Microsoft has reasserted itself in the so-called 'browser wars' with the
release of a new add-on for rival Mozilla's open-source
Firefox
browser. The update will allow the optimised use of
Microsoft
Live Search from directly within Firefox.
"We are happy to report that we have officially integrated Live Search into
Firefox by popular demand," wrote Beatrice Oltean, Live Search programme
manager, and Debapriya Ray, Live Search senior product manager, in a
blog
post.
The new add-on, which provides a small search box in the upper right corner
of the Firefox browser, boasts an auto-complete feature to help users as they
start typing search queries.
Version 2.0 of Microsoft's
Live
Search API also supports multiple protocols including JSON, XML and Soap, as
part of a project called
Silk
Road, whereas Google's search API supports only Ajax.
As well as losing ground to competing browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Opera
and Safari, Microsoft is struggling to secure more of the search market, a
lucrative business thanks to search advertising and text adverts placed adjacent
to a user's search results.
Microsoft obviously hopes to use its new Firefox add-on to demonstrate that
it is serious about increasing platform interoperability, as well as trying to
gain a new advantage in the search wars.
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