Default list of search engines in Deskbar

[Tom Bamford]

Ian Jackson wrote:
> When we choose default search we are sending a very strong message to
> our users that this search is in our opinion good and trustworthy.
> 
> Some of us may feel that our users would like Google to be the default
> but of course that means that we are exposing our users' searches to
> Google (who are known to remember them and use them in ways some
> people disagree with), with only a small logo as indication that this
> is happening.  Personally I'm not a fan of Google's suck-all-the-data
> approach.
> 
> Of the list in Loic's message, only one of the searches proposed is a
> sufficiently general purpose search from an organisation established
> to promote the public good - Wikipedia.

I don't know of a _good_ search engine that either doesn't have 
associated controversy or isn't commercially motivated. Weighing up the 
scope of results, Google is my preferred all-purpose search simply 
because it pretty much knows everything. Wikipedia on the other hand, 
might have an article on my desired subject, but it's more likely not to 
return anything. I wouldn't consider it a viable alternative to an 
established search engine.

> There is one obvious entry missing: a BBC News search.  There's
> probably only room for one news search and the BBC would make sense as
> probably the most neutral and reliable.

As a regular BBC news visitor, I second that.

> Finally, there is another question I would like to bring up:
> filthy lucre.
> 
> Organisations like Google have been known to pay large sums of money
> to have their entry be the default.  As I understand it the Mozilla
> foundation is largely funded from search engine kickbacks (!)
> 
> We need to make an explicit decision whether we want to try to secure
> such a source of revenue, where the revenue should go, how far we are
> prepared to go in our negotiations with such a partner, and so forth.
> Ultimately this would be a decision for the CC or the TB.

Personally I would hardly think that Ubuntu or Canonical would need to 
seek extra funding in this way. I understand and agree with Mozilla's 
arrangement, but I would expect more funding options to be explored by 
Ubuntu before channeling users to a search engine for referral money.

I guess I'm hard to please. I'd vote for Google as a default, but I'd 
not be too impressed with money being exchanged for having it so. Out of 
interest, where would this be discussed further, LaunchPad?

Regards,
Tom