Firefox, Burning Up The Browser Scene

                                                Blessed are the Geeks, for they shall internet the earth

Firefox, Burning Up The Browser Scene
Douglas Chick

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer now may have competition. In the battle to give away free web browsers, Microsoft has been on top for some time now. But with the new release of Firefox, and Internet Explorer’s constant security patchwork, Firefox has emerged as a more secure, less intrusive program to the Windows operating system.

     As Microsoft struggles to keep up with the increasing number of security vulnerabilities with its browser Internet Explorer, some security experts are saying that it may be safer just to dump Internet Explorer completely. This according to a recent report by NPR.

     Since 1999, Internet Explorer has commanded a 95 % share in the browser market, and as a result, 95% of the Internet computer security problems. Windows has been targeted by viruses, adware, and spyware, all designed around Internet Explorers security holes. Even shortly after the the release of XP service pack 2, a new security patch had to be released to plug yet another hole.

     Numbers based from my own website show that Firefox is quickly rising in popularity and is the number 2 browser that is used to view my website. From my own comparison, Firefox proves to be faster and more secure against viruses and adware.

     While Microsoft claims that Firefox is no threat to IE, arrogance can often be a more harmful competitor. I remember a similar statement by Netscape, who pioneering the Internet browser, and today, most Internet surfers don’t know what Netscape is? It is the consumer that dictates marketshare, not a corporate marketing department, and when it comes to software, it is a company’s network administrator who decides what is best for his or her network.

     What many people fail to ask themselves is; why are these companies spending so much time and money to give away free software?
Download Firefox Here

Comment by Barrie Dempster
Hi Douglas,

I enjoy your site quite a lot but your latest article seems a little misleading. "I remember a similar statement by Netscape, who pioneering the Internet browser, and today, most Internet surfers don=FFt know what Netscape is?" After saying this it would probably be prudent to reveal the history of Firefox to the reader.

Since Firefox is an offshoot of Mozilla which is directly based on the source code of Netscape. At present the article gives the impression that competition against IE failed, when in my opinion a proprietary browser failed against another proprietary browser where an OSS version of that browser might succeed. However whether or not FF takes over IE in the browser stakes isn't massively relevant for me personally, Ive used it since the very early stages and it succeeded in being a great browser long ago. There's also a strong enough following to ensure it continues as a project which is always nice :-)

MS have become complacent with IE, they don't bother developing it since everyone uses it anyway, My hope is that FF will force IE to become a better browser so that people have a more balanced choice.
With Regards

Barrie Dempster

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