Microsoft adds fancy search option for Firefox

A Microsoft add-on for Firefox lets the browser show suggested completions of a search when someone starts typing it into the search box.

(Credit: Microsoft)

If you had any doubts Microsoft didn't appreciate the advantages of Firefox's ability to accommodate add-ons, you can dispel them now. The company just released one that makes Microsoft's search service work better with the open-source Web browser.

"We're happy to report that we've officially integrated Live Search into Firefox by popular demand," said Live Search Program Manager Beatrice Oltean and Senior Product Manager Debapriya Ray in a blog post Thursday.

Like Yahoo's Inquisitor, the Microsoft search add-on connects to Microsoft's search site to suggest completions of searches as people start typing them into the browser's search box.

Microsoft is vying with Yahoo and Google to claim a greater share of the search market. Those rivals are more successful at the search advertising business, which places text ads next to search results.

According to Alessandro Catorcini, lead program manager for Live Search API (application programming interface), the add-on uses Microsoft's Live Search API 2.0. That's part of a project called Silk Road.

[flickrz]

Only if they can make the results significantly better than Yahoo to a lesser degree than google; they'll get some more searches from me.

[coryschulz]

In an ideal world, I would never have to even think of using anything created by Microsoft. They way they do business makes me feel like I have terrible food poisoning.

[nicmart]

Can you name a single person who was ever forced to buy a Microsoft product? They have no army, they use no force. One curious thing is that people who detest Microsoft are often the same people who lavish praise on governments. And yet governments cannot exist without imposing their will by force. Fancy that.

[flagg3000]

You can't possibly be serious, can you? How about every single person that ever wanted to buy a PC or a laptop and perhaps didn't want to be forced to pay for a Microsoft Operating System?

The 'Microsoft Tax' is just one of the many benefits we get to pay for when we buy a computer, so even if you do choose to run Ubuntu or any other OS on your shiny new laptop, you still have to pay Microsoft for an OS that you don't want or need.

[goodspeed8701]

@flagg so how stupid are you not to choose a linux laptop or how stupid are you not to know its not MS fault. I need answer now as a result of how stupid you are buying stuff.

[galacticcruiser]

@nicmart: what ideological nonsense are you sprouting out? Equating dislike of MS to like of government is just your attempt to make false comparisons; capitalism v communism etc etc... News for you, MS version of capitalism isn't free market; might be closer to monopoly capitalism. Does that mean, following your reasoning, you like monopolies and think that is good for the world?

[FutureGuy]

@flagg3000 this is not 2000 anymore, you can easily get a laptop with linux, the questions is no one really wants it and hardware makers are not goint to market products that don't sell. There is no hidden conspiracy. My friend just got one of those linux netbooks and promptly returned it. Apparently he was not the only one.
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22362/53/
Keep in mind Acer was a huge supporter of Linux.

[massfat]

Build your own computer if you don't want to be "taxed". And by the way, it's not a tax. Try complaining about your income tax instead, because that's mandatory unlike Microsoft's consumer prices. Microsoft products are fine. If you don't want them, don't get them. The fact that most of you all think Microsoft has too m any programs that work with it only shows how much in demand Microsoft's products are. Don't be naive.

And if you are that horrible at using computers that you can't make your own, then don't complain, and thank Microsoft for providing the normal person with a cheap computer. Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft has done a lot of good for the computer world. Before Microsoft, only the wealth could afford computers.

Last note: if you hate Microsoft's OS that much, I suggest using Command Prompt as your OS.

[freemarket--2008]

@nicmart: Count me as an exception who despises MS and big government. Monopolies are not bad if they are not immoral and abusive. MS was both. They've appeared to clean up their act somewhat, but that does not excuse their past.

@massfat: "Before Microsoft, only the wealth could afford computers." Wrong. There was a flourishing assortment of home computers long before the PC went mainstream outside of businesses. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_computer. MS, with it's business monopoly and corrupt practices drove most of them out of business.

[eppb12]

So, the only thing Microsoft has done here is change the data source that populates the suggestion list? Big deal...

