Internet Explorer rivals celebrate gains :: Namibia Internet Gateway cc ::

Articles: Internet Explorer rivals celebrate gains

Posted by admin on Monday, July 12, 2004 - 12:39 AM

Security flaws in Microsoft's (MSFT) ubiquitous Web browser are breathing life into Internet Explorer's rivals. Since early June, Explorer's share of the market has dropped from 95.48% to 94.42%, according to San Diego Web analytics firm WebSideStory.
"If I'm Mozilla and Netscape, I'm thrilled about this," says WebSideStory analyst Geoff Johnston. "Here's a sign of a little uprising. It's a hope-generator for the open-source crowd." The revolt barely puts a dent in Microsoft's dominance. But the decline of a full percentage point suggests millions of users are paying heed to warnings from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, which is advising people to "use a different Web browser." At issue are recent discoveries of gaping vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer that allow intruders to swipe personal and financial data from unwitting Internet users. Alternative browsers, including Firefox from the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, have such a small user base they are less-likely targets for hackers. Though Microsoft has issued a workaround, the company admits a comprehensive fix is still at bay. A reworked browser will be part of the soon-to-arrive next version of Windows called XP Service Pack 2. Rivals are trying to exploit the opportunity. Rolf Assev, marketing vice president of Opera Software, says sales of its desktop browser have tripled the past two to three weeks. Opera is also receiving renewed interest from corporations and having conversations with unnamed PC makers about preloading the browser on their machines. "That has not happened before," he says. The open-source (software that programmers can freely modify) Mozilla Foundation says it is receiving more than 200,000 downloads some days for its Mozilla and Firefox browsers. "The base is energized," says Mozilla marketer Bart Decrem. But no browser is immune from security flaws. On Friday, Mozilla announced it had developed an "important security update" that fixes a vulnerability that would allow a hacker to run Windows programs remotely. Security firm PivX Solutions wrote a letter asking US-CERT to rethink its Explorer advisory, "because it will not solve the problems that allows Windows vulnerabilities to be exploited." Not every rival is benefiting from Explorer's slippage. Longtime Microsoft adversary Netscape, now part of America Online, has not had a noticeable spike in usage, according to spokesman Andrew Weinstein. Though mum on specifics, Weinstein says AOL is working on a new strategy to spruce up the Netscape browser and portal.

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