With the Firefox Web browser attracting rave reviews from the tech world and a rising usership, Google has hired Firefox's lead engineer, suggesting to analysts that the search kings might be building their own Firefox to raid the IE hen house.
"As of January 10, 2005, my source of income changed from The Mozilla Foundation to Google, Inc. of Mountain View, California," said that lead Firefox engineer, Ben Goodger, in a posting on his Weblog.
"My role with Firefox and the Mozilla project will remain largely unchanged, I will continue doing much the same work as I have described above – with the new goal of successful 1.1, 1.5 and 2.0 releases," he continued. "I remain devoted full-time to the advancement of Firefox, the Mozilla platform and Web browsing in general. I'm sure you have many questions. While I will be spending more time at Google, I will work out of the Mozilla Foundation offices regularly as the need arises."
Goodger referred other questions to Google, but Google isn't saying yet exactly what Goodger will be doing or whether they really are planning to build their own version of Firefox. Google's entry into the browser market has been pondered ever since the search kings registered the Gbrowser.com domain and hired a round of former Internet Explorer engineers in 2004.
A British-based Google spokesperson, who chose to remain anonymous, told reporters only that Goodger would have the title of software engineer, with half his time "donated" to Mozilla Foundation, while declining to confirm or deny Google has a browser in the making.
"We can't share any information about what we're working on," she was quoted as saying, "but many of our products aim to transform the browsing experience."
Earning rave reviews for its speed, simplicity, and efficiency, Firefox has been downloaded over 20 million times since its full version launched last fall, with a current 5 percent market share likely to swell if leveraged with Google's brand name, according to several industry analyses.
"[I]t's been an interesting, eventful, and educational experience," Goodger’s blog said of his Firefox experience. "I don't think any of us saw all of what has happened happening at the outset. I feel privileged to be a part of something like this, to work with the diversely talented, driven people that I do, to know that the work that I do is helping people everywhere."
