Google has announced the end of support for the Google Toolbar, a nearly 20-year-old tool released for the late Internet Explorer. Google Toolbar hasn’t been available for download for a while, but now it has to stop working altogether to keep up with the end of the popular Google browser. Microsoft.
The idea for the ribbon was to offer a complement to the software, with interesting shortcuts and features aimed at improving the experience, such as a search field with a shortcut to search built into Google Search and sharing links on Google Plus, the company’s extinct social network. Another very welcome addition is the popup blocker, as at the time it was very popular (and annoying) on websites.
Over the years, Google Toolbar has received spelling and autocomplete support and language translator support. Most of these extensions are integrated into Chrome and other browsers, but they were not present in IE in the 2000s.
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The discovery was made through the Ars Technica portal, when a reporter was writing an article about the instrument’s 21st anniversary, which is celebrated on December 11. This was probably the second oldest existing product from Google, second only to the search engine, a notable fact of something as changing as the modern Internet.
The curiosity highlighted by Ars Technica was about transparency google browser in collecting navigation data. In the privacy section, the company has given the user the option to decide whether or not they want to monitor activity, something that is impossible to do effectively today.
Although the developers did not provide any justification for the removal, it is easy to conclude that low usage is the biggest reason. Since Microsoft made IE irrelevant, and with official support ending in 2022, it wouldn’t make sense for Google to keep the add-on functional. However, when analyzing how much resources the bar adds to browsers, you can see how important this is in shaping the Internet in the world.
source: Ars Technica
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