Firefox Continues To Gain Browser Share

[ColinSick]

Firefox Continues To Gain Browser Share

Elizabeth Millard, cio-today.com

The Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser increased its market share n June, continuing a steady rate of growth that is nibbling away at some of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) Internet Explorer (IE) dominance.


Firefox use is up from 8 percent in May to 8.71 percent in June, according to NetApplications.com, a developer of Web site usage-monitoring applications.

IE lost market share in June, dipping to 86.56 percent from its May total of 87.23 percent, the report noted.

Coming Battle

In 2005, Firefox increased its market hold every month between 0.5 percent and 1 percent, NetApplications.com said. The growth has come mainly at the expense of IE, which slips with every Firefox increase.

But the browser wars likely will get even more interesting in the coming months, with Microsoft due to release the beta of the next IE, version 7, within the next few weeks.

If Microsoft has added better security and more features, it could affect market share for other browsers, analysts have said.

Corporate Office

Although it is likely that Firefox will continue to find strong adoption with consumers and those in the education sector, the browser still has many hurdles to overcome in gaining corporate adoption, a market critical to mainstream success for the browser.

In a recent META Group (now part of the Gartner Group) report about Firefox in the corporate arena, analyst Craig Roth found that several technical limitations are holding many companies back from switching to the browser.

"There's still reluctance, because many companies don't see much advantage," he said. "IE has some security problems, but at this point, people are more worried about not being able to do their jobs if they use Firefox."

No Help

Another issue with wider corporate acceptance is whether company help desks are set up to handle Firefox problems.

In his report, Roth found that 85 percent of the companies surveyed had help-desk scripts available to assist callers with IE issues, but only 11 percent had similar scripts for Firefox.

"When a survey comes out talking about Firefox's growth, it's slippery," said Roth. "In order to know how well it's doing, you have to look at who's adopting it. And if it doesn't catch on in the corporate market, it'll have limited spread."

[ColinSick]

How many people here use Firefox? I don't think I could ever go back to IE. Firefox is still superior in my opinion.

[Jeff]

I find those numbers hard to believe.
My server stats show IE at over 90% users, and FF at only 5%

and alot of the FF use is from webmasters.



As bad as everyone thinks IE is, its really not that bad, its just that everyone uses it so more problems come up, and the malisious scripts are writen for it.
If FF had 90% of the use and IE only 5% I would bet there would seem to be alot less security problems and other issues with IE then FF. And FF would be the "bad one" for spyware and pop ups.


Its just like SP2 it killed pop ups for a while, but now people have writen around it, if it was worth the effort you could do the same for FF.

[ColinSick]

Jeff......you are right about the security issues between IE and FF. As FF becomes more popular it will become the target of more viruses.

One of the main features I love about FF is the ability to have 20 tabs open in one window as opposed to 20 seperate windows. I bounce back and forth from many sites throughout the day and FF makes it much easier.

[ColinSick]

Firefox Marketing Site Hacked

Jay Wrolstad, newsfactor.com Mon Jul 18, 2:19 PM ET

In an e-mail sent to Spread Firefox members, parent company Mozilla Foundation said that last week the community marketing site was hit by unknown remote attackers who exploited a security vulnerability in the software running the site.

The exploit was limited to SpreadFirefox.com and did not affect other mozilla.org Web sites or Mozilla software.

The security breach apparently was not a serious attack, although it does reflect the open-source browser's growing profile among users, developers and those with malicious intent.

Possible Password Theft

There is no evidence that the attackers gleaned personal information about site users, the foundation said, with the server most likely used by the attackers to distribute spam. But it is possible that information that site users provided on their own might have been compromised.

Users were advised to change their Spread Firefox passwords and the passwords of any accounts with the same password as a Spread Firefox account.

The assault comes as Firefox reports more gains in the browser space, rising to 8.7 percent from 8 percent in June, with Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) Internet Explorer falling to 86.5 percent.

Victim of Success

Firefox is a target for hackers in large part because the inner workings of the browser are in the public domain, suggested Yankee Group analyst Su Li Walker. "They want contributions from developers, but they also are suffering attacks from those using the code," she said.

Forrester Research analyst Michael Goulde said Firefox is paying the price of success. He contends that community input is a double-edged sword, providing openings for attack but also a collection of programmers who can develop fixes promptly.

Users still are drawn to Firefox as a more secure browsing environment, although reports of unauthorized access to the code might lead to second thoughts, said Walker.

Upgrades Keep Coming

The Mozilla Foundation recently released Firefox version 1.0.5, an update that includes several security fixes and other changes to improve operating stability.

Since launching Firefox, Mozilla has maintained open communication with its user and developer communities and has an established channel through which bugs can be reported and addressed.

"There is a Microsoft backlash, with the perception among users that IE is unsafe, which is helping Firefox gain traction," Goulde said.

