This is clearly a tweak on the iGoogle ability to set a homepage background, but it is now for EVERYONE (whether you are logged in or not).

I can't believe Google just cloned Bing.

Is Google really this intimidated by Bing?
related discussion: [webmasterworld.com...]

What the hell? This makes me NOT want to use Google...

I liked the optional background, but this is idiotic.

It's almost as bad as the PacMan logo/game without an off button.

Clearly the next step for Google is to throw some animated gifs on the page. Maybe bring back the <blink> tag.

this HAS to be a joke

Also note the all white Google logo.

If you want to get rid of this, just upload a small white image.

POOF! gone.

I've seen the link to change the background image on Google's home page for something like a month now but it never worked until the second they took away my option to not have one.

I author several Greasemonkey scripts so I visit the script repository quite often. Many times I have seen scripting to convert Google's home back to the simple interface that made them successful. I never really understood the need to use a script like that until now.

What a waste of bandwidth. And they promote Internet efficiency... ?!.

What a waste of bandwidth.

Not really, your browser caches the image so it's already local the second time you see it.

Not really, your browser caches the image so it's already local the second time you see it.

The image rotates. Looks like it changes every hour or something like that.


-added-
I hope they keep to their word and remove it in 24 hrs.

Thanks for the links Brett.

Still nice and white here in the Caribbean.

Google is getting all cuddly and family orientated.

Lucky toolbars bypass the home page.

Thank goodness for the Firefox alternative Google homepage.

dc

muppets....

Have been using Bing for a while now, but thought I would check the G homepage - is on UK now.... :(

This smacks of playing catch up - whether it is or not.

Hi all,

Careful google, you will loose some users doing things like that, there is the option to set your own picture though, which is always a bit dangerous.

I just checked the calendar too, and it's definitely NOT April 1st ;)

Hopefully this will be a short lived thing, please bring the simplicity back, because with this 'feature' added, the page load time is.....quite....a...while.

Fortunately, the default homepage via FF is unaffected as DreamCatcher notes :)

Drag_racer:

Many times I have seen scripting to convert Google's home back to the simple interface that made them successful. I never really understood the need to use a script like that until now.

Where would this be, I have not seen this before..

Cheers,
MRb

This image is very, very, very annoying!

Where's the off-switch?

If you want to get rid of this, just upload a small white image.

POOF! gone.

Brilliant! Thanks! However, the white links remain.

This is by any and all standards horrible. I've now chosen a black background just to keep everything visible.

One would have expected G to at least implement an OFF switch!

[edited by: johnnie at 8:25 am (utc) on Jun 10, 2010]

The image I am seeing isnt even in focus, its very very fuzzy - I would have thought they could have got some decent images!

Still seeing the old white page on .uk

let's see who can come up with the most inventive 'alternative' background.......

The image doesn't do anything. At least Bing's has triva one can mouse over to read.

Was just telling someone last week at how the most profitable website in the world--Google--is so simple and plain, guess I'm eating my words now!

I just blocked all images from google.com. All I need is the search input.

@Matthew1980
Where would this be, I have not seen this before..

userscripts.org and search for 'google'. Several are available. I noticed 2 just published specifically to remove the background image... lol

This makes my eyes hurt. I can't even read the text on the website because there is not enough contrast between background image and text color. Right now I see a field of flowers with red, yellow and green colors and white text. Ouch. Stop this. My eyes are exploding.

I see it on Google in the Netherlands over broadband, but not in Kazakhstan on a slow line. Either they are rolling it out gradually or they are only serving it over fast connections. Hoping for the last option...

Just seen it on Firefox and it was painful on the eyes. Our old IE6 set up in the office is still white which seems like a good reason for putting off the upgrade :)

The strategy behind this is clear however: They want to force people to create a Google account, because this will be the only way to disable this eysore.

The Adsense Link Unit at the top of the screen, disguised as a Navigation menu, could be a real money spinner:) Cool.

well but google wants you to sign up to be able to do this of cause, nothing is for free there.

I don't like it - however i didn't like firefox first time I used it!

You know, it might be that there is a demographic out there who like it. My daughter will!

Bing's photos are sharp, classy and beautiful, a pleasure to look at - Google's is dull, low-resolution and fuzzy. The image on Google is full-screen, so when their fade-in actions, there is an ugly white menu at the top. If they're going to clone Bing, at least do it right - the current implementation is simply terrible.

If you want to get rid of this, just upload a small white image.

But I'd have to log in to do that - I don't search logged in, nor do I keep Google cookies for more than the current session. SSL search seems to be unaffected at least.