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.
Talkback
Fantastic! That is the only reason I ever use other portals -- I like Yahoo's lightweight approach (and Google's, but their content is nowhere near as rich).
If everything ran with Mozilla, including multimedia, I would be using Yahoo almost exclusively.
I wish they would embrace standards more. Try to get their launch service working with linux. And there's nowhere you can complain.
Does this mean they will support Firefox on the Linux platform, too? I broke Firefox on Linspire when I added their Tool Bar extension. Luckily, I found a way around it. But on the WinXP front, I could no longer use the extension WebMailComposer as my email client, it stopped letting me type in a message.
So I download Thunderbird and I make it my primary email client, but I can't access it from Netscape or Firefox without tweaking them to allow it. Now if I do when I upgrade or install the newer versions will the tweaks still work, or will I have to re-do them? I have to use Netscape to access my DSL router, Ebay, Paypal, some educational programs and sites. I refuse to use Outlook at all because it downloads webmail automatically.
Anyone displeased with Netscape joining IE code in their Version 8 software?
Why don't they stop picking which browsers they want to support and just implement the international standards instead?
Wouldnt it be of greater interest, should web service provider decide to adhere to the W3 specs !!!?? Rather than focusing on this that or the other browser !?
One could only then, hope for std compliance within the browsers.
In 5 years, when Yahoo wakes up and realises "...gee maybe there IS something to this Firefox thing..." I still won't touch their service with a 10 foot LAN cable.
What an appropriate name for a company,
after all they are run by a bunch of yahoos!