[ColinSick]

Opera Adds BitTorrent Support

(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Opera Software (opera.com) announced on Thursday it has launched a technical preview of the Opera browser for Windows, Linux and Mac that includes support for file-downloading provider BitTorrent.

Integrating BitTorrent in the Opera browser delivers a faster download time for the end user by using full bandwidth and reducing the chance of in-transfer delay when multiple users download the same file.

Opera hopes that offering support for BitTorrent will make it easier for users to download the plethora of legal material available, such as Linux software and computer game demos. The Opera browser will also be offered for download as a torrent file.

[Jeff]

Jeff......you are right about the security issues between IE and FF. As FF becomes more popular it will become the target of more viruses.

One of the main features I love about FF is the ability to have 20 tabs open in one window as opposed to 20 seperate windows. I bounce back and forth from many sites throughout the day and FF makes it much easier.


I dont much like the tabs as I use alt tab to switch windows all the time.
and I have found that ewealth is FF challenged, it hangs for me for a few seconds on load.



The bit torrent is a good idea, but Opera is just horid still.

[ColinSick]

I used Opera for a while back in 2000 and didn't like it. I haven't checked it out since.

It will be interesting to see if FF puts a bit torrent in its new version.

[Iguana775]

I dont much like the tabs as I use alt tab to switch windows all the time.
and I have found that ewealth is FF challenged, it hangs for me for a few seconds on load.



The bit torrent is a good idea, but Opera is just horid still.

I never cared for the tabs either. I do the same alt+tab thing to on all of my stuff. It's a lot easier when your programming and web development, IMO. It's much quicker to press alt+tab than clicking on a tab.

[ColinSick]

alt+tab is one way to go but I really like just being about to hit tabs for different stock quotes that way I can keep the new releases open and only have one window of Level II quotes open.

[Jeff]

alt+tab is one way to go but I really like just being about to hit tabs for different stock quotes that way I can keep the new releases open and only have one window of Level II quotes open.


alt tab is much faster then clicking, the mouse is slow.

[ColinSick]

alt tab is much faster then clicking, the mouse is slow.

I am quicker with the mouse than I am with the keyboard.......habit. :)

[Jeff]

I am quicker with the mouse than I am with the keyboard.......habit. :)

too much "other" wrist activities eh :lol:

[ColinSick]

too much "other" wrist activities eh :lol:

Yeah.....lol! :innocent:

Damn that Jessica Alba thread! :rant:

[Jeff]

Yeah.....lol! :innocent:

Damn that Jessica Alba thread! :rant:

lol

hmm wheres my fleshlight ref code... :lol:

[ColinSick]

lol

hmm wheres my fleshlight ref code... :lol:

LMFAO!
Who uses those damn things other than truck drivers?

Are they "use once and destroy"?

[Jeff]

LMFAO!
Who uses those damn things other than truck drivers?

Are they "use once and destroy"?


they are washable if I recall, and sell great :) lol

[ColinSick]

I know they have a big affiliate program.

The name "Fleshlight" is classic. :)

That thing must sell itself.

Surfer: "Damn......I wish I could have sex with a flashlight"

Fleshlight: "We got you covered"

:lol: :confused: :lol: :confused:

[nicky52001]

Firefox totally screws up the whole page

[Jeff]

Firefox totally screws up the whole page


what page?

Most sites are writen and tested only for IE.

[Adrian]

Firefox totally screws up the whole page

I made a site for a guy, it worked perfect with IE. About a month after building it I check it with foxfire and it looked Like crap. It totally scewed up my absolut positions. Hope the guy never see's it in foxfire.

On the other hand I made a CSS site and it looks way better in foxfire then IE. Even though it was made/check for IE.

[Jeff]

On the other hand I made a CSS site and it looks way better in foxfire then IE. Even though it was made/check for IE.


??
the idea behind css is a new standard, if it didnt work in both then you messed up somewhere.

but then you problably only half used css, utilizing traditional html for tables, breaks etc.

[ColinSick]

Next Major Firefox Release Delayed

By Antone Gonsalves

The Mozilla Foundation has delayed the release of the next major version of Firefox until September, a move that followed recent troubles in the release of bug fixes for the popular open-source browser.


Firefox 1.1, code-named Deer Park, had been scheduled for release this month, but changes in the product's roadmap was announced in a posting by developer Ben Goodger on the Mozilla website.

The updated timetable has Firefox 1.5 shipping in September, with versions 2.0, code-named The Ocho, and 3.0 tentatively scheduled to ship in the first quarter and third quarter of next year, respectively. Version 1.1 has been scrapped in favor of 1.5, Goodger said.

A version 1.4 general preview release of 1.5 is scheduled to ship in August.

