Like millions of computer users, Bob Davis found out the hard way that Microsoft's
Internet Explorer has security flaws.
"My computer was taken over with viruses and spyware and so, unfortunately, I had to reformat my entire hard drive," Davis said.
As a result, Davis decided to dump Internet Explorer and install
Firefox -- a free Web browser developed by a nonprofit group called the
Mozilla Foundation.
"There's a pop-up blocker and a password manager and an ad blocker. There's some really interesting features that Microsoft has kind of ignored since they haven't updated their browser in so long," Davis said.
The disgruntled Web surfer also convinced coworkers to switch to Firefox, joining a growing number of converts who are making a small but noticeable dent in Microsoft's dominant share of Web browser usage.
"It's just the beginning of a trend. It's not a major trend yet, but they've been losing about half a percentage point per month in market share since June," said Jeff Lunsford, Webside Story CEO and chairman.
Ironically, Firefox is built on the bones of the original
Netscape Navigator, which Microsoft clobbered in the browser wars of the mid-'90s. Thanks to it's open source design, Firefox can be continuously modified and improved by an online community of developers.
By contrast, a new version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer is still years away, which gives Firefox plenty of time to steal additional market share from the software giant.
"IE is a linchpin product. If they lose IE, they lose a lot of connected offerings ... services are now much more connected to IE than they are to the operating system. So as goes IE, so goes Microsoft," said Rob Enderle, of the Enderle Group.
Meanwhile, Internet Explorer continues to command better than 90 percent of the Web browser market and Microsoft has issued various fixes for some of IE's security issues.
And Firefox is not the only alternative browser challenging IE.
Opera,
Deepnet Explorer and Apple's
Safari have also been gaining converts at Microsoft's expense.
On the Net: 
Internet Explorer Netscape Navigator Firefox Mozilla Opera Deepnet Explorer Safari Copyright 2004 by nbc5i.com. All rights reserved.
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