Skip to main content

client=firefox-a » The Magical Firefox String That Brings Millions for Mozilla Foundation

There's huge money in free and open source software as Mozilla proves it yet again.

Mozilla, developers of Firefox browser, generated a revenue of $53 million in the year 2005 mostly from "search engine relationships". [Jason Calacanis' estimates were close enough.]

Now it doesn't take rocket science to assume that most of this money flew in from Google as it is the default search engine in Firefox.

So how does Mozilla generates those millions of dollars from that 200 x 22 Google search box sitting on the top right corner of Firefox ? The answer lies in "client=firefox-a"

Type in any query in that box and hit enter [make sure Google is selected as the default search engine] - Now take a close look at the Google URL that appears in the Firefox address bar - you'll see a substring saying client=firefox-a.

http://www.google.com/search?q=fountain+pens&client=firefox-a

That is sort of a hidden instruction from Mozilla to Google search engine saying the search originated from Firefox search box and if the user clicks on a sponsored link (Google Ads) displayed in search results, give us a commission.

There are millions of Firefox users worldwide searching Google several times a day and that keeps the cash registers at Mozilla ringing.

To clear any confusion - Google doesn't pay Mozilla when somebody downloads a copy of Firefox from Mozilla servers. It's only when users perform a search from Mozilla products and clicks on the Google ad.

Update: Mozilla gets revenue from other browsers as well including Microsoft IE and Opera which is free now. Only the reference string changes in that case.

Firefox - http://www.google.com/search?q=test&client=firefox-a

Opera - http://www.google.com/search?q=test&sourceid=opera

IE 7 - http://www.google.com/search?q=test&sourceid=ie7

Update: If you are curious to know how Firefox passes that parameter to Google, follow these steps:

» Open the Firefox installation folder [generally c:\program files\mozilla firefox]
» Open the google.xml file in notepad [located in searchplugins folder]
» You will see the firefox-a string in the file.

Related: Firefox Search Bar Hacks

Popular posts from this blog

How to Download Contacts from Facebook To Outlook Address Book

Facebook users are not too pleased with the "walled garden" approach of Facebook. The reason is simple - while you can easily import your Outlook address book and GMail contacts into Facebook, the reverse path is closed. There's no "official" way to export your Facebook friends email addresses or contact phone numbers out as a CSV file so that you can sync the contacts data with Outlook, GMail or your BlackBerry. Some third-party Facebook hacks like "Facebook Sync" (for Mac) and "Facebook Downloader" (for Windows) did allow you to download your Facebook friends' names, emails, mobile phone number and profile photo to the desktop but they were quickly removed for violation of Facebook Terms of Use. How to Download Contacts from Facebook There are still some options to take Friends data outside the walls of Facebook wall. Facebook offers the Takeout option allowing you to download all Facebook data locally to the disk (include
Read more

Digital Inspiration

Digital Inspiration is a popular tech blog by  Amit Agarwal . Our popular Google Scripts include  Gmail Mail Merge  (send personalized emails with Gmail ),  Document Studio (generate PDFs from Google Forms ) and   File Upload Forms ( receive files  in Google Drive). Also see  Reverse Image Mobile Search , Online Speech Recognition and Website Screenshots , the most useful websites on the Internet.
Read more

Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts for Power Users

All features in Mozilla Firefox browser are accessible through the use of the keyboard. You can use shortcut keys to view and save Web pages, search the web, open new webpages, work with bookmarks, or find text on the current webpage. Some of the most common keyboard shortcuts in Mozilla Firefox are Ctrl+N (to open a new Firefox window), Ctrl+T (to open a new tab), Ctrl+F4 (to close the current tab) and Ctrl+S to save the current webpage. Mozilla Firefox supports many more powerful keyboard shortcuts. For instance, by pressing a simple key combination, you can manually delete autocomplete entries from the Firefox location bar or Web forms. I am sharing a list of my favorite Mozilla Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts that make web browsing with Firefox even more fun . And you also save your precious time as navigating through several layers of Firefox Toolbar menus is no longer necessary. 1. Web Search Ctrl+K moves the cursor to the Search Bar. You can then type in the terms you wish to fin
Read more