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Internet Explorer's Share Dips Below 90%

Posted by Zonk on from the something-about-a-fox dept.

sheepoo writes "CNN has a story stating that, according to a WebSideStory report, Internet Explorer has slipped below 90% usage share for the first time." From the article: "Firefox, an open-source browser collectively developed by the Internet community under the Mozilla Foundation, had a 6.8 percent share as of April 29, an increase from 3.0 percent since WebSideStory began tracking Firefox separately in October."

10 of 463 comments (clear)

  1. Statistics by LiNKz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Googledot receives a few hits everytime someone mentions it on Slashdot. I've been keeping track of the hits and such, which show 67% of slashdotters (who are willing to click a link for a laugh) are using firefox, and only 14.5% of them are using Internet Explorer. It is interesting to look at how many people still use Windows over *nix too. I guess it is all very much depending on what type of website you're counting from too.

    You can look at a few statistics here that have been collected since over a few months.

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  2. Monopoly no more! - Well, not really.. by TheCeltic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Now "only" 9 out of every 10 systems uses IE. Hopefully FireFox will continue to grow and IE will continue to shrink.. of course that will be tough when Microsoft copies all of Firefox's features in the next release of IE.

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  3. Who measures and how measures? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What does 90% market share really mean? I use both IE and Firefox on the same machine. Do they both get counted?

    I love vague facts and figures

    1. Re:Who measures and how measures? by bunratty · · Score: 5, Informative
      What does 90% market share really mean? I use both IE and Firefox on the same machine. Do they both get counted?
      It's not 90% market share. It's 90% usage share. If you use IE half the time and Firefox half the time, they are both counted equally. If you have IE installed and never use it, it's not counted.
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      What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
  4. No, wait! by danheskett · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Oh my god! Microsoft's monopoly level has fallen from "complete total dominance" down to "utterly terrifying massively overwhelming" in web browsers.

    But, wait, actually. Seriously for a second. Isn't this exactly the type of competition that the DOJ argued would/could never happen as long IE was integrated into Windows? Wasn't the argument that IE was illegal tying because there would not be competition due to MS's dominance with Windows?

    Firefox has managed to take ~7% of the market in a short period of time from a massively well-funded competitor on an ultra, ultra, ultra shoestring budget. This kinda proves what MS was saying, and disproves what the DOJ was saying.

    1. Re:No, wait! by killjoe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "But, wait, actually. Seriously for a second. Isn't this exactly the type of competition that the DOJ argued would/could never happen as long IE was integrated into Windows? Wasn't the argument that IE was illegal tying because there would not be competition due to MS's dominance with Windows? "

      That's right. And you yourself admit that 90% is dominance. Why don't we wait till MS share drops below 50% before deciding who was right and wrong. As of today it looks like the DOJ was 100% correct. Due to bundling of IE a superior, more secure and free product is not able to get even a 10% share.

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      evil is as evil does
  5. first time? by spoonyfork · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Internet Explorer has slipped below 90% usage share for the first time.

    First time? Was the author born after 1998?

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  6. Gates should be wetting his pants by Jesus+IS+the+Devil · · Score: 5, Interesting

    See this is a new type of business model that Microsoft can't beat. It used to be that when they decided to bundle or bully, competitors are dead.

    No more. Firefox doesn't need to make $ to survive, so M$ can't beat by price. Bundling won't work either because broadband is everywhere.

    Now, the killer app (analogy) is reputation. IE has been branded as spyware/exploit-ridden. People want an alternative. IE has lost its credibility.

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    eTrade SUCKS
  7. Shoestring? Not quite by sjbe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Firefox has managed to take ~7% of the market in a short period of time from a massively well-funded competitor on an ultra, ultra, ultra shoestring budget.

    "Ultra shoestring budget"? Relative to Microsoft sure, but the vast majority of Mozilla development occured with the direct financial support of AOL, Sun and what was left of Netscape after the buyout with numerous other companies contributing. The Mozilla foundation was given millions of dollars to get started. While none of that in any way detracts from how impressive their accomplishment is, I would hardly describe them as working on "an ultra, ultra, ultra shoestring budget."

  8. Re:Weight Watchers blocks Firefox users by Jeremi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe once FireFox gets a bit more bloated, they'll let it in.

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    I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.