[LINK] Why does Firefox send non-URL text in the location bar to Google etc.?

[Birch, Jim]

Robin Whittle wrote:

> I think this is a really bad "feature" - especially to have on by
default.  Doubly so not to have any ordinary user-interface option to
control it.

If Firefox had a UI for every backend option that someone wants to use
the Options interface would be 100 pages long.  It's a trade-off between
simplicity and completeness that aims to get what most people might need
to use. 

> ... stupidity and laziness of users ...
> People should not be encouraged to fudge the distinction between a URL
and text to be sent to a search engine.

On the contrary, computers are unnecessarily hard to use. Who - apart
from a few eggheads - really wants to remember and type strange strings
of characters?  The general trend is towards smarter software that is
fitted to the human mind, not forcing the human mind to adapt to
computer protocol conventions and code design.  If you're an IT
professional you do need to know  this kind of stuff (where it is
relevant or useful) but not if you are a casual user.  We don't have to
understand how our car, or our pet cat, "works" unless you're a mechanic
or a vet.  We have cleverly evolved mental systems that deal with cars
and cats heuristically and cars and cats have adapted to fit those
mental systems.

Ditto for software.  The idea that an ordinary user needs special
knowledge is indicative of a technology in its early stages. 

> Accessing a login page by typing in "facebook login" or "commonwealth
bank login" and using a search engine to find the page is stupid because
it is insecure.

Google does a better job of checking for fake and malicious pages than
your average computer user could possibly do.  Most people
don't/couldn't understand the threats they face, let alone how to deal
with them appropriately.  I haven't totally given up on trying to
educate my users but it's clear to me that secure systems are a much
better solution than endless education programs.

>... sometimes cause perfectly cautious and wise users to send text, by
accident, to a search engine, where there are no real limits on how it
could be copied or otherwise used in ways which are contrary to their
intentions.

I don't know what you think Google is going to do with your precious
search phrase - other than what they say they do - but it sounds a
little paranoid to me, especially considering the nasty real threats out
there.

- Jim


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