You’d think Microsoft were about to release an updated web browser that gives them more of a lock-in on web search. Or something.

On Wednesday, Google displayed a Firefox advertisment on their homepage. The advertisment promoted the advantages of being a Firefoxer:

“…security. IE, which has more than 85 percent of the market, is a favorite target for hackers and virus writers. The one-line text ad read, “Firefox with Google Toolbar: tabbed browsing, safer surfing,” and included a picture of the toolbar on Firefox. Only people using IE could see the ad”.

Goggle has had a joint promotional relationship with Mozilla since last year.

Incidentally, Google Toolbar now supports IE7.