Adobe and Google in web search deal

Stan Beer
Thursday, 22 June 2006 10:25

Your IT - Home IT

Document and desktop graphics software developer Adobe Systems and search leader Google have struck a deal which will see Adobe distribute Google's search toolbar with downloads of its software products. Under the deal, which will run for several years, Google will pay Adobe to distribute the Google search tool bar when users download Adobe's Shockwave multimedia software.

Shockwave, which Adobe inherited when it took over Macromedia in 2005, is software that enables users to view and participate in interactive online multimedia games and entertainment sites on a web browser.

In this particular deal, users will get the Google toolbar search when the download Shockwave for Microsoft's Internet Explorer which has 85% market share. The latest version Internet Explorer, IE7, has Windows Live Search as its default search window on the toolbar.

Google has paid big money to get its search Window as the default on rival open source browser Firefox which has about 11% market share. Last month, Google and Dell announced a deal rumoured to be worth US$1 billion which will give put Google's search engine front and centre on Dell PCs. Under the agreement, Dell will pre-install Google desktop on its PCs, which would also ship with a default browser home page sponsored by both companies.

Google appears to be pulling out all stops and sparing no expense to hook up with companies that can provide the search leader with leverage to counter Microsoft's desktop dominance. Adobe has shown itself to be no lover of Microsoft in recent times, forbidding the software giant to include a save to PDF function in its upcoming Office 2007 product.