The open source Firefox browser now has 10% of the
browser market, with its growth continuing to be at the expense of
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser.
Web analytics firm NetApplications.com said Firefox captured 10%
of the market last month, being used by 10.05% of users.
This was a rise from the 9.75% measured in February, said
NetApplications. The measurement firm said the still-dominant
Internet Explorer had 84.7% of web users last month.
IE has lost almost 4% market share in the last year, with most
of those users moving over to Firefox, said NetApplications.
Firefox was first launched by the Mozilla Foundation in November
2004. Apple Computer’s Safari browser had 3.19% of the market in
March.
The Netscape browser, which was once the market leader, now
accounts for just 1.05% of the market, while the Opera browser
weighed in with a slender 0.54%.
Microsoft is planning to launch its IE7 browser later this year,
equipped with better functionality and improved security features,
to help stall its gradual slide against Firefox.