Will Microsoft Lose The Browser Wars?
Until recently, software giant, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser enjoyed a relatively unchallenged position as the most popular Web browser in the world.
Despite lawsuits and charges of unfair competition from the likes of Netscape and others, Microsoft dominates browser software with over 90% market share.
Microsoft’s dominance of the browser market stems mainly from the simple fact that the majority of computers get delivered with Microsoft Windows as the default operating system.
Internet Explorer (IE) comes standard with all Windows software and, thus, virtually everyone automatically gets the IE browser. By default, Microsoft owns the browser market because they
catch consumers early, get them conditioned to using the IE software, and, until recently, no other software offered a compelling enough reason to switch. However, with a seemingly endless rash of security problems, consumers started looking elsewhere for alternative Web browser options.
This consumer demand may well spell the end of Microsoft’s dominance in the browser marketplace.
In response to severe security vulnerabilities, several alternative Web browsers recently gained significant market share.
** Opera.com **
One of the original “alternative” browsers, “Opera” offers a significant number of interesting tweaks over Internet Explorer, including the ability to open more than one html page within the browser, as opposed to one page per window with IE.
The free version of Opera carries advertising messages, but for $39 you can turn off the advertising and unlock additional features.
** Mozilla.com **
Mozilla actually offers two choices for alternative Web browsing. Mozilla 1.7, the current version of the original Mozilla software, includes an email program, newsgroup reader, and even a chat feature. Mozilla also offers a newer browser called “Firefox” that has many people raving about enhanced features. Both browsers come free of charge and do not appear to carry any third party advertising.
** Netscape.com **
Netscape, one of the original Web browsers, still offers its browser software free, though you must do some searching on their site to find it.
Scroll to the bottom and click “Download Latest Netscape Browser.”
Based on their site, Netscape seems to be in the middle of an identity crisis since they look more like Yahoo! than a
software provider.
** An 800 lb. Gorilla on the horizon? **
Online search engine powerhouse, Google, has never shied away from taking on Microsoft.
In fact, they’ve done something Microsoft couldn’t do, namely turn a profit with a search engine.
Based on past behavior, how long do you think it will take Google to release a Web browser of their own?
Despite statements to the contrary, I believe Google will come out with their own Web browser within the next 18 months.
Look at their Hotmail.com alternative, Gmail, at http://gmail.Google.com.
Google gave away so much storage space they forced Hotmail to make major concessions in their free service.
Google Desktop blows away the Microsoft search utility for your PC. Don’t for a second think Google doesn’t have a browser in development and a strategy to release it (for free) .
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Guest Columnist Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links.
Safari (Mac OS X) is superior to Internet Explorer. Microsoft continues to prosper as a sales and marketing power rather than a technical master or innovator. A prime example of the sadness of mass marketing.
FireFox 1.0 beats Microsoft Internet Explorer? NOT LIKELY.
FireFox’s limited functions reminds me of the great days when Windows 3.1 was high technology.
Just one examply – bookmarks. FireFox DOES NOT allow you to drag bookmarks from one folder to another, or rearrange the order of the display folders other than their primative A-Z sort. And their folders of bookmarks and search options ALWAYS appear to of the list.
I said goodbye to such supplier arrogance years ago.
I have to agree with Ed. Safari for Mac OS X is THE BEST web browser to be built, ever. Yes, Firefox is a great browser, but Safaris start-up & page load times are quick.. very quick!! Multiple tabs, easy to use & understand organization, and all within one window. No clutter. Yes, ED. Safari is THE BEST!!!
I think the ability of an outside company to build a working Internet browser is a test of Microsoft. It is a test that shows if the Windows OS is really a level playing field as they claim — or if you have to be a Microsoft insider and know about unpublished functions to complete the task.
Mike Lucas, you are clearly uninformed on both counts and it shows that you have actually not used Firefox lately, if at all. Firefox DOES allow you to drag bookmarks anywhere you want, just download the latest version and try it. Also you can arrange folders in any manner you want. Simply open the Bookmarks menu and click Manage Bookmarks. From there you can arrange folders and bookmarks to your hearts desire. Please use the product next time before you slander it :)
Mike Lucas:
You’re wrong. Firefox DOES let you drag bookmarks around and reorder them as you see fit. I say goodbye to you now. Get your facts right nextime.
To the comment made by Mike Lucas: FireFox just left the beta stage 1.0; IE is in it’s 6.0 stage and already FireFox is just as powerful if not better than IE. When IE was 1.0 it was the worst browser on the market, Netscape was doing better than IE at the time when it entered the market but Netscape is crap now. I believe FireFox will beat IE, because of global effort of internet and computer users around the world. MSIE will fade away to the novice of idiocy.
Don’t chalk it up purely to security for people’s reasons for switching. I’ve used Opera since version 3 back in 1998 simply because it had more features than IE at the time. 6 years later IE hasn’t changed one bit until SP2 with blocking popups. That’s it. No tabs, no autolaunching pages when you startup, and plenty of other reasons.
Microsoft came way late to the internet, entered the browser wars under duress, and invented the security problems that plague the ‘most popular’operating system in the world. Microsoft’s penetration of the browser realm, as Mr. Edwards observed, was almost entirely a result of their packaging it in Windows. IE is the single most widely used browser (now) by default. Given the internet security issues with IE, I’d say, Google are would be better off building their own OS.
Atleast some competition for Internet Explorer will sooner or later force microsoft either scrap IE (I dont think that happens) or DO something for it.
I would like to download and use foxfire instead of MS’s IE but system requirements of Pentium 233 or greater are beyond what I have. Therefore I am stuck with msIE that does work with my system.
The free version of Opera carries advertising messages, but for $39 you can turn off the advertising and unlock additional features.
No features are locked in the ad-enabled version of Opera.
Almost two months since I installed Firefox and not even a single crash!!! I think it’s more likely to lose the browser wars.
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