"This is, as always, subject to change," Goodger said in his Wednesday posting.

This is at least the third delay in the next major release of the browser. Version 1.1 was scheduled to ship in March, before it was postponed to June and then July.

The delays have been caused by an increasing number of features Mozilla has decided to add into the next release, Asa Dotzler, community coordinator for the organization, said. Among the biggest changes is in the update system that will be part of version 1.5.

The new system would make it possible to patch the browser with small-sized upgrade files, rather than force users to reinstall a full version of the browser. In addition, the next version is expected to have support for scalable vector graphics and a default feature called Fastback that caches previously visited pages in memory for faster display when clicking the back and forward navigation buttons. Other new features include the ability to group tabs that let the user move between multiple pages in the same browser, and one click removal of cookies, history and temporary Internet files.

The long feature list has added to the development time, making the delay unavoidable, said Dotzler, who also pointed out that the original launch dates were never final.

"We always qualify that we're not going to ship (the browser) until it's ready," Dotzler said.

Of course, when something is actually "ready" is sometimes relative. Mozilla this week updated the current versions of Firefox and the Thunderbird email client for the second time in eight days to fix flaws. Version 1.0.6 of Firefox patched bugs in version 1.0.5, which had fixed security vulnerabilities.

Last week, Mozilla posted the second alpha edition of Firefox 1.1, which included many of the features described above.

[three]

Firefox owns... I love the extensions. IE is going dowwwwwwwwwn

[Jeff]

Firefox owns... I love the extensions. IE is going dowwwwwwwwwn


Have you seen IE 7 in longhorn (or whatever they are calling it now)

Firefox will NEVER be on the top. They have hardly 5% of the market, and I would bet most of that 5% is webmasters.
But I personally like IE better still. I fucking hate tabs, only good thing with it is adblock.

[ColinSick]

Longhorn is now called "Vista".

5% of the world hates Microsoft and would rather use smokesignals than go back to those bastards.

[Jeff]

Longhorn is now called "Vista".

5% of the world hates Microsoft and would rather use smokesignals than go back to those bastards.


he who is on top is hated by the most, always will be this way.

Yes Vista,
In anycase IE7 is leaps and bounds past 6, and its also where FF got some of its idea from.

[ColinSick]

Vista name spells trouble for Microsoft
By Rhys Blakely and Steven Downes, Times Online



A test version of Microsoft’s latest Windows software will be launched in the next week into a controversy which is likely to set a myriad of legal precedents over property rights. And it will all be based around the Shakespearian question: what's in a name?

"There is no more Longhorn; it is now officially Windows Vista," Kevin Johnson, the group vice president of Microsoft's worldwide sales, marketing and services, said, as the beta launch date of August 3 was confirmed today.

But for a product that is being marketed as "bringing clarity to your world", with "clear ways to organise and use information the way you want to use it", there is anything but clear vistas ahead as far as what the system is called.

Vista has been registed as the name of one company in the United States for six years - operating as a small business internet interchange based in Microsoft's home town of Redmond.

"We are going to consider our options and talk to Microsoft," John Wall, the owner, told The Seattle Times. Vista has not yet taken any legal against the software giant.

But the effect on the company is already being felt. "It's starting to disrupt our business," Mr Wall said. "We do nothing with Windows."

Others suggest that Microsft's choice of name for its latest product has been particularly careless, inviting legal challenges from a sewing machine manufacturer, a monitoring system for lifts and a special brand of detergent for dairy equipment - all of which carry the name Vista. Many existing computer products also use the Vista trademark.
*

Trademark law in America and around the world - and Microsoft maintains that proper checking was done on the choice of Vista in all its operating territories - normally allows the same or similar names to be used provided it does not create confusion with existing products.

There are no operating systems trademarks registered as Vista in the US. However, there are 180 other software or computer products using Vista as a name, according to the Washington Post. Microsoft is likely to maintain that by calling its product "Microsoft Vista"there can be no confusion.

"It seems like they were a little lax in their intellectual property due diligence," James Berger, a marketing consultant who lectures at Chicago's Northwestern University, told the Post.

The progress of Windows Vista has been closely scrutinised by industry insiders and computer users. How it performs will dictate whether Microsoft maintains its dominant position in the software market.

Windows accounts for more than 90 per cent of the desktop market and has posted revenues of more than $40 billion in the last 12 reported months, but its market share has slipped under pressure from open source rivals such as the Linux operating system.

Similarly, Firefox, the open source internet browser, has taken market share from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE).

Security concerns surrounding Microsoft products have led users to download Firefox, which is freely available on the internet.

[Iguana775]

he who is on top is hated by the most, always will be this way.

Yes Vista,
In anycase IE7 is leaps and bounds past 6, and its also where FF got some of its idea from.

have you tried out IE7 already?? is it out?

