Microsoft has released a plug-in for the rival
open-source Firefox browser to allow users to validate their
Windows-based systems prior to downloading software updates from
the company.
Firefox competes with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser.
Without the plug-in, many users have been forced to use Internet
Explorer on their desktops to download software from Microsoft.
Users had to use Internet Explorer because it had the ActiveX
controls required by Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA)
validation scheme, which makes sure the Windows software being
updated is genuine and not counterfeit.
WGA has been used by Microsoft since mid 2005 to approve
software updates. The plug-in now allows Firefox to do the updating
job instead of Internet Explorer.
Internet Explorer’s share of the browser market has fallen back
to around 85% after Firefox was launched a year ago. Firefox now
enjoys an estimated 9% of the market, with most of this share taken
from Internet Explorer.