IE vs Firefox: Browser Wars Return

In the last few months, Firefox, the open-source web browser, has been spreading like wildfire. It's been eating away at Internet Explorer's market share, while Microsoft has been relegating the next version of IE to a future version of its operating system.

Recent events, though, suggest that Microsoft sees Firefox as a significant competitor. Microsoft may be preparing to shift gears and throw its formidable resources into competing with Firefox.

Firefox Becomes IE's Top Competitor

Released less than 100 days ago, Firefox has been downloaded over 25 million times. While its market share is only around 5%, Firefox has already become the #2 web browser.

"Twenty five million Firefox downloads is a significant achievement, and we see that number continuing to grow," said Mitchell Baker, president of the Mozilla Foundation. "Firefox is being rapidly adopted by the mainstream."

More significantly, Firefox seems to be winning the mind-share of the tech-savvy. At technology-oriented sites, Firefox accounts for as many as 20% of the visits. This may be more troubling to Microsoft than Firefox's market share, because many of the tech-savvy early adopters are the same people that help make decisions about corporate technology standards.

Microsoft Balks

At the recent RSA Security annual conference, Bill Gates announced that Microsoft has changed its strategy for the next version of Internet Explorer. Instead of waiting to update IE with the next version of Windows, expected sometime next year, Microsoft now plans to release Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP.

In announcing the strategy shift, Gates admitted what anyone involved in IT already knows, that "Browsing is definitely a point of vulnerability."

Gates promised an IE 7.0 beta by Summer 2005 that would provide better defenses against spyware, phishing and other attacks. Gates stated that the new version would improve security for users running Windows XP SP2, while maintaining extensibility and compatibility.

While it's clear that Microsoft is making a big strategy shift as a result of IT interest in Firefox, it's not clear whether the response is more sizzle than steak.

Microsoft isn't committing to a ship date. Notes Microsoft Corporate VP Mike Nash, "We don't plan to ship it until it meets our quality bar, which we've set pretty high." Microsoft's IEBLog reiterates the nebulous release schedule: "We're going to release a beta and listen, then refresh the beta and listen some more. We'll ship when the product is ready."

Even more significant for IT, Microsoft has only committed to supporting Windows XP SP2, meaning that IE 7.0 won't work with most PCs. While releasing a new version for XP at all is a shift from Microsoft's earlier plans, it still sends the message that security depends on upgrading operating systems.

Browser Wars Return

Microsoft's IE 7 announcement was short on substance, but sends the message that the company is planning on responding to Firefox. Whether their response will slow the rise of Firefox waits to be seen.

It would be hard for Microsoft to overestimate the significance of Firefox. Microsoft has been unable to stop the advance of Apache, which now hosts nearly 70% of the web. If Firefox follows the same path, Microsoft risks becoming sidelined in the future of the web.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Gates Highlights Progress on Security, Outlines Next Steps for Continued Innovation

Q&A: How Microsoft Is Keeping Pace with an Ever-Changing Security Landscape

IE7

Mozilla Foundation announces 25 million downloads of Firefox browser

Browser Statistics

February 2005 Web Server Survey Finds 40 Million Sites on Apache

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