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Firefox's 'retreat' ensures Microsoft excels
Contractor UK ^ | Aug 22, 2005 | Contractor UK

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 portal’s unique Hit List service reveals a slump in the Mozilla browser’s 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 Microsoft’s sudden gains were from the unveiling of a new IE, Net Applications said a re-launch tends revive industry interest, and could have bolstered Microsoft’s 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 Microsoft’s 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 Firefox’s 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 Microsoft’s loss, up until now, has been Firefox’s gain, but over the last month roles have reversed.

Security fears concerning Mozilla and its browser product have recently emerged, coinciding with Microsoft’s high-profile trumpeting of its new safer browser product (IE 7), complete with glossy logo.

Experts at Net Applications said they were surprised at Firefox’s 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 Foundation’s 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.


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: canthandlethetruth; firefox; forqclinton; fud; gatesbot; gatesfanclub; gatesgroupies; geisforqclinton; ie; microsoft; msfanboys; paidshill; redmondpayroll; shillboy2000; spyware; trojans; valentilapdog; viruses; worms
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To: antiRepublicrat
You came close to the point but missed it. The Chinese sunk a lot of money into their version of Linux, and YOU can download it for free, taking advantage of all the work THEY did.

Look, dude. Even you have to admit that the global Linux community has done a helluva lot more to build out Linux than the Chinese have ever done.
261 posted on 08/27/2005 8:34:20 PM PDT by Bush2000 (Linux -- You Get What You Pay For ... (tm)
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To: antiRepublicrat

Not true. Vulnerabilties for both browsers have been pretty bad. The unpatched bugs in IE are almost exclusively very low impact issues that pose little threat.


262 posted on 08/27/2005 10:03:23 PM PDT by Bush2000 (Linux -- You Get What You Pay For ... (tm)
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To: HolgerDansk
That's old data.

BS. The data includes the IE7 Beta, which was released a day or two ago.
263 posted on 08/27/2005 10:05:16 PM PDT by Bush2000 (Linux -- You Get What You Pay For ... (tm)
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To: HolgerDansk
It's misguided thinking. Same as the old "What's good for GM is good for America" during the 60s and 70s. Problem is, that kind of thinking gets you into trouble. Competition is good. Look what the Mozilla Foundation has done for Microsoft: forced it to update a product that they hadn't put anything into for years. Would you rather that Microsoft went the way of GM?

Yeah, try to remember that when the ChiComs use Linux to perform clustered nuclear weapon simulation and improve the efficiency of weapons delivered to your home town...
264 posted on 08/27/2005 10:13:51 PM PDT by Bush2000 (Linux -- You Get What You Pay For ... (tm)
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To: exnavychick
Maybe I'm misunderstanding here, but the way I read it, you're telling me all Firefox users are commie sympathizers? Get a grip. It's a freakin' BROWSER, for cryin' out loud. Wouldn't hurt MS any to have a little competition, before they cannibalize and then crush them.

I'm not talking about OSS users. I'm talking about the contributors that provide code to OSS projects, which eventually makes its way to the ChiComs and North Koreans.
265 posted on 08/27/2005 10:16:47 PM PDT by Bush2000 (Linux -- You Get What You Pay For ... (tm)
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To: HolgerDansk
Most of which Firefox had over a year ago.

So what. The original poster was under the impression that the theme was the only thing in IE7 that had changed. I was merely pointing out what a pantload he was selling...

for security, well, given how tightly woven IE is into Microsoft's operating systems (try getting an OS update without it), it's now too critical to be used for daily browsing.

Not in Windows Vista. For one thing, Vista requires the use of LUAs (Limited User Accounts), so any potential damage is limited to user documents ~/. Under XP, IE7 reduces its own rights set to match those that would exist under a LUA; so, even if you're running as Admin, you can't do any serious damage. No more than under 'nix, anyway.

And of course, its security sins are considerable versus some of the minor things I've seen in Firefox.

BS. Apparently, you haven't seen all of the recent exploits in the Firefox plug-in architecture. Talk about a joke...
266 posted on 08/27/2005 10:22:37 PM PDT by Bush2000 (Linux -- You Get What You Pay For ... (tm)
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To: Bush2000
Yeah, try to remember that when the ChiComs use Linux to perform clustered nuclear weapon simulation and improve the efficiency of weapons delivered to your home town...

