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Firefox Market Share Gains Slowing

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

April 29, 2005, 12:11 PM

Usage share of Microsoft's Internet Explorer continued to slip in April, although at slower pace than in previous months, research firm OneStat.com has reported. 86.63 percent of Internet users were browsing with Internet Explorer, down 0.65 percent from the end of February.

However, it seems as if the rapid growth of Firefox was also slowing, as the upstart browser only recorded a 0.24 percent gain to sit at 8.69 percent total usage.

"It seems that the rapid growth of the global usage share of Mozilla's Firefox is slowing down at the moment. It looks like that browser users of Internet Explorer for Apple's Mac are switching to Safari because the global usage share is still growing" said Niels Brinkman, co-founder of OneStat.com.

Safari registered a 1.26 percent share for April, trailed by the Netscape and Opera browsers, both with a little over one percent market share.

Research firm WebSideStory said in late February Internet Explorer fell below 90 percent usage for the first time in several years, and Firefox had a market share of 5.69 percent. WebSideStory separates Firefox from other Mozilla browsers, whereas OneStat.com does not.

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By Mystiqq

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 6:32 PM

How long did it actually take to go from IE6 to IE7?

If everytime Microsoft needs an excuse just to make a godd*** browser just little bit better, im better off using Firefox instead.

Sorry for being negative but thats the "vibe" what im getting from Microsoft at the moment.

Microsoft needs a lot more than just a face lift, it needs a kick in the ass... Windows included.

Score: 0

By Maajid

edited Apr 30, 2005 - 3:21 AM

I wonder what it will be like when IE7 gets released..

Score: 0

By mjm01010101

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 7:48 PM

I downloaded for my company probably 4 times for the different revs. I show browser stats on our intranet at 40% firefox. IE is the default browser but 40% of users tried it and have stuck with it. This is a company with 60 users.

Score: 0

By zridling

edited Apr 29, 2005 - 5:44 PM

How is this measured? I've downloaded Firefox no less than twenty times. Am I counted as 20 users or just 20 of the 50mil downloads? My only gripe with Firefox is that it takes FOREVER to startup, and getting slower with every release. I could use either browser because I don't reactively hate Microsoft, but most of the time I use the IE-based NetCaptor. Seems to me the better Firefox gets, the better IE will become. I win either way.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 6:03 PM

"Seems to me the better Firefox gets, the better IE will become. I win either way"

Exactly. I'm hoping for the exact same results.

Score: 0

By sophist_dreams

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 3:40 PM

Why is this news? Everyone should have known there would be an early spike and then a leveling off. When the new Microspud bloatware known as IE7 hits the market there will be an upsurge in IE share, then when people see that it really hasnt changed much it will level off also. I wonder why the mainstream computer press delights in slamming FF?

Score: 0

By kaniz

edited Apr 29, 2005 - 3:37 PM

... is on the rare site that wont render in FireFox (which is rare),

and in SharpReader (my RSS news aggigator), it uses the IE-rendering engine unfournatly - just wish there was a good one out there that used Mozz.

ahhwell.

All in all, I'm happy to see the browser-wars are starting again, now lets just hope its a race to implement and be the most 'standard compliant' instead of 'lets see how many priporatory features we can implement'

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 5:46 PM

"...instead of 'lets see how many priporatory features we can implement'"

That's funny. I thought that's what FF was doing :p lol jk jk

And it's proprietary. I knew what you meant, but others might not know what you were trying to say.

Score: 0

By Pipewrench

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 2:04 PM

I just know fools are going to start saying stuff like:

IE is better.

Firefox is better.

I know more than you because...

Grow up. GO do something else.

Score: 0

By Caleb

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 3:36 PM

Firefox _IS_ better.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 6:12 PM

Whatever man.

IE is the BEST EVER.
Anyone who says otherwise is a retard!

btw, that was a joke.

Score: 0

By Caleb

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 10:29 AM

Mine wasn't.

Firefox _is_ better than IE, and no I'm not a fanboy. I'll use whatever's best :D

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Apr 29, 2005 - 12:29 PM

Let the browser flaming wars resume...

Score: 0

By arossetti

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 1:36 PM

Let's just say I use both Firefox and IE for different things. One I browse through proxomitron and use for certain sites/business apps that need it, the other I use for general everyday browsing. Nothing wrong with having a choice ;-)

Score: 0

By spiffyjeff

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 1:09 PM

lol - I'll just say that Firefox does the trick for me. I can't go back to explorer now that I've learned more and more about Firefox - ad blocking, popup blocking, disable right click blocking.
One thing I dislike of FF is that I can't figure out how to change the temporary files directory, not where it is.