[ColinSick]

he who is on top is hated by the most, always will be this way.
.


Exactly.

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/7907/raiders0ec.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Jeff]

have you tried out IE7 already?? is it out?


I have longhorn beta 2 on an old system, waiting for my beta3 in the mail.

[ColinSick]

Test Version of Windows Vista Released

By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE, Associated Press Writer 45 minutes ago

REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. released the first major test version of the Windows Vista operating system on Wednesday, giving a limited number of programmers and technology professionals the opportunity to test drive the highly awaited — and much delayed — program.


The "Beta 1" of Windows Vista, formerly code-named Longhorn, was being delivered to more than 10,000 developers and others who will test the software and provide feedback. It's the successor to
Windows XP, which launched in October 2001.

The beta version does not have all the features that will be in the final product scheduled to hit store shelves in late 2006. Rather, it focuses on fundamentals such as security and overall manageability.

It includes new user account protection so that users are given only the privileges required to do their work. This mirrors a similar security scheme used by Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac
OS X and the
Linux operating system.

The beta also includes data protection technology that is expected to reduce the risk that data can be viewed by unauthorized users — even if it's on a stolen or lost laptop. The technology relies on encryption keys stored in a specialized chip.

It also ships with Internet Explorer 7 — an update to Microsoft's ubiquitous Web browser that will include protection from malicious Web sites and viruses.

Vista also comes with an outgoing firewall, as well as incoming filtering. Windows XP and Service Pack 2, a major security upgrade released last summer, only have in incoming firewall.

Microsoft also said the test version includes numerous performance improvements, including faster startup and an improved "sleep" state that combines Windows XP's standby and hibernate modes.

Eventually, Vista's features will include better ways to visualize data, such as seeing through windows that are stacked atop each other, more natural file organization and faster searching. Microsoft said Beta 1 includes an early look at some of those new designs.

The next beta of Windows Vista is scheduled to be released later this year. Microsoft plans to make that version available to a much wider audience.

Wednesday's release actually arrived slightly earlier than originally expected. When the Vista name was announced last week, the company said the beta would ship by Aug. 3.

But the final version has repeatedly missed deadlines. The successor to Windows XP was originally scheduled to ship in 2004 — a target that also was pushed back to 2005 and, now, 2006.

[ColinSick]

Longhorn Beta Shows Where OS Is Headed

By MATTHEW FORDAHL, AP Technology Writer Wed Aug 3, 8:41 PM ET

Known for years by the code name "Longhorn," the successor to Microsoft's
Windows XP has been dubbed "Longwait" for its numerous delays. As features have been announced, it's also been accused of copying of Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac
OS X.


And that was before most people had the chance to see — let alone use — what's now been christened Windows Vista.

Microsoft finally took some of the wraps off last week, releasing Vista's first major test version to about 500,000 programmers and tech professionals. The goal is to let them kick the tires, run their software on it and provide feedback.

Beta 1, as it's known, is far from complete but gives a taste for where the world's most widely used operating system is headed.

Yes, it does have more of a Mac-like look and feel.

And, yes, it's insanely late.

But it also gives users hope that some of Windows' most serious annoyances and dangers might be mitigated just in time for the holidays of 2006, when the final version is expected to be out.

A copy of Beta 1 arrived last week, and I installed it on a state-of-the-art PC that had been running
Windows 2000. Because it's a beta — and the first one at that — I won't mention the roughest areas.

Instead, I wanted to look at Windows Vista's potential, and I found a lot to like. Beta 2, which will be more widely available, is expected to have more features and much bigger appeal.

The way Vista organizes and finds information topped my list of improvements.

In Windows XP, users often launch a program by clicking on the "Start" button and selecting from a menu that lists programs in order of how frequently they're used. If a program isn't on that short list, the user is stuck wading through a potentially long list that appears when the "All Programs" option is selected.

In Beta 1, the list of popular programs is still there but the "All Programs" link now triggers a much easier to navigate list. No more clumsy scrolling.

If you don't like that, you can search for a program by typing its name into a box built into the menu.

The search improvements do not end there.

If you want to find a document in XP, there's a search link in the start menu. Once the keywords are entered, a cartoon character — a dog, by default — does a little dance while the hard drive is scoured. Results appear in seconds — and they include not just text documents but pictures, e-mails and any other type of file.

A mini search box also appears in the upper right corner of every window, so it's no longer necessary to return to the Start menu. As well, searches can be saved as a virtual folder. When opened, such a folder will retrieve any documents that meet the saved criteria. (Files also can have keywords attached — something that will make nontext items easier to find if the time is taken to enter descriptive words.)

Mac fans are probably screaming. Yes, this is very similar to the Spotlight function in the recent update of Mac OS X. At this stage of development, Vista does bear a significant resemblance.

