Why Firefox is beating Internet Explorer
The browser wars, and the struggle for supremacy
Jun 3, 2009
The web browser wars are no secret. Most people who use the internet know that there is more than one good internet browser available to them. And of course, the primary competitors in these wars are Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (currently at version 8) and Mozilla’s Firefox (gearing up for version 3.5). But Mozilla, in sticking to a community and user oriented approach, has struck the winning vein.
The Valuable Browser Market
The browser market is vital for all companies involved – simply because it is rich. There is a lot of money to be made from advertising and partnership. Microsoft, with due reason, would like to continue its current dominance of the web browser market.
The dominance is not because Internet Explorer is superior to Firefox. In rolling out Internet Explorer with its highly popular (though much maligned) Windows platform, Microsoft achieved a massive percentage of the browser share.
A Slipping Internet Explorer
But this is a slipping percentage. In fact, the Firefox has already become the single most popular browser in Europe (Source: ArsTechnica). Though the overall percentage of Internet Explorer remains highest, even this is a decreasing number.
The Slick Firefox
It has come to this because Mozilla successfully marketed Firefox as faster, safer and more functional. Though the gap has closed with Internet Explorer 8 making some massive improvements over its predecessors, the chasm still remains. If anyone needs quick and secure browsing, Firefox is always the first port of call.
Extensions Glorify the Browser
Features, though, are not the stake in the heart of Internet Explorer. After all, Internet Explorer comes bundled with Windows, and there is no greatly significant difference in available features, so there must be a compelling reason to change. And there is: extensibility and community add-ons. This is the one thing that kills Internet Explorer, and indeed puts it to rest.
Extensions top the list of “Reasons for using Firefox” for any Firefox user. These add-ons are made by developers around the world. Add-ons for things like weather, maps, and local search are just the tip. Many other add-ons simply make one's internet surfing a smoother and fun experience: link tools, translators, themes, page modifiers, and even some games. All for free. Truly, using extensions transforms the internet experience for users.
Firefox Trounces Internet Explorer - A Matter of Time
Firefox is winning. By keeping Firefox open source, free, user friendly, and easily extensible, and then opening the platform to the community developers around the world, Mozilla scored a big hit. It is only a matter of time till Firefox takes the browser crown from Microsoft Internet Explorer.
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