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Can IE8 Neuter Firefox?

February 24th, 2008 | 2 Comments | Posted in Browsers, Browsers/Firefox

So, IE8 ready to be unleashed into private beta.

Question: will IE8 be able to fend off Firefox, which now has now has more than 15% market share?

Firefox has a few key elements going for it: momentum, a great brand and a thriving ecosystem happy to develop extensions/add-ons to make Firefox make useful. As well, the increasingly profitable Mozilla Foundation is getting more aggressive strategically - and even getting serious about taking Thunderbird along for the ride.

Should be interesting to see IE8 vs. Firefox 3.0.

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Source: Janco Associates

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Firefox’s Leopard Woes

November 5th, 2007 | 14 Comments | Posted in Apple/iPod, Browsers/Firefox

Apparently, Firefox has worked out some compatibility issues with Leopard but I’m finding they still aren’t playing nice together. My biggest issues are Firefox freezing, an inability to switch between applications, and the inability to quit an application. Anyone else struggling with Firefox and Leopard?

Update: There’s already a service pack for Leopard (10.5.1) in the works that fixes a number of bugs. And I thought service packs were just a Windows thing!

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The Mozilla/Firefox Cash Machine

October 23rd, 2007 | 2 Comments | Posted in Browsers/Firefox, Google

Firefox-2
It’s amazing how much money that one little [Google] search box within Firefox makes for the Mozilla Foundation.

According to the foundation’s 2006 consolidated financial statements, Mozilla made a cool pre-tax profit of $47.1-million last year compared with $44.7-million in 2005. As impressive is the fact Mozilla has operating margins of 76.5%.

As much as I’m excited about Firefox 3.0, it would also be good to see some of that Google Mozilla money be invested in giving Thunderbird a much-needed kick in the pants. Thunderbird was spun off into a new subsidiary last month but it’s future is far from clear after its only two full-time developers quit.

For more on Mozilla’s financial performance, check out Between the Lines, which does a nice job of breaking out and analyzing the balance sheet. Search Engine Watch, meanwhile, suggests Firefox be re-named Googzilla or GoogleFox.

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When’s the Firefox IPO?

January 3rd, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in Browsers/Firefox, Google, Main Page, Search Engines

If you thought Firefox - the Web browser - was doing well, check out the organization behind, the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, which reported via CEO Mitchell Baker’s blog it made a profit of $44.7-million in 2005. Most of the $52.9-million of revenue was made from “search engine relationships”, which means Google paid Mozilla a whack o’ cash for making it the default search box within Firefox, which has about 10% of the browser market. The profit will go into a “reserve fund” but you have to wonder how an organization that had operating costs of $8.2-million is going to deal with such a large amount money. Maybe it can purchase a bunch of those $100 PCs - or do they now cost $150? - or build some high-speed wireless networks in less-developed countries. For more check out, GigaOm.

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Firefox 2.0 - Not Quite Yet For Me

October 30th, 2006 | No Comments | Posted in Browsers, Browsers/Firefox, Main Page, Uncategorized

There's a lot of excitement about Firefox 2.0 (although it seems muted compared with 1.5) but I have no plans to jump on the bandwagon quite yet despite the new version's better security and better speed. Why not? It mostly has to do with the compatibility of extensions. Why would I want to jump to 2.0 if some of my 1.5 extensions won't work? It would be like buying a new car with a better motor but the headlights and speedometer don't work. For now, I'll stick with 1.5. Who knows, I may even try IE7.
Update: Hardware 2.0's Adrian Kingley-Hughes has a post looking at 2.0's shortcomings, including memory leaks, weak anti-phishing features and incompatible extensions. He still believes 1.5 users should upgrade: “If you stick with 1.5.x then you're going to
be at risk from unpatched vulnerabilities.  The only way to go is up to
2.0 and keep downloading updates as they become available.”

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Will IE7 Kill Firefox?

After months of anxious anticipation, Internet Explorer 7 is finally available. Now, we can abandon those pesky open-source browsers that have kept IE from cementing its domination of the market. I can't wait to uninstall Firefox, Flock and Opera. No more worrying about cool extensions and plug-ins from an army of developers, no more worry about Web sites that just don't look quite right, and finally no more guilt about trying to be one of those people who seeks out Microsoft alternatives. If I were you, I'd rumble over to IE7's download site immediately. Can it only be a matter of time before Firefox's 10% to 12% share of the browser market returns to a more reasonable level - say 2% to 3%? Then, we'd be back to normal again with a true king and lots of little wannabes wandering around to make it seem like competition is alive and well.

   Then again…what if IE7 isn't the be all and end of browsers? What if it's a simply much-needed improvment from IE6, which was still using Spyglass technology from late-1990s? What if Firefox 2.0 is just as good and user-friendly? (and less of a memory hog would help as well!) Surely, this would force Microsoft to deal with competitors (Firefox, Opera, Flock, Maxthon, etc.) that encourage innovation. What if all those Firefox users and all those Firefox developers just keep on doing what they're doing? Now, this could be interesting, very interesting.