Mac lovers are also likely to fume once they see Vista's graphics. Green progress bars shimmer. The Minimize-Maximize-Close buttons look something like glowing Chicklets when moused over. Each window has a drop shadow while borders and title bars are slightly transparent. Folder icons now show the documents inside, such as a very small picture thumbnail for an image file. The icons also can be enlarged.

Finally, when a program is launched, its window doesn't just appear but pops open in a slick animation. When minimized, the window slides into the taskbar.

It remains to be seen whether the graphics capabilities will be turned into something more than eye candy. Apple has made great strides on this front, particularly with a technology called Expose that quickly tiles open windows with one key press.

Though improved searching and fancy graphics are nice, the biggest changes are in security.

Internet surfers will notice that the system's firewall now can block incoming and outgoing network traffic. Vista also has built-in tools for preventing viruses from being installed by infected machines on local networks. It will also have basic malware removal tools.

But the most noticeable change is in how Vista handles user privileges.

Previous versions of Windows let people designated as administrators do whatever they wanted. The rights carried over to the software they were running — something that has caused countless headaches with spyware, adware, viruses and the like.

With Windows Vista's User Account Protection, even administrators are prompted for a password whenever anything is installed or a system setting changed. It's an extra layer of protection that's long been a part
Unix-style operating systems, including Mac OS X and
Linux.

The protection was not turned on by default in Beta 1, and it's not clear whether it will be in the final release. The beta seemed a bit paranoid: I couldn't change the clock or even the accessibility settings without entering the password.

I also suspect that the heightened security was one of the reasons I could not install many programs, ranging from games to the software I use to log into my corporate intranet. (Another reason may simply be some installation programs check the operating system and refuse to install if it's not recognized.)

Most backward compatibility issues will likely be resolved by the final release. If not, there could be a revolt at the same time that Apple — for once copying the Windows PC industry — builds Intel Corp. processors into its computers and updates Mac OS X yet again.

Though Microsoft is largely thought to have won the PC war, the biggest battle might just take place in 2006.

[ColinSick]

Mozilla Foundation Forms Subsidiary

By MATTHEW FORDAHL, AP Technology Writer

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Mozilla Foundation that organizes development of the Firefox Web browser has formed a corporate subsidiary, an unusual move for a technology nonprofit.

"The Mozilla Corp. is not a typical commercial entity," said Mitchell Baker, the new subsidiary's president. "Rather it is dedicated to the public benefit goal at the heart of the Mozilla project, which is to keep the Internet open and available to everyone."

Mozilla Corp. will work mainly on developing and delivering free software products such as the Firefox browser and Thunderbird e-mail program. The foundation will manage projects, set policies and organize relationships among developers.

The new business will be based in Mountain View, as is the foundation. It is expected to have about 30 employees, compared with three or four at the foundation, Baker said.

Its software will remain free.

Frank Hecker, director of policy for the Mozilla Foundation, said the for-profit arm will give the project more options. Already, Google Inc. pays Mozilla an unspecified amount to ship Firefox with a version of Google's search engine as the default home page.

In the future, the project could consider letting other companies hire its employees to develop new features, Hecker said. There are no plans, though, to offer paid technical support services.

Creating a business is unusual in the open-source world, where communities of programmers — often from different companies — develop software. Some popular projects, however, have formed nonprofit legal entities to relieve some of the burden of business.

The developers of the popular Apache Web server did that in 1999, forming the Apache Foundation. The Mozilla Foundation was formed as a nonprofit in July 2003 to provide organizational, legal and financial support to the Mozilla project.

"With this reorganization, the Mozilla Foundation will look much more like the Apache Foundation than it currently does," Baker said.

The Mozilla project was formed during the so-called browser war between Netscape Communications Corp. and Microsoft Corp. In 1998, Netscape released its underlying code in an effort to compete against Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

The project continued even after America Online Inc. bought Netscape and Microsoft captured the vast majority of the Web browser market. Two years ago, AOL drastically cut its involvement but helped launch the Mozilla Foundation.

The Mozilla Firefox Web browser, officially released in 2004, has been the project's biggest success.

To date, the free software has been downloaded more than 75 million times and its market share is estimated to be approaching 10 percent.

[Jeff]

vista will grab hold the market just like XP did.

[ColinSick]

Jeff.......are you in the beta test?

[ColinSick]

Opera Browser Abandons Advertising

Elizabeth Millard, newsfactor.com 2 hours, 41 minutes ago

Opera Software announced that users of the free PC version of its Web browser, Opera, will no longer have to view advertising banners in exchange for getting the browser without a licensing fee.


The company noted that the browser's growth has made it possible to go free. Opera Software does still charge for its premium support services, though, which costs $35 per year. Also a source of revenue for the company are versions of the browser for mobile phones and other non-PC platforms.

