Browser War 2.0

For most of us,when we were first exposed to the World Wide Web,there were just two web browsers,the ubiquitous Internet Explorer and the suave Netscape Navigator.

As Chrome goes for the kill,Internet Explorer sources some new weapons

For most of us,when we were first exposed to the World Wide Web,there were just two web browsers,the ubiquitous Internet Explorer IE and the suave Netscape Navigator. But those were the days when going online and using one of these browsers was the most adventurous things that could be done with a computer.

How things have changed. These days,an average computer user spends half of his or her time on the browser,making it the top activity on the PC. Despite the drastic change in user behaviour,IE is still the top browser,owning around 55 per cent of market share,though this is a position constantly under threat from Mozillas Firefox and Googles Chrome. But not one to go down without a fight,Microsoft has unleashed Internet Explorer 9,widely touted as the best IE version ever,to take on the Google surge.

While Internet Explorer clearly owes its numbers to the fact that it is the native browser on all Windows-based computers,Chrome is bound to get a similar boost from the Chromebook,the new Web-enabled laptop,which will be entirely based on the new browser. Once the Chromebook penetrates more markets,Chrome is expected to move up from its No 3 spot and thereby improve on its 15.5 per cent market share.

The makeover

So how did Internet Explorer change its image? IE 9 makes the best use of Windows 7 to enhance browsing experience by ensuring faster site loads,better graphics and easier navigation. Microsoft also realised that people go online to access their favourite sites and Web applications and not for the pleasure of using a browser,so they conceptualised IE 9 as a site-centric browser rather than as browser-centric. So now users can attach their favourite website to the browser and remain abreast of updates without actually opening the page.

Moreover,helping IEs cause is the fact that it is considered to be among the safest browsers,with some banks and government departments allowing you to open their sites only via Internet Explorer. An October 2010 report from NSS Labs which provides test-based research and advisory services claims Internet Explorer 9 blocks 99 per cent of malware.

Need for speed

Any guesses why India is among the top countries when it comes to adopting new browser technologies? It is the Indian internet user trying to get the best out of his slow,unreliable Net connection. India has had one of the top adoption rates for Googles Chrome browser,with a quarter of all Web users in the country already using the browser,which is undoubtedly the fastest rate of adoption. Google says,Chrome focuses on speed,simplicity,and security,making the things youre already doing online better,faster and smoother. Celebrating its third anniversary this month,the browser is winding up for bigger things. It has already launched browser-based apps and games to counter the tablet craze and now features Chrome Instant,which shows relevant content in the browser window as you type,before you press Enter.

The Missing fox

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Fuelling Internet Explorers resurgence as well as the Chrome march to the top has been the recent lacklustre performance of Firefox,for long the preferred browser of the so-called advanced user. Speed has always been the primary factor that prompted many users to switch to Firefox from the boring Internet Explorer. Mozilla included add-ons to its browser making it more popular and pushing it to the Number 2 slot. But with Firefox 5 came trouble. The unstable version saw many loyal users shift to Chrome or back to Internet Explorer thanks to its version 9.

But then Firefox is preparing to launch its bug-free version 7 later this month. The new kid on the block is also expected to use much less memory than earlier versions,one of the common grouses with the browser. The fact that it is lighter will also mean Firefox 7 will crash less often,especially if you have many tabs open. So,lets not be too quick to write off anyone.