Yahoo Now Preferred Search Engine for Java

Yahoo has entered into an agreement with Oracle that ties its search engine to all new Java software installations, Search Engine Land has reported.

The new partnership, which was reportedly announced by Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer at the company’s annual shareholder meeting last week, looks set to increase Yahoo’s search share and user base.

Desktop users who download and install Oracle’s Java software will now be asked if they want to set Yahoo as their home page and default search engine. The invite checkbox is turned on by default, which means Yahoo is bound to add a number of new users without them realising.

The move follows a similar agreement between Yahoo and Mozilla’s Firefox web browser, which saw Yahoo become the browser’s default search engine last summer. The Yahoo/Oracle agreement is said to run for three years. It replaces a similar agreement Oracle had with IAC and its Ask.com search engine.