When we first began publishing Search Engine News waaaaay back in 1997, Netscape Navigator 4 was the de facto standard web browser with over 90% market share at its peak. But then Microsoft decided they wanted to own the browser market and the rest is history.

Fast forward eight years later: Microsoft won the browser war. Internet Explorer's various versions now account for more than 90% of market share and there hasn't been a significant update since their victory. In fact, they've brazenly stated that there will be no new releases for operating systems earlier than Windows XP with Service Pack 2. And, if you really want their forthcoming Internet Explorer 7 you'll have to purchase their currently in-development operating system – code-named Longhorn, due out in 2006.

In the meantime, if you want the functionality you deserve, your only Internet Explorer (IE) option is to rely on third-party tools to support such modern browser features as pop-up blocking and tabbed-browsing – either that or else switch browsers!

Well, here's to say that we have switched browsers. This means that, as ex-IE users, we enjoy these modern browser features today because Mozilla has produced one heck of a great new browser that people are sitting up and noticing – bigtime. Web surfers, meet Firefox! ...it's powerful, robust, free, and we're not the only ones who are switching.

Market Share Shifts

The mainstream news is abuzz with reports about how fast Firefox is gaining market share. According to the web analytics firm WebSideStory (which collects data from the consumer web sites of companies such as Walt Disney, Best Buy, Sony, DaimlerChrysler, and Liz Claiborne), IE use is declining. Yes, the decline is relatively small – only a few percentage points so far ...