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The curious tempestuous outburst by Mozilla CEO John Lilly over Apple offering a Safari browser update/install to Windows users led one observer to suggest a motivating factor.

"...don't underestimate the budget cuts Kennedy called for in March of '63 either - close to 52 military installations in 25 states, 21 overseas bases, you're talking big money."
-- Donald Sutherland cautions Kevin Costner in paranoiac magnum opus, JFK

 

Follow the money? It seems like strange advice to consider when reviewing Lilly's reaction to Apple including Safari in a Software Update, and making it available for installation on Windows.

But over at ZDNet, Larry Dignan said that money is the root of Lilly's complaint. As Google's default placement in the Firefox browser contributed 85 percent of the Mozilla Foundation's $66.8 million revenue in 2006, any threat to that merits a response, in Dignan's opinion:

In that context, it’s pretty clear what this Mozilla vs. Apple rift is about. Apple also has Google in its search box and while details aren’t disclosed it’s safe to say there’s some cash changing hands. Google’s fees to Apple aren’t likely to be material, but Safari’s market share gains could be a headache for Mozilla.

Dignan's position essentially casts a browser choice as a zero-sum game. A Safari convert is a Firefox loss, and with it the revenue potential from that person's browser usage. Follow the money indeed.