Browser Wars Escalate with New Firefox 3 and New Opera 9.5

Net Applications Global Internet Usage Market Share site is tracking the Firefox 3 release by the hour. Mozilla and loyal Firefox users have touted today as Download Day (D-Day for the Browser Wars). The download traffic for Mozilla was overwhelming, as much of our staff couldn't get the download during the early hours of the release. But, it was worth the wait.

As can be seen above, FF3 went from 0.96% global market share for the beta versions prior to D-Day, and in a matter of 13 hours, has already claimed 2.82% market share. With more and more Web 2.0 applications becoming available, the browser is becoming as important as the operating system. And, with the proliferation of mobile devices and the many new ways to access the Internet, the browser becomes ever more critical. Users are demanding more features, better security, complete site rendering compatibility (standards), and now rendering speed is becoming a differentiator.

While both FF3 and Opera 9.5 have improved security, and early tests have shown great rendering compatibility for both, the choice for users will probably come down to comfort level with the 'other' features.

Firefox certainly has momentum on its side. I predicted here that Firefox would hit 20% market share some time in July 2008, and that seems to be holding true. FF3 may even help cross that threshold this month. FF3 also has an improved look and feel. Mozilla claims it's significantly faster. I can tell it seems faster. FF3 also claims to have a smaller memory footprint, and to limit memory leaks. But, the best new feature in FF3 is the smart bar! Mozilla updates the location bar to intuitively suggest the site you're seeking based on your browsing history and preferences. It's a very nice addition, and worth the time to upgrade by itself.

Opera also made news by releasing it's latest browser version. Opera 9.5, like Firefox seems much faster at rendering pages. Opera greatly improved the look of the browser, and includes several new features worth exploring.

• The zoom control on the status bar is useful for content that's too big for your browser window, or for anyone that needs to zoom in to aid their vision.
• The panels button on the tab bar is intelligently sized and placed.
• Users can optionally set up mouse gestures to do basic browser functions.
• Opera Link syncs your favorites over multiple devices.
• Download Manager is greatly improved.

Overall, both browsers have greatly improved performance and enhanced features. There are some feature differences, which also helps explain the great passion for the browser that loyal users of both systems exhibit.

For these and other Global Market Share Statistics, go to marketshare.hitslink.com.

Interested in an even deeper level of MarketShare Global Usage Statistics? Send a note with your name, company, phone number and email address to sales@netapplications.com.

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