~

Great news and it's about time!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Valve finally confirms Steam Machine prices, starts at $1049 for 512GB option

      By Co-ords · Posted

      What about HL3?
    • Valve finally confirms Steam Machine prices, starts at $1049 for 512GB option

      By ShadeOfBlue · Posted

      But building your own.. what? You can't build anything like the Steam Machine yourself. Even trying to get close costs a good deal more. Even just the CPU cooler in their price comparison is as big as the entire Steam Machine. If you want a regular gaming PC, then by all means, build that. If you want a a small console-like PC for the living room that is good for gaming, I'm not sure what else is a better deal. In the GN review, they only mentioned a small form factor Dell, which is like twice the size and hundreds of dollars more expensive.
    • Valve finally confirms Steam Machine prices, starts at $1049 for 512GB option

      By ShadeOfBlue · Posted

      Those are some popular multiplayer games. But hardly "all". Just those that don't work on Linux currently due to specific anti-cheat implementations. I think it's also fair to point out the literally thousands of games that don't work on the PS5. And it's not locked at 1080p. That's the default, which you can change.
    • Ubuntu Livepatch arrives on Arm64 to eliminate system reboots for kernel updates

      By zikalify · Posted

      Ubuntu Livepatch arrives on Arm64 to eliminate system reboots for kernel updates by Paul Hill Canonical has just announced that its Livepatch service now supports computers with Arm64 processors. For those who are not familiar, Livepatch allows users to apply important kernel updates without any service interruption or rebooting. While home users will benefit from this, it’s even more important for critical machines that absolutely should not be going offline at all. The feature is available as part of Ubuntu Core 26 for Arm64 and Ubuntu Core 20 and onwards for AMD64. According to Canonical, this will improve the security of systems that aren’t security-maintained daily or weekly, and it helps organizations work towards Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) compliance. If you are familiar with Ubuntu, you probably know that most packages can be updated without having to restart the system. There is one big exception to this, and that’s the kernel; it typically requires you to reload the system to boot into the new kernel. With Livepatch, Canonical has done something so that you don’t need to restart to begin using the new kernel. Aside from Ubuntu Core 26, users with Arm64 chips running Ubuntu 26.04 LTS can also use Livepatch. If you want to learn more about Livepatch, check out its product page. There, you can also find a button to join Ubuntu Pro (it’s free for several home devices) so that you can enable Livepatch. By linking your computer to Ubuntu Pro, you will also extend the life of your Ubuntu install from five years to ten years. If you are running Ubuntu, let us know in the comments if you have been looking forward to this feature on your ARM-based computer. If you’ve had a compatible AMD64 machine for a while and never used this feature, let us know why in the comments!
    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By Steven P. · Posted

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      nates earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      dorf went up a rank
      Rookie
    • First Post
      mike_rumble earned a badge
      First Post
    • Dedicated
      tuben earned a badge
      Dedicated

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      499
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      206
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      97
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      89
    5. 5
      neufuse
      71
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!