Mozilla has released Firefox 1.0.1 that fixes 17 security flaws – the most serious of which lets an attacker gain full control over someone else's personal computer. While Mozilla deserves credit for being quick to release a new version of Firefox so quickly after 1.0, you wonder if computer users will think twice about leaving Internet Explorer for Firefox. Personally, I think Firefox has plenty of early-adopter runway left before it runs into reluctance from potential users concerned about security issues. Most people who decide to switch to Firefox are savvy computer users and should, in theory, be aware of the importance of security. It's when Firefox moves into the mainstream that security will become more of a concern.
Speaking of Firefox's momentum, WebSideStory reports Firefox's market share climbed 15% from Jan. 14 to Feb. 18. The browser now has 5.69% of the market, compared with 4.95% in mid-January. Meanwhile, use of non-Firefox Mozilla and Netscape browsers fell to 2.47% from 2.64%. This spells bad news for Opera, which used to have some of Firefox's cache. WebSideStory CEO Jeff Lunsford said he's increasingly pragmatic about Firefox's goal of 10% market share by the end of this year unless Mozilla spends more money on marketing.
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Posting this with Firefox BTW…
>>Personally, I think Firefox has plenty of early-adopter runway left before it runs into reluctance from potential users concerned about security issues.
“Concern about security issues” is precisely why I switched to Firefox. It may not be bullet proof, but compared to IE, Firefox is infinitely more secure. Aside from Windows Update, I stay far, far away from Internet Exploder, er, Internet Explorer.
The whole model of the IE browser lends itself to security problems. For example, the tight integration between browser and OS makes those problems difficult to fix and/or easy to exploit. Then there's ActiveX. For more comments on that problem infested “technology”/attack vector, see here.
Maybe I misread your post, but I got the impression you were saying that Firefox security is poor, rather than a strength. If so, you missed the boat. If not, I need better reading glasses.
In any case, thanks for publicizing the updated version (not that I'm connected to the development effort in any way). The more people that know about the fixes, the greater the chances those fixes will be applied (just upgraded myself