Microsoft & Yahoo join forces to tackle Google

Glenn · Jul 29, 2009, 18:59:51

details at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8174763.stm

Rik · Jul 29, 2009, 19:01:46

It's a war zone out there.

bobleslie · Jul 29, 2009, 21:22:17

Desperate times require drastic actions.

Simon · Jul 29, 2009, 22:11:35

I think I'd even trust Microsoft and Google over Yahoo!

Sebby · Jul 29, 2009, 23:49:29

My feeling is that there are no rivals that Google need to be worried about. Microsoft can team up with whoever they like, but people are not going to move away from Google. Google is so popular because it offers what users want - simplicity combined with great search ability. I don't believe anyone can better it.

Yahoo is too fussy and Bing is just laughable. I really don't think Google should be too worried.

Gary · Jul 30, 2009, 05:45:31

Quote from: Sebby on Jul 29, 2009, 23:49:29
My feeling is that there are no rivals that Google need to be worried about. Microsoft can team up with whoever they like, but people are not going to move away from Google. Google is so popular because it offers what users want - simplicity combined with great search ability. I don't believe anyone can better it.

Yahoo is too fussy and Bing is just laughable. I really don't think Google should be too worried.

Thing is Sebby we have more to be worried about from google being the user

pup · Jul 30, 2009, 06:33:54

I have always preferred Alta Vista over any of the others, just because it was the first one I used. I hate that bl**dy yoog that seems to inhabit the firefox address bar

Sebby · Jul 30, 2009, 12:55:34

Quote from: Gary on Jul 30, 2009, 05:45:31
Thing is Sebby we have more to be worried about from google being the user

True, but that doesn't mean people are going to move away.

Rik · Jul 30, 2009, 12:58:25

They're not. When I started using the web, I used to describe it to people as the world's biggest library, only without the index. Google provided that index and changed how we use the web completely. I can't imagine not using it now.

zappaDPJ · Jul 31, 2009, 03:14:10

I don't want to rain on MS/Yahoo's parade but Google accounts for a staggering 97.1% of links through from a search engine to one of my busier websites. Way down in second place comes Google (Images) at 1.1%. I think we have a clear winner

Some other statistics I've just pulled up for the same site which might interest some of you are:

Operating Systems

Windows 94.4 %
Unknown 3.3 %
Macintosh 1.4 %
Linux 0.7 %

Browsers

MS Internet Explorer 52.1 %
Firefox 33.3 %
Google Chrome 9 %
Opera 3.3 %
Safari 1 %
Netscape 0.6 %
Mozilla 0.3 %

I find the fact that 9% of users are already on Google Chrome rather suprising and with Google's OS and Google Wave still to come Microsoft really needs to start pulling something out of the bag.

Rik · Jul 31, 2009, 10:00:46

That browser share is really significant, Zap, it wasn't so long ago that MS would have been in the 90s.

Gary · Jul 31, 2009, 10:03:31

Thats a big change in numbers, saying that the rate they punt out new versions of Chrome it will be up to version 4 soon

Sebby · Jul 31, 2009, 12:53:18

Quote from: Rik on Jul 31, 2009, 10:00:46
That browser share is really significant, Zap, it wasn't so long ago that MS would have been in the 90s.

Indeed. And I'd have thought it will continue to decrease.

Edit: I guess, though, we should consider the type of visitors. For example, technical visitors will tend to use something other than IE.

Rik · Jul 31, 2009, 12:58:25

This is very true, Seb, I suspect a site like the BBC would have very different results. It would be quite interesting to see the varying percentages across sites and get an idea of what kind of users they have.

zappaDPJ · Jul 31, 2009, 13:54:37

Interestingly enough those figures are not a million miles away from the ones produced here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8177829.stm

MS Internet Explorer 60%
Firefox 31%
Others (less than) 5%

Given that my stats are current and the ones reported in the article are going to be older to some degree, that might explain the 9% I'm getting for Google Chrome. I'd say the majority of regular visitors to the site I pulled the stats for are representative of the average computer user but there will be a small percentage that are a little more informed and technology driven.

Rik · Jul 31, 2009, 15:02:13

MS must be concerned to see their share slipping away.

Sebby · Jul 31, 2009, 15:52:29

It's their own fault - it's a bad browser. They only had such a big share in the past because no one knew any different.

Rik · Jul 31, 2009, 15:54:26

Agreed. I only moved to IE when Netscape was dropped, and hated it.