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1. Comment - Firefox Usage Up, But Slowing

   (Feb 28, 2005 - 5:54 PM)

   Firefox is indeed a great alternative to Internet Explorer. I'm sure others will point out small flaws, but, to me, it seems highly polished, especially considering it is only on release 1.0.
   My initial reason for downloading Firefox was because of all the adware/viruses that are targeted specifically at IE's vulnerabilities and which Firefox overcomes either through explicit security features or simply by not being IE.
   My favorite Firefox improvement over IE is its replacement of annoying "Find in this page" pop-up windows (that lock you out of the window you were viewing) with a simple text box that is integral to the page you are viewing.
   I see Firefox as the current best example of just how polished and competitive freely available open-source software can be. It has absolutely none of the "hacked" roughness that has been common in even highly functional open-source software of the past.
   You mentioned Linux as another example of open-source you would like to see do well in diminishing the hegemony of behemoth Microsoft. (I'm adding my words to your sentiment.) I agree wholeheartedly. Although Linux still has some of the aforementioned "hacked" roughness, an OS is a much bigger entity to refine than a web-browser, and much is being done, world-wide, to bring the uniform beauty that is represented in Firefox to Linux.
   If you are cheering Firefox and Linux, you should also be aware of another rising star in open-source software, namely the Solaris operating system, which, on version 10, recently became freely downloadable, and will soon have its entire source-code released as well. Not only is version 10 free, in contrast to the big bucks needed to acquire prior versions, but it introduces new and advanced features found in no other operating system, including prior releases. You can easily do your own research to find out more. I'll just say that this is the only instance I know of in which a company (Sun), put hundreds of millions into developing software only to make it free, binaries and source, from the get go. The usual pattern, if software is ever made free, is for the developing company to soak up as much as they can in sales first. I believe Solaris will draw significant open-source mindshare away from Linux development, but that both will continue to improve and draw market share away from Microsoft -- I hope big time.
   With its flash, polish, and substance, Firefox is showing what is possible and I'm sure more, much more, is to yet to come in free open-source software.