Sunday, July 02, 2006 10:18 AM sandi

Google: what a pushy little company they can be...

Remember this?
http://msmvps.com/blogs/spywaresucks/archive/2006/03/05/85482.aspx

Tonight I notice that if Google senses that you do not have their search engine as your default in IE you will see this on their search page:

 

There's only one problem, they already *are* my default.  I tell you what, I wish they'd stop being so damned pushy.

 

Filed under: ,

# re: Google: what a pushy little company they can be...

Sunday, July 02, 2006 7:37 AM by Ian Oxley

LOL.  That might be a 'bug', not happened for me, but in general I think the whole search issue probably confuses average users and Google is paranoid that many wouldn't even think about making that setting without any urging. Incidentally, I was doing 'research' at the Messenger Plus forum, and they have the trick of making the search icon orange and adding their own search to the list in the pull-down - for a moment, I thought it had installed by itself, then realised I was merely being urged to tick the box (which disappeared after a re-start of IE). I didn't previously know that trick was a feature of IE7 either.  Cue more user confusion/manipulation.

Edit Sandi: Ahhh, Messenger Plus!  A programme that is high in my radar alerts.  I lurk in that forum as well and noticed that behaviour.  Its quite cool that the IE team is supporting OpenSearch, opening the door to such customisation, although I do worry that users' search pane options will become very top heavy; I've seen a file available for download that promises to install something like 200 search providers, which is getting beyond a joke, not to mention the detrimental effect of loading down the registry in such a way.

Leave a Comment

(required) 
(required) 
(optional)
(required)