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NewsIE 8 Gains Fans Quickly, but Enough to Reclaim Lost IE Market Share?

Posted 09/16/08 at 12:06:14 PM by Paul Lilly

According to daily browsing statistics provided by Net Applications, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 beta 2 has garnered a fair bit of interest from users, with the latest beta increasing market share from 0.23 percent at the beginning of the month to now sitting at 0.41 percent. Still, Google's new Chrome browser (also in beta form) has been more popular, breaching the 1 percent mark early in September and now claiming 0.79 percent of the market.

Looking at the overall picture, Microsoft can't be too concerned. Net Applications notes an average market share for IE 7 and IE 6 of 46.38 and 24.08 percent respectively, which when combined with IE 8's 0.31 percent average, has Internet Explorer still dominating the browser wars with 70.82 percent of the market in the first half of September. In August, IE claimed a slightly larger slice at 72.15 percent.

Meanwhile, open-source stalwart Firefox also noted a slight drop since August, with combined market share taking a small dip from 19.73 percent to 19.38 percent. What's interesting to note here is that Microsoft's IE 6 still grabs a larger share than all three Firefox browsers combined.

Hit the jump and let us know what browser you're using.

Comments: 4
TAGS: windows, Software, Google, firefox, Internet Explorer, browser, Mozilla, Safari, Market Share, chrome, ie 8

NewsTake a Look under the Hood of Your Favorite Web Browser

Posted 09/13/08 at 02:43:11 PM by Justin Kerr

The current sea of web browsers is awash in promises, but what makes Firefox better then Internet Explorer? And is Google’s Chrome really any faster or better at rendering web pages then Safari? Neowin.net was looking to answer this very question when it authored an excellent roundup of browser rendering engines. The report helps to break down which browsers and applications make use of each of the four most prominent technologies: Trident (Microsoft), Gecko (Mozilla), Webkit (Apple/Google), and Presto(Opera). While both Trident and Presto are both closed source projects, Gecko and Webkit remain open source and are likely to be the basis of any future browsers entering the market. It is an excellent reference for users looking to switch browsers and is a reminder that we should pay attention more to the underlying engine being used then the name of the browser itself. Market share of the various engines is a very telling indicator of general compatibility on the web. It will also help you the next time a Mac head goes on rant over how much better Safari is than Chrome. You now have the tools you need to put him in his place.

Comments: 4
TAGS: Software, Google, firefox, open-source, Internet Explorer, browser, IE, Safari, Opera, closed source, chrome

NewsIs It Time for a New "Browser War" - or Is It Already On?

Posted 09/11/08 at 08:07:07 PM by Mark Edward Soper

Yahoo's Douglas Crockford, the man who created JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), says it's high time for a new browser war, eWeek reports. In his keynote address to the Rich Web Experience conference earlier this month, Crockford claimed that the last time core building blocks of the Internet such as HTML and and ECMAScript were revised (1999) was the result of the Internet Explorer versus Netscape Navigator browser war.

While Crockford says we need a new war, I'd argue that we've already got a dandy one going on right now: IE is being challenged by Mozilla Firefox, while Google Chrome has just entered the ring to go head-to-head with Opera and Apple Safari to fight for third place.

To find out why I think Browser War II is already on, and why it might turn out a lot better than the first war of the browsers, join us after the jump.

Comments: 5
TAGS: microsoft, operating system, apple, Google, firefox, Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Safari, Opera, web browser, chrome

NewsThe Chrome Chronicles: EULA Amended, Carpet-Bombing Alarm Raised

Posted 09/05/08 at 08:21:49 PM by Pulkit Chandna

After a few eyebrows were raised over Chrome’s highly libertarian end-user license agreement (EULA) – almost a proclamation of a man’s fundamental right to piracy, an amendment or an explanation was inevitable. Chrome’s EULA stated that users were at liberty to use anything posted online through the browser. But Google has amended the EULA. The web juggernaut also downplayed the entire episode as a mistake. Setting the EULA aside, a few chinks in Chrome’s armor have already been sighted. Avi Raff, a researcher, has discovered that Chrome is vulnerable to carpet-bombing a la Safari.

Comments: 1
TAGS: apple, EULA, Google, threat, browser, Safari, Attack, chrome, carpet-bombing

NewsIE Fights Downward Curve, Firefox 3 Eats into Safari's Share

Posted 08/04/08 at 08:30:00 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Net Applications has released the global market share statistics of all major web browsers for the month of July. Internet Explorer registered a slight increase, as its market share went up by .01% to 73.02% compared to the previous month. Although the increase is statistically trivial, its significance lies in the fact that it has come after months of steady decline. IE’s only major competitor, Firefox, witnessed a month-over-month decline of .19% and ended up with 19.03% market share. Undoubtedly, Firefox’s market share grew on the back of the pompous Firefox 3 launch in June. So the slight decline can be seen as a correction of sorts. However, Firefox 3 is still going strong at the expense of Safari and its predecessor Firefox 2. Both Safari and Opera were down in July, according to Net Applications' July survey.

Comments: 4
TAGS: Software, Internet Explorer 7, IE, Safari, Opera, Firefox 3, net applications, june market share survey

NewsFirefox Wins Impromptu Memory Contest, What Does it Mean?

Posted 06/26/08 at 12:16:23 PM by Paul Lilly

It hasn't always been smooth sailing for Firefox fans, and complaints of memory leaks always seem to resonate with each new release. And while scattered complaints still exist for Mozilla's latest update, it appears Firefox 3 may finally have a memory management scheme ready for the masses. Mozilla claims to have reduced the effects of memory fragmentation, tweaked in-memory cache, altered the way images are stored, and squashed over 400 leak bugs, and the result, at least according to one roundup, shows the efforts paying off.

To see how Firefox fared against the competition, and whether it'll affect you, click through the jump.

Comments: 2
TAGS: Software, news, firefox, browser, Mozilla, IE, Safari, Opera

NewsTime to Return Safari to Home Base?

Posted 06/01/08 at 04:50:06 PM by Mark Soper

Apple's been busy pushing Safari to Windows users, but if you decided to give it a try, better think again: newly-discovered vulnerabilities put your system at risk when you surf with Safari.