Posted on 08/26/2005 6:31:03 PM PDT by Bush2000
Firefox's 'retreat' ensures Microsoft excels
Open source web browser Firefox has lost the momentum it has steadily gained since it was unleashed last year, according to Web analysts at Net Applications.
The online portals unique Hit List service reveals a slump in the Mozilla browsers market share, falling from 8.7% to 8.1 % in July.
Coinciding with its demise, was the advance of Microsoft's IE that has gained some of the ground surrendered in June, climbing back from 86.6 % to 87.2% last month.
The revival for the dominant browser comes on the back of average monthly losses of between .5 to 1% for Redmond, as Firefox started to gain acceptance among a wider audience than just tech-savvy users.
When asked by Contractor UK whether Microsofts sudden gains were from the unveiling of a new IE, Net Applications said a re-launch tends revive industry interest, and could have bolstered Microsofts market share of the browser market.
When a company launches a new product, there is always renewed interest in what the company has produced and it would also be fair to say that this may have had an effect, said a member of the Hit List team.
Although, there have been browser issues with Windows 2000 in the news, so it is possible that again you may see a dip [in Microsofts market share]. Right now, people are looking for security and whenever there are issues with the security of one's system, they will use what they feel will be the most secure.
Besides Net Applications, web developer site W3 Schools, confirms that adoption of Firefox is falling, just as IE is reaching its highest share of the market in 2005.
According to W3's data on specialist users, Microsoft IE (6) enjoyed a 67.9% share in July, improving to 68.1% in August matched against Firefoxs top share of 21% in May, which has now dropped to 19.8% for the last two months.
Observers noted that both sets of analysis concur that Microsofts loss, up until now, has been Firefoxs gain, but over the last month roles have reversed.
Security fears concerning Mozilla and its browser product have recently emerged, coinciding with Microsofts high-profile trumpeting of its new safer browser product (IE 7), complete with glossy logo.
Experts at Net Applications said they were surprised at Firefoxs sudden retreat, saying they expected a slow down before any decline.
Yet they told CUK: Whenever there may be problems with security, there always is a decline with users changing browsers.
Data from the Web analytics company is based on 40,000 users, gleaned from their global internet operations, prompting some commentators to question the so-called global decline in the Firefox market share.
The Counter.com reportedly finds that between June and July, Firefox actually increased its share by two points, and overtook IE5 for the first time ever.
The Web Standard Project suggests webmasters should treat data from web analysis providers with caution, before rushing to make service changes.
So what can we conclude? asks the WSP, a grass roots project fighting for open access to web technologies.
Not much: Mozilla-based browsers are probably used by just under 10% of the web audience and their share is growing slowly. IE5.x is probably used by somewhat less than that and its share is declining slowly. IE6 is roughly holding steady.
Meanwhile, Spread Firefox, which measures actual download rates of the browser, reports that it took just one month for the Mozilla Foundations showpiece to reach 80 million downloads in August from its July total of 70 million.
At the time of writing, Firefox had been downloaded 80701444 times, meaning adoption rates of over 10m occurred one month after Net Applications says Firefox bolted in light of the dominant IE.
And the only reason Java is so big is because the Sun salerep took the CIO out to lunch. Those stupid suits...if only they had you to run their business they'd really make some money then. {/sarcasm}
I'm hoping that tin turkey is just a troll account for bush 2000. I shudder to think that there could be two freepers who are really that dense.
"Dude, Redmond ain't mailing CDs to the ChiComs containing Windows source code. The ChiComs have to come to Redmond and sit in a room with Microsoft's attorneys if they want source code."
Source?
Who cares if attorneys are in there, anyway? How can an attorney know what the chicoms are looking for in MS sourcecode? How can they stop them from using it to write exploits when they return to china?
"Meanwhile, you OSS guys are shoveling free source code at the ChiComs as fast as your little sweatshops can crank it out..."
People who do something voluntarily are not in "sweat shops."
Try again!
No, UNIX is. I didn't say I was talking about Linux.
No, they're deploying it because that's what they know and that's the only thing thier Microsoft-only IT staff understand, not because it's the best. I know this is true for government.
Yet you just mentioned the "global" Linux community, not the American one.
You said - "Dude, Redmond ain't mailing CDs to the ChiComs containing Windows source code. The ChiComs have to come to Redmond and sit in a room with Microsoft's attorneys if they want source code. Meanwhile, you OSS guys are shoveling free source code at the ChiComs as fast as your little sweatshops can crank it out..."
Answer this point.
Who cares if attorneys are in there, anyway? How can an attorney know what the chicoms are looking for in MS sourcecode? How can they stop them from using it to write exploits when they return to china?
If you can't or won't answer, at least be a mensch and admit it.
I was referring to UNIX, of which Linux is a variation, specifically in that it uses the very UNIX security model that Microsoft is finally emulating.
Would that be the same Microsoft-only IT staff that doesn't deploy Windows firewalls?
I like you, boy, but don't think for a minute you can wear my pants.
That would depend on the business right?
Somebody tell redhat (American Company) they are ripping off American commercial interest.. Tell them to pass it on to Novell.
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