The Not-So- Hidden Agenda
This may be surprising, but did you know that Google has released a browser? They call it Mozilla.
The Mozilla Project states its purpose as follows:
The mission of the Mozilla project is to preserve choice and innovation on the Internet.
An open source community of developers and testers.
A partner for the technology industry.
An advocate for standards on the Net who provides tools for developing standard web content.
Educators, providing educational materials about Internet technologies and software development.
Check out the mission statement in its entirety at http://www.mozilla.org/about/. Sounds pretty open and aboveboard, wouldn't you say? Who could possibly disagree with that mission?
And Mozilla discloses on its Partner page that "We can't achieve these goals by ourselves, so we partner with for-profit and non-profit organizations that share our vision."
So, how does Google, one of the world's wealthiest corporations enter into this? Well, if you have downloaded Firefox, you know that it comes with the Google Searchbar included. It says so right on the Firefox home page, "Google Search is built right into the toolbar."
If you follow these things, you also know that Ben Goodger, lead developer, now works for Google. He tells the world so on his blog at http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/ben/archives/007366.html
"As of January 10, 2005, my source of income changed from The Mozilla Foundation to Google, Inc. of Mountain View, California. "
The end of Firefox development? Not at all. Ben goes on to say "My role with Firefox and the Mozilla project will remain largely unchanged, I will continue doing much the same work as I have described above." In other words, Google is paying Ben to continue developing the browser that includes built-in Google search.What a marketing coup! Google gets the equivalent of their own browser, Mozilla is above reproach because, after all , they are non-profit and open source and Ben gets what I can only presume to be a hefty raise.
It does strike me as slightly slimy that Google is funding Mozilla (paying the salary of the lead developer and others is funding) while not announcing any official relationship. Imagine if it was Microsoft doing it. There would be a hue and cry.
By the way, Google stock was at over $210 per share in after hours trading after beating market expectations for fourth quarter. Oh and Microsoft released the MSN Search engine today. Does anyone know if it works with Mozilla?