Score: 0

By John_Bedin

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 4:19 PM

why bother with these inane surveys. IE 6 is basically a monopoly. You install XP and you get Explorer. You don't like it. Well you do have choices , many : Firefox, Netscape, Opera.
Don't like Xp ? Move to more stable OS , Linux, Apple etc. and good luck finding the software. Like it or not, we will be stuck with Windows for the rest of our lives .Reality check !!!

Score: 0

By fewt

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 4:04 PM

using about:config,

Right click in the window, and select New -> String

add:
browser.cache.disk.parent_directory

set it to your new cache directory.

Close firefox and delete or move your old cache directory to the new path.

Score: 0

By XiND

edited Apr 29, 2005 - 5:23 PM

That's funny, 'cause in IE you just need to click a few times. No typing, no browser restart, and all the contents of the old directory get moved to the new. :P

Score: 0

By fewt

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 6:54 PM

Waah, you have to use the keyboard instead of the mouse! WAAAAAAAAAH

That's what you just sounded like.

Funny stuff, thanks.

Score: 0

By konline

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 6:31 PM

Yeah, and it seems like whenever I disable cache on IE, I still end up getting temporary files appearing. Works good.

Score: 0

By Kramy

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 11:58 PM

I use IE for testing spyware. :)

Score: 0

By nerc0ne

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 4:14 AM

It's funny how all these microsoft haters say that when they install windows xp they get explorer and they don't get an option... Now if you had no option you would also be complaining cause you got no option... you always have an option as far as what program you use. IT's so freaking annoying these people hate on Microsoft cause they use linux... be real linux is not as good as XP nor it's near being as good. The only people that find it interesting are Geeks/Techies who love the challenge of linux. Also it's funny how people say that firefox is more secure... I can tell you that if you use firefox for all websites for a few days and than run a spyware program you sure would find yourself surprised that you got spyware. Grow up and don't be so stupid MS Haters... I use both firefox and IE cause I don't mind using them but most of the times I stick with IE since it's the best.

Score: 0

By fewt

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 8:44 AM

"be real linux is not as good as XP nor it's near being as good"

Sure it is, it's just not like XP so you have to re-learn using your computer. They both have good strengths and are just as strong in specific areas. There is a larger learning curve to Linux than there is to XP however some recent studies have found that if you haven't used Windows first then learning Linux is actually easier.

Windows frustrates me on probably the same levels that Linux frustrates you. That doesn't mean it's not as good.

Score: 0

By nerc0ne

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 11:58 PM

fewt while I agree with you that linux is almost as good, cause I still use linux... I don't agree with the fact that based on that study that linux is easier to learn. I have used many different OS and the truth is that no matter your experience Windows is easier in all aspect. Not even MacOS X can top windows interface... yeah MacOS X has a nice face but it sure aint as easy as windows and with the stupid bar that you have to select on top for your apps instead of seperate window it's the most annoying... I can understand many of your may say i'm being bias but i can clearly say I'm not. on a second note It's good that after all the frivilous sues that Mac has filed for that they are getting a taste of their own medicine... I think Tiger Direct has a point here and most likely it will win this case... remember Lindows and the Windows suit? Who won? that should be an example...

Score: 0

By normangerman

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 4:57 AM

I agree. Sure FF is good, but IE is just... better. I don't know how, but it's got all the features FF has right now, and it's more stable on my computer.

I had to friggin re-install Firefox 20 times, and now I've just given up. The only thing that benefited was the Firefox counter, added another 20 to it. What a load of bullcrap that counter is!

Score: 0

By LunaHa1o

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 9:10 PM

List of features that Firefox has and IE doesnt't... features that I use every day only. Here is a list of 10 in no particular order.

1. Mouse Gestures
2. Tabbed Browsing
3. Download Manager (great implementation of it)
4. Bookmarks Toolbar (yes its different from the links toolbar)
5. RSS LiveBookmarks
6. Google "I'm feeling lucky" from the address bar
7. Search in page toolbar
8. ForcastFox
9. Keyword in address bar (wiki, dict, etc)
10. Define word (from flyout menu)

Also, please stop saying "Explorer" when you really mean "Internet Explorer." They are NOT the same thing. Some of you may not know this, so here is a heads up.

Score: 0

By Metshrine

posted May 2, 2005 - 10:19 AM

How many of those are actually built into the browser and arent extensions? Heck, with your logic, IE has far more features than FF will ever have since IE has many shells and plugins for it.

Score: 0

By fewt

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 8:44 AM

You can open tabs in IE?

Score: 0

By nerc0ne

posted May 3, 2005 - 12:24 AM

All you need to do is download Maxton for IE and you got tabs... and best of all it's not diffilcult to setup all all...

Score: 0

By lastjuan

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 10:47 AM

Well said!

Score: 0

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