SHARE
Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp

Microsoft, Sun Forge Search Alliance

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp said on Monday that it reached a Web search deal with Sun Microsystems Inc, the latest partnership struck by Microsoft aimed at chipping away at the dominance of Google Inc.    As part of this agreement, users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser who download Sun’s Java technology platform will be […]

Nov 11, 2008
Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp said on Monday that it reached a Web search deal with Sun Microsystems Inc, the latest partnership struck by Microsoft aimed at chipping away at the dominance of Google Inc. 

 

As part of this agreement, users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser who download Sun’s Java technology platform will be given the option to also download the MSN Toolbar from where users can directly access the company’s search engine.

 

Earlier this year, Microsoft also reached an agreement with Hewlett-Packard Co, the world’s largest personal computer maker, to place a toolbar on new PCs in the United States and Canada starting in January.

 

"This deal will expose Live Search to millions more Internet users and drive increased volume for our search advertisers," said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the Online Audience Business at Microsoft, in a statement.

 

Striking distribution deals are one part of Microsoft’s strategy to close the gap on market leader Google. Microsoft said competition for these types of deals is intense and that the company had to outbid several rivals for the Sun deal.

 

Sun said the Java platform sits on more than 800 million personal computers around the world, or on 91 percent of Internet-connected PCs worldwide. The Java Runtime Environment is downloaded tens of millions times every month, Sun said.

 

Google’s U.S. Web search market share reached 63 percent in August versus a 19.6 percent for Yahoo Inc and 8.3 percent for Microsoft, according to comScore.

 

(Reporting by Daisuke Wakabayashi; Editing by Gary Hill)

Recommended for you...

June Roundup: M&A Moves Across the Shifting Channel Landscape
Jordan Smith
Jul 7, 2025
Leadership Roundup: New CEOs Highlight June Moves
Jordan Smith
Jul 2, 2025
Workspan AI Looks to Solve Channel Ecosystem Complexity
Victoria Durgin
Jun 25, 2025
May Roundup: Mergers and Acquisitions From Around the Channel
Jordan Smith
Jun 2, 2025
Channel Insider Logo

Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.