"Today we invite the entire Internet community to use Opera and experience Web browsing as it should be," said Jon S. von Tetzchner, Opera's chief executive. "Removing the ad banner and licensing fee will encourage many new users to discover the speed, security and unmatched usability of the Opera browser."

Growing Popularity

Opera currently commands a very small slice of the browser market, but the company is optimistic that this shift toward an advertising-free, non-fee model will make it more popular.

"We think the market is ready for another competitor to Internet Explorer," said Tor Odland, Opera spokesperson.

"Firefox has demonstrated that an alternative browser can succeed, and we're looking forward to seeing greater adoption through this strategy shift," he added.

Profit Center

Although the inclusion of advertising might have given Opera somewhat of a boost to get the company where it is today, it is likely the browser maker no longer needs that type of help, considering its growth on other platforms.

"We're the leading browser vendor on the mobile side of things," said Odland, who pointed out that the browser can be seen on
Nokia (NYSE: NOK - news), Motorola (NYSE: MOT - news) and several Chinese and Japanese phones.

Because of Opera's small size, many mobile-device companies have found it to be an ideal browser for their PDAs and mobile phones. Odland anticipates that Opera will establish an even firmer foothold in those areas in the future.

"We may have a small share when it comes to PCs," he said. "But many people see us as the leading mobile browser."

[ColinSick]

Firefox Hits 100 Million Mark

Elizabeth Millard, newsfactor.com Thu Oct 20, 2:32 PM ET

The Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser has reached 100 million downloads only five months after hitting the 50 million mark and just a few weeks prior to the one-year anniversary of its formal release.


While the browser has seen download rates spike over the past year, the adoption of the browser mainly has been a steady growth path, the foundation noted. At this point, between 200,000 and 300,000 downloads occur per day.

Mozilla has openly thanked its thousands of contributors worldwide for efforts that have caused adoption to go far beyond expectations.

"Their work developing and fine-tuning the Firefox browser ensures the best Web experience available," Mozilla noted in a statement. "Volunteer extension developers further enrich Firefox's capabilities by enabling users to customize and enhance their browser and truly take back the Web."

Growing Pains

Getting to the 100 million mark might be cause for celebration at Mozilla, but the organization has not been without its challenges.

Most notably, the browser has had several security flaws reported, and its marketing site, SpreadFirefox.com, was recently brought down by hackers.

A Symantec report noted that Mozilla browsers had more reported vulnerabilities than Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) Internet Explorer in the first half of 2005, but the report also noted that the Microsoft flaws were considered more serious.

Choppy Waters Ahead

While pundits continually have said that the adoption rates for Firefox will slow, the ranks of Firefox users have grown, indicating that it is nibbling away at Internet Explorer's formidable market share.

Gartner (NYSE: IT - news) analyst Ray Valdes said it is possible that use of the Firfox browser will see a significant drop once Microsoft's next OS is released and subsequent changes are made to the Internet Explorer browser.

"Much will depend on how Microsoft ties Internet Explorer to its big releases next year," said Valdes. "They may not have planned to emphasize Internet Explorer, but I think Firefox's adoption rate is something they're noticing."

At this point, many enterprise I.T. departments are looking at Firefox as a viable alternative to Internet Explorer. This interest could product the kind of corporate endorsement necessary for the browser to keep growing, noted Valdes.

[ColinSick]

Flock Spreads Wings, Releases Beta Version of New Browser

Chris Preimesberger - eWEEK Fri Oct 21,12:02 PM ET

A new Web browser with a socially conscious streak was released for public tryout Thursday night by a group of 15 young entrepreneurs housed in a garage just off the Stanford University campus in Northern California.

Flock, as it is called, is a Mozilla Firefox-based, freely downloadable open-source browser that aims to get users around the Web quickly and efficiently, but integrates a number of Web services right into the software.

Users can post a Weblog entry, build and share photo collections, and share favorite Web sites (bookmarks are for books, Flock says) with friends—all in one place.

That place is within the browser itself.

In short, Flock (this beta version is called the "Flock 0.5pre Developer Snapshot") aggregates a number of services usually delivered through a variety of separate Web sites and presents them in ways that are intuitive for users.

Flock, distributed under the Mozilla and GNU public licenses, is aimed mostly at bloggers.

Analysts estimate there are 10 million to 15 million sophisticated Internet users writing Internet journals—the number is growing daily—and Flock believes this is a prime target market.

For example, when a user discovers a Web site about which he or she wants to post a comment in a blog, the user just right-clicks on the mouse, which then brings up the Flock blogging wizard (Blog Manager).

The browser software then automatically opens a blank blog entry and adds citations and links for the site that originally caught the user's attention.

Flock also has a built-in RSS integration option, so that users can easily scan news headlines and click through to those pages for more information.

