Google Butler is an interesting little piece of software for Firefox. It does some aggresive things to various Google services that mimic the AutoLink feature of the new Google Toolbar in intent. It changes Googles pages by removing ads, adds links to competing services, and according to the source code, will remove ads from GMail in future versions. For those of you not in the know, the new Google toolbar introduced autolinking of ISBNs and other objects that result in links appearing on Barne’s & Noble’s site that lead to Amazon. When Microsoft tried this recently, they quickly backed down.

Source code is available.

If I’m not mistaken, this software is more of a political statement against Google’s AutoLink feature than anything else. The AutoLink feature, introduced by the Google Toolbar 3, changes other site’s content as well. Some accused it of repeating the Smart Tags disaster Microsoft got into a while ago. Others pointed out the AutoLink feature is not enabled by default, but has to be activated (clicked on) for every single page. It has been defended by pro-AutoLinkers by using a butler analogy – your butler may sort your mail for you, or underline certain passages in a newspaper.

Source: Google Blogoscoped

Source: Google Butler