The party's over.
In the past year, the little browser that could, Firefox, became the people's hero, an underdog warrior that took a huge swipe at its enemy, Internet Explorer. IE dipped below 90 percent market share for the first time in years, while Firefox lured users like the Pied Piper, blowing past its own fundraising goals and reigniting the browser wars.
Meanwhile, the bad news continued to mount for Microsoft. An IE exploit put even Windows XP SP2 users at risk from phishing schemes, even as Microsoft touted SP2 as the most secure version of Windows yet. Worse, major security companies and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team began to recommend that computer users dump IE for something more secure (read: Firefox).
By early this year, Netscape was emboldened to reenter the fray, announcing in January that it would release a new version of the Netscape browser, designed specifically to resist phishing schemes--something even Firefox lacks. Then, Opera said it would offer free licenses to universities, in order to make sure it would still be relevant in the new world browser order. And through it all, what was the response from Microsoft? Silence.
For a moment there, it looked like the tyrant IE could actually be overthrown. Those were heady days, weren't they? Well, they're over now. Papa Bill just dropped the hammer. Bill Gates announced this week, at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco (of all places), that Microsoft will ship Internet Explorer 7, without waiting for the next version of Windows. Gates says the standalone browser is designed to address the perception that IE itself is a massive security risk. What he didn't say, but you know he was thinking it, is that IE 7 will easily put a stop to this upstart browser rebellion.
Don't believe me? You should. Firefox is great, I use it. But it's a chore sometimes, what with most sites using that pesky nonstandard IE code. Not everything renders properly, and some sites just plain don't work--I have to load up IE to use them. Plus, let's be honest--Firefox has its flaws. Why is there no way to check for updates from within the browser, for one thing? Why does it take so doggone long to launch? Why, why must it crash every single time I open a PDF? I mean, every single time. Opera, fine, whatever, I'm not paying for a browser, and for some reason, although I've tried it several times, it's just never captured me. It's too clunky, and I was raised on IE. I don't want to learn something completely new. IE, on the other hand, is like the sweeping tide--it's just easier not to fight it.
If a standalone IE 7 is even 50 percent more secure than current versions, the Firefox rebellion is finished. If IE 7 has tabs, Firefox will be destroyed as surely as the Hungarian uprising of 1956 was crushed by Russia. I use the analogy deliberately, too--no one expected Microsoft to issue a standalone version of IE, but those months of silence (and, no doubt, frantic development) look awfully ominous now. This is a company that's absorbed Justice Department lawsuits, threats of daily fines from the European Union, and lawsuits from nearly every state in the union, and that has steadfastly refused to break up its republic of Windows-IE-Windows Media. But this Firefox thing must have it fearing the domino effect, big time.
It was bad when Microsoft seemed to ignore Firefox, treating it like a harmless upstart not worthy of comment or attack. But now that the sleeping giant has awakened, I think the buzzing gnat of the browser wars is about to be squashed flat.
What do you think? Are you afraid of a standalone Internet Explorer, or will you keep betting on the Firefox pony? Post your comments below!
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Won't use IE again!
16/02/2005 03:30 PM
There's a lot more that firefox offers over IE other than tabbed browsing. Microsoft will need to do a lot more than that to impress me!
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Anthonii
18/02/2005 02:28 PM
we are yet to even see ie 7 and already dismissing firefox, i dont think ff will disappear like that, unlike ie, ff is built on community demand, where as ie is built on a microsoft need for world domination. ie will always be the way of the SHEEP, why do you thing ff is called fireFOX
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anonymous
20/02/2005 10:03 AM
A couple of comments: There's lots more than tabbed browsing in Firefox. Check out Live Bookmarks if you haven't already. They are great for blogs and sites like BBC News or Slashdot. Second, I don't have any problem with PDFs and there is a simple place to check for updates behind Tools -> Options -> Advanced called Software Updates.
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Kurt Suma
21/02/2005 06:18 PM
Firefox is my best ever buddy, I love it a lot. Haven't use IE for about 6 months now. I only have one site that FF won't properly render so guess what? I don't go there anymore. If it's not FF compatible it's not worth a visit. RIP IE6+
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Les
01/03/2005 11:35 AM
I got both but I use Firefox as default because most hacker attacks are concentrated on IE, but I need IE6 to run sites with active-x. I would be happy with one or the other as long as I am 100% sure it is secure, and all sites display correctly. Yeah.... I know I should wake up now and stop dreaming of a perfect browser that works that way it was intended.
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Winterborne
02/03/2005 01:54 PM
Good analogy, and probably quite right. Firefox doesn't have a chance. Opensource doesn't stand a chance. Not in the short term, anyhow. Tragic, but true for one simple reason--most people are completely retarded. Those that know what they're about will continue to use the better software, and those that understand the bigger picture will continue to support the moral side. I've no doubt that the mindless m****es will be again wooed by that colourful, friendly looking (underhanded, cut-throat) giant, Microsoft.
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abcad
05/03/2005 10:18 AM
The last comment is right on. And who cares if 90% of people use IE? Just be glad that you are in the smart 10% (at least in this matter) who use what they find is best suited for them.
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mudguts
29/03/2005 10:31 AM
I'm never going back to IE again. Firefox is just so much better.
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gargarxp
29/03/2005 09:40 PM
First off...Microsoft couldn't begin to apporach the *functionality* of Firefox because they have made it clear that little concepts like "end-user awareness" and "standards compliant" are just not their flavor of business ethics. The reason that certain sites don't render properly under Firefox is that IE has had market dominance for so long, people coded their pages with IE's little "shortcuts" in mind. As a web developer, nothing says 'retarted' faster than DirectX in a webpage. So long as people continue to support Microsoft and their proprietary little visions, the world will forever be locked on MS. The truth is, a large portion of people don't care about IE in particular, is simply a matter of what they are given to use when they first setup their cute little Dells.
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none
25/06/2005 11:37 AM
Opera It "The One", just give it a try.
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