Comment 439 for bug 269656

"Have you tried the Gnome "deskbar applet". I recommend it. You can
search Yahoo and Google directly from the panel, without ever touch a
web browser."

I use Kubuntu, thus KDE, so, no, I've not tried the Gnome deskbar applet.

That said, the use of Yahoo and/or Google search services do not require an end-user license agreement.

"So, you never "use the browser to access those services and explicitly
accept the terms of their use through account creation/login/use"."

Those services do not require explicit acceptance of terms of use; terms of use exist, but they are implicit.

"You just use it. Actually, I'm simplifying, because I think Google does
require you to get an account, and that implies assent. But Yahoo
doesn't. And most services will not, either."

But those services aren't encumbered, and don't require assent. The Firefox anti-phishing services explicitly state that if the user does not agree to the terms of use, that the services should be disabled.

Perhaps the Gnome Deskbar Applet is a good analogy; however, I'm not convinced. The primary differences I see are:

1) Gnome Deskbar Applet can be used to request information from/use of non-free services (Google et al); it does not install non-free service functionality locally (in the same way that using Firefox to navigate to Google is different from having anti-phishing services built into Firefox). The Firefox anti-phishing service is built-in to Firefox, and that functionality is installed and enabled by default; and,

2) Lack of agreement with the terms of use of Google's services via Gnome Deskbar Applet does not require uninstallation/disabling of anything in the applet itself; rather, it simply requires not making use of the Google (et al) backend. Lack of agreement with the terms of use of Firefox anti-phishing services requires disabling of the built-in services.

"Hence the issue we face."

I certainly acknowledge that this issue is touchy and rather unprecedented.

I'm doing my best to be a voice of reason in my responses here, given the preponderance of non-edifying responses. I'm neither a Firefox fan boy nor a free-software purist. I'm just a Windows refuge trying to contribute to this community to which I have belonged for but a year. I can't say how much I appreciate that I - in reality, a "nobody" - can discuss, suggest, get responses on this issue from such high levels at both Canonical and Mozilla.