Google Toolbar

Infobox Software
name = Google Toolbar



caption =
developer = Google
latest release version = 4.0.1602.1060 (Internet Explorer) 3.1.20080730 (Firefox)
latest release date = June 9, 2007 (Internet Explorer) June 16, 2008 (Firefox)
latest preview version = 5.0.2000.2472 (Internet Explorer) 5.0.20080919Wb1 (Firefox)
latest preview date = July 1, 2008 (Internet Explorer) October 1, 2008 (Firefox)
operating system = Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X
Linux
platform =
genre = Toolbar
license = Proprietary freeware
website = [http://toolbar.google.com toolbar.google.com]

Google Toolbar is an Internet browser toolbar available for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

Google Compute

Google Compute was a separately downloadable add-on for the Google Toolbar which allowed participation in a distributed computing project to help scientific research. It started on a limited basis in March 2002 [cite news|url=http://news.com.com/Google+tests+distributed+computing/2110-1032_3-994371.html|title=Google tests distributed computing|first=Stefanie|last=Olsen|publisher=CNet News|date=March 27, 2003] and ended in October 2005. [cite web|url=http://folding.stanford.edu/mail.html|title=Support center|publisher=Folding@Home "The Google compute program has ended."] [cite web|url=http://forum.folding-community.org/viewtopic.php?t=13539|date=October 22, 2005|title=Is Google quitting the project?|publisher=Folding Community]

Google Compute enabled a user's computer to help solve challenging scientific problems when the computer would otherwise be idle. When one enabled Google Compute, the computer downloaded a small piece of a large research problem and performed calculations on it that were then included with results from thousands of other computers. Google Compute was only available for the English language version of the Google Toolbar. [cite news|url=http://news.com.com/2100-1001-867091.html|title=Google takes on supercomputing|date=March 22, 2002|publisher=CNet News|first=Stephen|last=Shankland]

The effort's first, and so far only, contribution was to Folding@home, a non-profit endeavor to model the process of protein folding in order to better understand and cure many different diseases. The Google Compute homepage recommends that users wishing to continue contributions to the project download the official Folding@home client.

It is so heavily advertised on the internet because Google pays $1 per referral (every person who installs Google Toolbar to their Explorer or Firefox)

imilar Toolbars

* Advanced Searchbar
* AOL Toolbar
* MSN Toolbar
* Windows Live Toolbar
* Yahoo! Toolbar

ee also

* ChunkIt!
* Form filler
* Folding@home
* List of distributed computing projects
* SETI@home
* The intentional surfer model - how the toolbar contributes to PageRank

References

External links

* [http://toolbar.google.com/ Google Toolbar] (redirects based on browser)