(June 10, 2010) - On the Microsoft Europe twitter page is posted the tweet: “We’ve lost a background image, if found please return to bing.com ”. (link) The #2 most searched keyword today on google is "remove google background" (link) What's going you may wonder. Well, Google has a background image on their start page today and while most people agree that the new background picture option is a nice feature, a lot of people are royally ticked. Here's the skinny:

1) The background feature can not be removed today. This is more than likely for one day only - they are trying to bring attention to everyone that there is a new background image option. People are ticked because Google didn't provide the option to go back to the classic white view (you can select a white background, but all the links have a drop shadow making them hard to read, and the google logo is a cut out image that doesn't look right).

2) The background image is slowing the page down. For typical users this may not be a big issue, but anybody on low bandwidth is feeling it today.

3) The background image makes the page feel more cluttered. One of the reasons Google is so popular is because it's a big empty page with one search field on it. It's dumb downed and easy to use.


What's your opinion?

lol it's for one day. It'll be okay. I don't know why people are getting all ruffled about it. To me it's no different from the silly ugly google logos they use for celebrations.

I don't care to endure it for a 24 hour period in which I maybe use google just a handful of times. It's my homepage but I'm only there for a second while I browse my favorites for where I want to go.

For those who don't want to put up with it for the day this tells you how to change it: http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/remove-google-background/19511180/

I see no difference..? When I go to Google.com the background is white as usual. Or are you talking about something else?

zombieXstitches - 10 June 2010 01:34 PM

For those who don't want to put up with it for the day this tells you how to change it: http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/remove-google-background/19511180/

All this does is change the background color for the page. :( You still have the problem with the images looking crazy on the page when you select the white background, and the page still loads slow.

If you use Googles SSL page ( https://www.google.com), then you can get the regular white page again.

Kiki - 10 June 2010 01:44 PM

I see no difference..? When I go to Google.com the background is white as usual. Or are you talking about something else?

Not sure why you're getting a white page - maybe it's cached and not refreshed?

X1up Girl - 10 June 2010 01:53 PM

Kiki - 10 June 2010 01:44 PM

I see no difference..? When I go to Google.com the background is white as usual. Or are you talking about something else?

Not sure why you're getting a white page - maybe it's cached and not refreshed?

No idea, I always get the logos though when they change them. I use Google everyday so I'm usually the first to know when they change anything. lol.

I love the images. Now that I know the option to show images exists, I'm going to select it once they're no longer the default.

I don't think it clutters the page at all, it still maintains an overall feeling of simplicity. The images add some interest to a page that was previously mind-numbingly boring.

X1up Girl - 10 June 2010 01:51 PM

zombieXstitches - 10 June 2010 01:34 PM

For those who don't want to put up with it for the day this tells you how to change it: http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/remove-google-background/19511180/

All this does is change the background color for the page. :( You still have the problem with the images looking crazy on the page when you select the white background, and the page still loads slow.

If you use Googles SSL page ( https://www.google.com), then you can get the regular white page again.

I know, it's just supposed to be a temprorary fix. You'd have to go back in and take out the option later.

Kiki - 10 June 2010 01:56 PM

X1up Girl - 10 June 2010 01:53 PM

Kiki - 10 June 2010 01:44 PM

I see no difference..? When I go to Google.com the background is white as usual. Or are you talking about something else?

Not sure why you're getting a white page - maybe it's cached and not refreshed?

No idea, I always get the logos though when they change them. I use Google everyday so I'm usually the first to know when they change anything. lol.

I'm also getting just a white page now. Maybe they got tired of the bloggers going into rage mode.

Yeah, mine is back to normal. I don't know, it certainly struck me but I didn't mind it so much. The background was kind of pretty actually and it didn't see to effect performance or anything. I think maybe the only thing would be that I'd want to make sure I was actually on google and didn't type in the wrong url, I didn't even know they were doing this.

Yeah, just confirmed they switched it back: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-dumps-its-bing-like-background-image-2010-6

X1up Girl - 10 June 2010 03:19 PM

Yeah, just confirmed they switched it back: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-dumps-its-bing-like-background-image-2010-6

Oooh, OK... mine was white, too.

I actually almost never use the home page to start a search. I use Firefox, so I just select Google as my search engine on the navigation toolbar (not sure what it's called in other browsers, but I know IE, at least, has the same thing).

It annoyed me because of the lag haha. I'm glad that it's gone now.

Now that you can toggle it I find it actually kinda neat, wish there was an image I liked, might have actually kept it for more than a few seconds. I have my firefox bar changed on my mac, my brother thinks it's a real eyesore but I love it <3

I just came to vote

LMAO - you ladies are cracking me up

well I'm using a plain red background so it's not cluttered...just red?

Hmmmm... I'm not seeing anything different. I'm guessing that's a good thing.