Recent Escalations in the Internet Browser Wars
Although Mozilla’s Firefox has quickly established itself as the hottest non-Microsoft Web browser (see the stats at the end of this article) in the world, some recent shots in the browser wars were fired from all angles – including from familiar faces like Microsoft and the always-threatening Google – and this has some people wondering exactly how Firefox will hold on to its “best browser” status.
Some experts believe that Firefox faces a monetization problem. It’s one thing to be the world’s favorite browser; it’s another thing entirely to turn that prestige into cash. It doesn’t help that Microsoft and Google are now hot on Mozilla’s tail.
Yesterday’s release by Microsoft of Internet Explorer 8, with its visibly demonstrable speed and performance boosts, is bringing speed and performance back into the public discussion of what a Web browser can be. And there, Web users are likely to discover that while Firefox still outperforms IE8, it’s chasing competition on the forward end of the racetrack. Google Chrome — a browser created by many of the same individuals who are also working on Firefox — will probably lead Firefox 3.5 in performance even as performance becomes the main value proposition for the new edition of Mozilla’s browser.
Microsoft used the MIX09 Conference to launch Internet Explorer 8, a touted improvement over previous, slower versions of the same name. The browser also appears to be tighter on security, accurately sniffing out malware and phishing sites, as well. Of course, security that’s too tight can lead to rough surfing on the friendly sites, and Internet Explorer reportedly allows users to surf on pages that feature some sketchy code, blocking out only the bad stuff.
The launch saw a modest boost for Internet Explorer’s share of the browser market, seeing it increase by about 30% over recent averages.
As for Google’s Chrome, a recent Beta launch is another thorn in the side of Mozilla. Today’s web browsers emphasize speed and efficiency above even security, and new versions of Chrome are being touted as as much as 35% faster than at least one older version.
Where do they all stand? According to InfoWorld, citing a white paper,
IE garnered 72.23 percent market share, up from 69.72 percent in March 2008, but down from March 2007, when it captured 78.69 percent, the report found. Google managed to eke out just under 3 percent. Firefox, meanwhile, continued growing to reach 17.18 percent of all users.
Expect to see further fluctuations as the browser wars continue to escalate.