Through a partnership with Vancouver, B.C.-based Flickr, Flock offers the Flickr Topbar, which allow users to drag and drop pictures into a blog post.

Flock also a sort of scrapbook for interesting Web content called The Shelf.

Users can drag interesting URLs, pictures or text snippets from any Web page onto it. From there, these items can be inserted into a blogpost.

Next Page: An open-source search engine.

Flock uses an open-source search engine (Gecko, which Firefox also uses) that automatically indexes every Web site a user visits for easy rediscovery, and the ability to easily share favorites with friends.

Flock co-founder and CEO Bart Decrem, a veteran of the short-lived Eazel user interface company, which designed a new face for
Linux during its 1999-2001 time frame, told Ziff Davis Internet that the company's servers were very busy Thursday night and Friday delivering downloads of Flock, but that the company had no hit counter and couldn't determine exactly how many were downloaded.

"It's been going well so far," Decrem said from the Pop!Tech conference in Maine, where he spoke Friday.

"We have a pretty fancy mirror system that's distributing the downloads transparently.

"Remember, this is a developer's version only, not consumer-grade. We still have a lot of work to do yet, but much of the basic functionality is already there. We're an open-source project after all; we're looking for help from Web developers at this point in getting bugs fixed and some new ideas in the software."

Decrem said that Flock is aiming for Dec. 15 as a release date for Flock's consumer-grade beta.

Flock is working on its business model but is concentrating on getting people to use the browser first, Decrem said.

"We are a venture-capital-funded company, so of course we need to make some money," Decrem said with a laugh.

"We think that if we can provide a service that users love and they have full confidence in, they'll continue to use it.

"In the distribution of the browser is where we can be profitable. We want our users to trust us to not be intrusive (when they browse the Web), so they can do what they want to do online."

For example, Decrem said, Flock is now evaluating various blogging sites as Google's Blogger, MoveableType, WordPress.com and LiveJournal for compatibility.

Flock, if successful in attracting a large number of users, can create a good revenue stream by recommending potential bloggers to one or more of those outside sites.

Click here to read more about Flock's features.

Flock would receive payment for every user that Flock sends to other sites, Decrem said.

Users also can take their current blogs in sites like those mentioned above and "activate" them in Flock, Decrem said.

"It's amazing what can be done with services like this," Decrem said. "Opera [the Norway-based free browser] was able to do away with all their banner ads recently just by adding a Google search bar.

"Just having a successful Start page and something like what Opera is doing [the Google bar] can be enough to keep the lights on," Decrem said.

Decrem said the company is looking at other features, such as instant messaging, to add for its "consumer-grade" version in December.

"That's an interesting question, messaging and/or e-mail," he said. "We don't want to bundle something like Thunderbird (Mozilla's open-source e-mail client), because they already do a fine job now on their own. But we'll think about how we might add messaging at some point."

Because it is an early beta release, and there are still plenty of bugs, Flock developers are warned in the documentation.

"While we are very excited about what we are doing, we want to make sure that you have been fully forewarned that this browser will crash from time to time and that any settings you save in this browser may quite possibly be erased, lost, or overwritten," they wrote.

[ColinSick]

Firefox Still Hounds Microsoft

By Alyce LomaxTue Nov 22, 1:49 PM ET

Remember this time last year? The browser wars had heated up again with the debut of a new contender called Firefox. The upstart browser succeeded in chipping its own niche out of Microsoft's monolithic hold on the Web browser market, but its fiery initial days seem to have cooled down. The preview release of the new Firefox 1.5 is a much more sedate affair.

Firefox's new features include an automatic updater, faster browsing (particularly linked to the back and forward buttons), and drag-and-drop reordering of tabs. Maybe I'm wrong, but none of that sounds particularly earth-shattering, especially compared with the innovative features introduced in previous version of Firefox. The new browser will also contain better pop-up blocking capabilities, always a plus, and increased security measures. Firefox 1.5 is due to officially launch within a week or two.

Following its launch last year, Firefox gained a lot of momentum because of its savvy grassroots, viral marketing efforts, which were mostly accomplished by a strong community and donated dollars. (For example, recall how the Netscape-based browser's parent, the Mozilla Foundation, took out a now infamous ad in The New York Times to spread the word about the browser.)

Firefox also garnered a good deal of success because of some of the bad PR surrounding Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) Internet Explorer browser and its security issues. The incremental market-share increase of Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) Safari browser has given Microsoft little to fear thus far; ditto for another contender, Opera. (If you like zany PR stunts, though, check out a good one from Opera last spring.)

Last summer, there were some indications that Firefox's grasp on market share might actually be slowly slipping. On the other hand, Firefox did celebrate its 100 millionth download last month, and some Internet statisticians have interpreted Firefox's varying market-share stats to declare that the browser has succeeded in its goal of capturing 10% of the market within its first year.