Now, why would they do that? They already have (and have tested) their clone of the US W-88 design, stolen during the Clinton Administration. Once again, your knowledge of security issues appears to be paper thin.

267 posted on 08/28/2005 3:04:18 AM PDT by HolgerDansk ("Oh Bother", said Pooh, as he worked the bolt.)
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To: Bush2000

Still seems overwrought and hyperbolic to me.

To each his own.


268 posted on 08/28/2005 9:19:56 AM PDT by exnavychick (We're damned if we do, damned if we don't...so my vote goes for "do.")
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To: exnavychick
To each his own.

Let me fix that for you...

"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs!" - Karl Marx

269 posted on 08/28/2005 11:07:47 AM PDT by for-q-clinton (If at first you don't succeed keep on sucking until you do succeed)
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To: for-q-clinton

Ha. Ha.


270 posted on 08/28/2005 11:50:03 AM PDT by exnavychick (We're damned if we do, damned if we don't...so my vote goes for "do.")
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To: flashbunny; Bush2000; Golden Eagle

China promises to play nice with the Windows source code I gave them access to! They also promised to stop pirating our software!
271 posted on 08/28/2005 12:52:08 PM PDT by adam_az (It's the border, stupid!)
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To: N3WBI3; Golden Eagle

|"His post had nothing to do with Operating systems, it was about web servers, if you're too thick to see the difference you have to be a phb at best, and a teenage kid at worst.."

At one point I had to describe to him the difference between POP and SMTP protocols.

He also didn't know the difference between a "proof of concept" and an actual exploit just a few months ago, so take your best guess...


272 posted on 08/28/2005 1:03:22 PM PDT by adam_az (It's the border, stupid!)
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To: Bush2000
Vulnerabilties for both browsers have been pretty bad.

True, but did you actually see that chart? IE has far more critical and unpatched vulnerabilities.

273 posted on 08/28/2005 1:17:14 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: Bush2000
ven you have to admit that the global Linux community has done a helluva lot more to build out Linux than the Chinese have ever done.

"Global" Linux community? I thought Linux was all about the rest of the world stealing American IP.

274 posted on 08/28/2005 1:18:05 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: for-q-clinton
In terms of overall support and cost, yes it is better and that's why teh suits choose it over Apache.

The suits choose Apache because Microsoft leveraged its monopoly desktop OS into servers. They mainly buy out of habit (or an insane panic deal with Microsoft because they mentioned using Linux), not because of any cost-benefit analysis.

275 posted on 08/28/2005 1:20:15 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: Bush2000
, try to remember that when the ChiComs use Linux to perform clustered nuclear weapon simulation and improve the efficiency of weapons delivered to your home town...

Using chips manufactured with the help of the Bush family. Sorry, couldn't resist.

276 posted on 08/28/2005 1:27:51 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: Bush2000
, try to remember that when the ChiComs use Linux to perform clustered nuclear weapon simulation and improve the efficiency of weapons delivered to your home town...

It is nice to see Microsoft finally catching up to a 35 year-old OS.

277 posted on 08/28/2005 1:29:32 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: for-q-clinton

Whoops, chose IIS. Hey, it came with the servers they bought because the Windows clients they have only worked best with Windows servers.


278 posted on 08/28/2005 1:31:58 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: antiRepublicrat
The suits choose Apache because Microsoft leveraged its monopoly desktop OS into servers. They mainly buy out of habit (or an insane panic deal with Microsoft because they mentioned using Linux), not because of any cost-benefit analysis.

I'm just amazed that all the big suits in the world are really stupid pawns of Microsoft. Wow, M$ must really be evil as you all said if they are smart enough to fool all the smart business leaders in the world. But the IT guys working in their basement on a Linux--they really know what's best for all corporations in America and the world (even though they don't work there).

Yeah, that's the ticket!

279 posted on 08/28/2005 1:39:44 PM PDT by for-q-clinton (If at first you don't succeed keep on sucking until you do succeed)
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To: antiRepublicrat
Whoops, chose IIS. Hey, it came with the servers they bought because the Windows clients they have only worked best with Windows servers.

Is that sarcasm or are you agreeing that IIS provides more value to the businesses that choose it?

280 posted on 08/28/2005 1:42:00 PM PDT by for-q-clinton (If at first you don't succeed keep on sucking until you do succeed)
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