Will Mozilla deliver ads in its Firefox browser?

[life0riley]

This is from Advancing Content: Official blog for Mozilla's Content Services team

The newest program is one we’re calling Directory Tiles, which is designed to improve the first-time-with-Firefox experience...
Their tiles – those nine rectangles that populate over time with the most frequent and recent websites they visit – are empty. The new tab page isn’t delivering any value for them.

Directory Tiles will instead suggest pre-packaged content for first-time users. Some of these tile placements will be from the Mozilla ecosystem, some will be popular websites in a given geographic location, and some will be sponsored content from hand-picked partners to help support Mozilla’s pursuit of our mission. The sponsored tiles will be clearly labeled as such, while still leading to content we think users will enjoy...

Is this misinformation here?
There is some discussion about it here.

[GreyGeek]

Typical discussion that takes place when "theologies" clash, but really its just a tempest in a tea pot.

Personally, I don't mind ads that pay for content and are not intrusive, overbearing and don't play videos that last more than 10 seconds. Way back when ... computer magazines were 90% ads, and the "Computer Shopper" was 100 to 300 pages of nothing but ads, but I scanned every page looking for new products and good deals. As far as PC Magazine, Dr Dobb Journal, Byte and the others, I could easily ignore the ads while reading the articles. The same goes for ads on web pages today, unless they insist on popping up an unblockable ad or video that can't be dismissed until they are done sticking their nose in your face. Those web pages I bypass after the first encounter.

As far as FireFox is concerned, when ever one clicks on the green "+" tab the new page is filled with empty boxes except for Google search. That is NOT an ad because you can't "buy" Google search. It is free and freely accessed. (They monitize your browing history and habits but that is another discussion). Besides, Google and DuckDuckGo are my two search engines of choice and it is conventient for me to have Google's search textbar displayed when I open a new, blank tab. IF it want the tab to open on a specific page I right click the link to that page and select "Open in a new Tab". That way the "ad page" never appears. Later, as your browsing history fills up, FireFox populates a new tab page with your most frequently visited websites. Very handy if you want to jump from, say, Drudge to KubuntuForums. Except ... I keep Kubuntuforums on my menu toolbar, along with the weather, youtube, AmazonPrime, ipv6 test, and others favorite sites. So, I rarely see that "new tab page".

[SteveRiley]

Google pays Mozilla for that space in Firefox; in fact, such payments account for 90% of Mozilla's revenue. Think about that: if Google decided to stop buying the space, Mozilla would disappear. I suspect part of the motivation of selling ad space on the new tab page is to diversify revenue sources.

[life0riley]

Google pays Mozilla for that space in Firefox; in fact, such payments account for 90% of Mozilla's revenue. Think about that: if Google decided to stop buying the space, Mozilla would disappear. I suspect part of the motivation of selling ad space on the new tab page is to diversify revenue sources.

Good point. As long as privacy and security are not affected in the browser then shouldn't be a problem. I was trying to imagine what this would look like.

[Feathers McGraw]

Google has its digits in a surprising number of pies, IIRC they even provide some funding for Kubuntu!