Firefox still has a long way to go -- and plenty of life left in it. Fool contributor Tom Taulli recently illustrated Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG - News) strong show of support for the browser, and that's certainly nothing to underestimate. Meanwhile, Firefox may no longer have last year's buzz , but Mozilla apparently hopes to convince its community members to create videos pushing Firefox, to be released simultaneously with the launch of version 1.5. That fits well with Firefox's most persistent strength: A reputation as a scrappy underdog with an active community and a cult following.

According to data from NetApplications, Internet Explorer's market share has dipped considerably below 90% in recent months, indicating that Firefox and other would-be browser barons are making a dent. Firefox may not be as flashy as it once was, but it's destined to give Microsoft a rival to keep an eye on.

Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.

[G2TheEmini]

Hmmm Now that I have been using firefox for a while I will never go back to ie...

[P4R4D0X]

Well, In my opinion, FireFox is the best internet browser out there right now. I also use Opera browser at times, but nothing compares to the versatility of firefox. Its also easy to use. :)

~Kevin

[ColinSick]

Mozilla Updates Firefox on Schedule

Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News ServiceWed Nov 30,10:00 AM ET

The wait is over for the Firefox faithful, as the Mozilla Foundation released the new version of the browser as planned Tuesday.
Mozilla Reorganizes

Firefox 1.5 is available now at getfirefox.com and mozilla.com. The Mozilla site is the "new home" of Firefox and Thunderbird, replacing Mozilla.org as the download address for Mozilla's browser and open-source e-mail application.

A Mozilla spokesperson said Mozilla.com is now home to Mozilla, a taxable corporation spun out from the Mozilla Foundation in August. Mozilla will handle all of the consumer-facing software from the open-source group, as well as merchandise such as Mozilla T-shirts.

Mozilla had released three test release candidates of the browser earlier this month, as well as two beta versions, the first in September and the second in October.

Firefox, which celebrated its one-year anniversary November 9, has become a popular alternative to Microsoft Internet Explorer. In October, the total number of Firefox downloads topped 100 million.

For IE users who haven't made the leap to Firefox, version 1.5 includes a wizard that allows users to report Web sites that don't work in Mozilla's browser so developers can ensure sites working in IE also work in Firefox. The new version also includes more descriptive error-message pages and a redesigned Options/Preferences window that increases the number of category icons and moves them from the left side of the window to the top.
New Features

Other new features in the updated browser include an automatic software update mechanism, faster navigation using the "Back" and "Forward" tabs, and the capability for users to drag and drop browser tabs for reordering.

Developers also have fortified Firefox 1.5 with new support for Web standards, adding support for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), JavaScript 1.6, and new versions of Cascading Style Sheets. SVG is a language based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) for writing sophisticated two-dimensional graphics, and JavaScript 1.6 is the latest version of the scripting language. Cascading style sheets are a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standard for adding style elements, such as fonts, colors, and spacing, to Web documents.

In addition, the Firefox update adds better pop-up blocking and a host of security enhancements, according to Mozilla. Other new features include the addition of Answers.com to Firefox's list of search engines and a Clear Private Data function that allows users to quickly remove personal data through a menu item or keyboard shortcut.

[G2TheEmini]

Well, In my opinion, FireFox is the best internet browser out there right now. I also use Opera browser at times, but nothing compares to the versatility of firefox. Its also easy to use. :)

~Kevin


I totally agree with you know that I have switched to firefox

[ColaDesigns]

anyone have or know the stats on what % of surfers now use firefox? Sorry if its in one of those articles colin, i didn't read them all. My eyes hurt!

[ColinSick]

Cola........I believe it is around 9-10%.

[andrebreton21]

If FF had 90% of the use and IE only 5% I would bet there would seem to be alot less security problems and other issues with IE then FF. And FF would be the "bad one" for spyware and pop ups.As bad as everyone thinks IE is, its really not that bad, its just that everyone uses it so more problems come up, and the malisious scripts are writen for it.

[howtogetrid]

Firefox's new features include an automatic updater, faster browsing (particularly linked to the back and forward buttons), and drag-and-drop reordering of tabs. Maybe I'm wrong, but none of that sounds particularly earth-shattering, especially compared with the innovative features introduced in previous version of Firefox. The new browser will also contain better pop-up blocking capabilities, always a plus, and increased security measures. Firefox 1.5 is due to officially launch within a week or two. :)

How to get rid of a cold fast (http://www.howtogetridofacoldfast.org)

[blackcat19]

thanks for sharing. i am so glad that ive finally found it. :)

[lfortmillsc]

I heard the Mozilla Foundation has delayed the release of the next major version of Firefox until September, a move that followed recent troubles in the release of bug fixes for the popular open-source browser. :)

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