The browser war seems to be heating up. Google has broken off its longstanding relationship with Mozilla. CNET is reporting that Google has canceled its deal to provide toolbars for current and future versions of Mozilla’s hugely popular Firefox browser.

Firefox users know that Google’s toolbar has been a staple feature of that popular browser as long as we can remember. Now it will be gone, which could make Firefox less user friendly and less popular. It also means the end of a longstanding alliance that has benefited both outfits.

So why would Google pull the plug on such a longstanding deal that has benefited it? The most obvious reason is to make Mozilla less user friendly and promote Google’s Chrome browser. The Chrome browser is popular, but not as popular as Firefox. If Google can push just a few customers away, it stands to gain.

Google wants to become the big player in browsers the way it already dominates searches. To do this, it will have to eliminate the competition and Mozilla is the competition. It is not the biggest player in the game – Microsoft Explorer still holds that distinction. But Mozilla is the most popular alternative to Explorer.

Google would like to position Chrome to become the main alternative to Explorer. That would make it much easier for Google to promote the Chrome Operating System as an alternative to Windows, which seems to be Google’s main focus. The Chrome browser is a sneaky way of getting people used to using a Linux-based open architecture operating system.

Mozilla Scrambles to Catch Up

Mozilla will have to scramble to find a way to direct users to various apps and addons. That will make its browser less user friendly and could benefit the sleeker Chrome. It will also make page rank tracking harder, which could really hurt some of Google’s marketing efforts. That, of course, will make Mozilla less friendly to marketers.

How this will affect Firefox users is hard to see, because many of the things toolbars used to do for us are built into Firefox itself. A lot of users simply won’t notice that the toolbar is gone – I know I did. Firefox should be able to cope, given its rapid release schedule.

How it Will Affect You

The main development here is that there will not be a Google toolbar on Firefox 5. The toolbar should be in place on older versions of Firefox, so most of us will not notice that much difference. Those of us who use the Google toolbar to do such things as cut and paste should be able to do them directly on the browser.

Autofill, search, spell check, and other common functions are now built right into Mozilla. That means you should be able to do them. You may have to fool around for a while and figure out a new way of doing things. Of course, many of us are already used to right clicking and other shortcuts rather than using the toolbar, so it may not be that bad.

Are Toolbars on the Way Out?

An interesting point here is that toolbars may soon become a thing of the past. This seems to be part of a large trend of making computer screens cleaner and more user friendly. Google is leading the way here with its very simple Chrome browser. Ubuntu is obviously the model for such simple architecture.

Previews of Windows 8 have shown a similar simple open architecture. The idea, of course, is to make interface between devices, functions, applications, and programs as seamless as possible. The ultimate goal is one-stop shopping, a sort of super Facebook where the user can access everything in one place.

That seems to be the goal of Google+, which looks like Ubuntu disguised as a social networking site and of Windows 8. Notice that Microsoft just got into bed with Facebook and bought Skype. The demise of toolbars could be part of this trend.

The Browser War is Getting Nasty

The real story here is the browser war which is heating up fast and getting nastier. Google turning on its old partner Mozilla is only the opening skirmish. Expect even more bloodshed in the months ahead as the big browser operators position themselves to take more space.

Microsoft will have to take some serious action to protect itself. Part of that action could be acquiring Opera or one of the other lesser browsers out there. Another more effective action would be to get a browser that actually works.

Mozilla’s whole business plan and success has largely been based on the fact that Explorer does not work. People install Firefox and Chrome because Explorer crashes every time you click on it. Creating a stable browser would be a better strategy for Microsoft than adding Facebook. Either way, Microsoft will have to act aggressively and fast if it wants to keep Explorer’s dominance.

One final thought here – I guess that Google will follow up on the toolbar changes with some major changes to Chrome. Perhaps a new redesigned Chrome that includes Google+. If that is the case, the browser war isn’t just going to heat up, it’s going to get a lot bloodier.