Firefox has been a force to be reckoned with in the browser market. It jumped on a lull from Microsoft and its Internet Explorer Team to grab a stunning 10% browser market share. Microsoft took notice and is positioning Internet Explorer 7 to slow or even reverse that trend.
Firefox’s success has come from a number of different factors. First, it isn’t Microsoft which would probably get it a few percent in the market just for general principle and availability on other operating systems. It’s tabbed browsing was something people found immediately appealing and useful. It has better adherence to web standards (CSS) and has kept up with technology better than IE (Transparent PNG).
The real value, in my opinion, though is the abundance of great add-ins for the alternative browser. This community is active and creative and help the browser keep gaining momentum. Firefox also offers quick and easy access to these downloads which has helped this community flourish.
Enter Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 where Microsoft has corrected most of the issues that have been holding it back in the browser market. It has come a long way on the CSS front (not all the way there yet), it has added Transparent PNG support, and now it has partnered with CNET to collect and evaluate Internet Explorer add-ins (http://www.ieaddons.com). This sites will heighten awareness of existing add-ins, make discovering new add-ins much easier, and hopefully make the producing community more active. If you have an add-in that you would like the world to know about you can submit it at the following URL http://ieaddons.upload.com
Obviously Microsoft will have a hard time closing the void that was left after such a long period of inactivity with its browser, but they are taking a great first stab and have promised to stay much more active on the browser front.
IE Homepage
Add-Ons for Internet Explorer Homepage
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Posted
Apr 25 2006, 06:21 AM
by
Josh Phillips
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