   So what do you do as a browser user? Well, if you're curious and brave, download IE7. If you're happy with Firefox, Flock and Opera, just keep on doing what you're doing. For more view check out FactoryCity, Inside Microsoft and Matt Cutts.

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Next Up: Google Browser?

August 28th, 2006 | 2 Comments | Posted in Browsers, Browsers/Firefox, Google, Main Page

Sorry, one more G-Thought. Now that Google Apps is out in the wild, the inevitable question is when Google will launch a browser. I mean, it can't hide behind Firefox forever, right?

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Firefox's Market Share Chugging Along

July 11th, 2006 | 3 Comments | Posted in Browsers, Browsers/Firefox, Main Page

While Firefox doesn't seem as sexy these days (maybe it's a good sign), it now 15.8% of the U.S. browser market. Globally, Firefox has 12.93%, compared with 11.79% in May, according to OneStat.com. IE's market share fell to 83.05%, although it has fallen to 79.8% in the U.S. The most enthusiastic Firefox users are in Germany where the browser has 39% of the market. While I've been an ardent Firefox user for the past year or so, I recently started using the new version of Flock after finding its first foray to be less than ideal. One of the reasons Flock now has some appeal is how you can customize with extensions - just like Firefox. Flock became my 1A browser after someone came out with a hack so password tool Roboform will work with it. (Roboform, in my view, is the Web 2.0 because its easy to ramble all over the Web without having to punch in passwords at each site).
   While I don't expect IE to lose its perch at the top (maybe IE7 will revive its market share) but choice is always a good thing because it encourages innovative. Speaking of choice, The Economist recently had a story looking at whether there were alternatives to Google. Part of Google's "problem" is its dominance, which probably keeps new, small  players with interesting features/ideas out of the search game. It is pretty amazing that Google has dominated the search market for the past four, five years. In the high-tech world, this is an eternity. Anyone using new and interesting search engines? Update: The first beta of Firefox 2.0 (download here) is slated to come out July 11 (today). If you're brave and bold, go for it. For the rest of us who want to make sure all of our extensions still work, hang on.

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Que Pasa, Flock?

May 7th, 2006 | 2 Comments | Posted in Browsers, Browsers/Firefox, Main Page, Web 2.0

A thought for a Sunday morning: what ever happened to Flock? It was just a few months ago that everyone wanted a peek at the new browser for Web 2.0 - but today's the buzz is gone, although it appears the company is still toiling away on new features. Perhaps this is the cruel reality of Web 2.0 - it's relatively easy and inexpensive to develop a new service/application but getting traction with users continues to be the real challenge. Flock had a big window of opportunity with an enormous amount of pre-launch buzz but it failed to impress when the alpha finally appeared on the scene. So what now? Is there still life for Flock and, if so, will anyone give it anyone shot? If there is a silver lining to Flock's effort is it demonstrates how Mozilla and Firefox can be used a platform to create niche-oriented browsers. Songbird is a great example where developers took the Firefox browser engine to build a cool music player. Here's hoping there are still developers willing to create a new browser. As Firefox demonstrated, there is demand for something different and better.

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What If…..IE Never Happened?

April 26th, 2006 | 6 Comments | Posted in Browsers, Browsers/Firefox, Main Page, Uncategorized

With the launch of the IE7 beta, there has been some fascinating discussion about Microsoft's track record in the Web browser market. John Dvorak, who's no stranger to controversial, against-the-grain ideas, describes IE as "The Greatest Microsoft Blunder" - suggesting it has taken the company's focus away from more important strategic priorities such as getting a new version of Windows - Vista - out the door. So, what if Microsoft never got into the browser market? What would have happened if Bill Gates had not decided to turn the Titanic onto the super-highway or, at least, decided to focus on other online opportunities other than the browser? I suspect Netscape would probably be around and thriving, and the Navigator browser would be industry standard. Maybe it would have been better for the Web's evolution because Microsoft wouldn't have had such a key role in how people accessed online services and content. You have to remember that until IE7 came along, the core of IE was still based on technology licensed from Spyglass Inc., which Microsoft jumped on after failing to secure a licensing deal with Netscape. While Microsoft continued to reply on Spyglass,  rest of the browser market continued to move ahead with Opera, Firefox, et al pushing the envelope. Meanwhile, Netscape got sucked up by AOL, which proceeded to emasculate what had been one of the Web's most exciting companies. If Microsoft had not launched IE and/or not proceeded to attack Netscape, maybe the browser market would be a different place today. Maybe Marc Andreessen would still be working there and Netscape wold have evolved into the flagship Web 2.0 company. Then again, Netscape's demise has allowed Firefox to successfully emerge so perhaps that's the silver lining.
For some other thoughts on IE7, check out Nicholas Carr, Inside Microsoft, Nick Bradbury and Makeyougohmmm.

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