[Shankland]

It's minor, but 1. Microsoft had to decide to commit resources to doing it publicly and 2. Microsoft had to have the API available in the first place. So I found it notable. I'd be curious who was doing the demanding in the popular demand department.

[nicmart]

OMG! What will the European uber-state make of this?

[codynews]

Nice :-)

[sexy_sofie]

dear mr. ballmer, no thank you.

[JCPayne]

Re: "Microsoft adds fancy search option for Firefox"

Geez. What for????
Firefox already has several *working* search features... And they are ones that actually give *good* results.... MS can keep **EVIL** I mean "LIVE".

[massfat]

Don't post useless comments if you don't want to "LIVE" and be "EVIL".

[MafiaPenguin]

LOL!!
Good joke1

[solitare_pax]

Hm - I didn't ask for Live Search in my Firefox.

But then, I'm not popular.

[eferron]

Thanks! While Live Search needs to continue to improve in search results and ads, the technology in Live Search has some really cool features that I actually like more than Google and Yahoo. The video search and user experience is better (the face I can just roll over videos to get a quick preview the video/audio, image search user experience is also better (never having to 'next page'. Even the front page with the small hover icons and interesting little facts, every now and then has me interested in things that I did not think of. These are just a few really nice user experience enhancements I really like in the Live Search platform. However I would not be honest if I stated that their is still the occasion I find myself trolling across search engines looking for the results I need. Being a FireFox user myself I am glad to see some Microsoft innovation on other platforms and in other products instead of being forced to use all Microsoft technologies to get to some of the good things Microsoft has to offer. <soapbox>Everything that comes from Microsoft is not evil or bad. Keep in mind you are talking about over 70,000 people who all are not the "evil" some of you speak of. Some people really do have a passion for technology and building great software. There are some really great things that come out of Microsoft and some really good people who work there. So please don't let the actions of a few cause you to be ignorant towards good people building good software. Of course you have an opinion and your entitled to it, just remember what goes around .... </soapbox>.

[magicmaster]

(yawning)

Great, I will google Live Search later on.

[hawkins23]

why did't they just build a better browser? hmm, actually, let me think about this, maybe they should build a better OS, Chat Client, Email/Calendar Client, mobile client..... is there a trend here?

[FutureGuy]

Wow so much love. This site turning worse than even Linux blogs. So now more option and competition is a bad thing now since it?s from MS and against Google. Because anything MS makes is automatically inferior to Google's? Grow a brain fanboys.

[massfat]

Fanboys are fine, it's just the fools who have no knowledge of what they speak of and are anti-MS that have problems.

[Jabapyth]

Wait, what? "popular demand" for live search?

[linhlh]

Huh ? Firefox default search engine already has auto-suggestion, doesn't it ?
Why bother to use Live Search (lolol) ?

[aprodigy2u]

Wow guys (i assume) if i add up all the time that you've spend on namecalling (or whatever) Microsoft...geez...perhaps that time would be better spend building some fancy new kernel...
To be short...commenting is fine but try to be part of the solution in stead of this....

And no i'm not going to use live search in firefox, because i use google.

ps: yeah i'm 30 sorry for this parental guidance kids..
ps: no english is not my native language.. :-D

[ezzep]

For those that say "If you want linux, build your own computer!" I really am annoyed by that atitude. Not all of us have the time or knowledge to go and build a new machine, much less the money. Dell offers some machines with Ubuntu Linux installed, but that's not enough. We want choice.
Now, as for this useless add-on, I don't use any of Microsoft's "Live" garbage. It's useless to me as I use google and wikipedia for just about everything.
And this add-on is forced upon any user of Microsoft Windows because Microsoft doesn't let you uninstall the add-on. You can disable it though.

[ezzep]

Oh, one more thing. For those that say that Microsoft's prices are fine, windows vista costs anywhere from $99-500. That's just the operating system. You're on your own for anything else. I ordered Suse Linux from Novell for $89 which came with 90 days of installation support, a manual bigger than the one Microsoft gives (wherever it is), and it comes with everything you need in an office environment.