Internet Explorer usage falls below 50%

[n2doc]

By David Goldman, staff writerOctober 6, 2010: 12:17 PM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- For more than a decade, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been the predominant tool the world uses to connect to the Web, but that's no longer true, according to a Web analytics firm.

StatCounter, which tracks Internet data, said that IE's share of the browser market fell to 49.9% in September. More people still use IE than any other single browser, but the combined market share of non-Microsoft browsers now outpaces IE.

Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) once commanded more than 90% of the browser market, rising to dominance by preloading IE on Windows computers. That sent Netscape, the browser king of the 1990s, tumbling into irrelevancy. It also prompted antitrust suits against Microsoft in both the United States and the European Union, the latter of which forced the company to offer Windows users a list of browsers to choose from when they set up the operating system.

That, along with the fact that other browsers have outpaced IE's innovations, has led Mozilla's Firefox, Google's (GOOG, Fortune 500) Chrome and Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) Safari browser to eat away at Microsoft's market share. Internet Explorer's use has been falling steadily over the past several years.

more

http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/06/technology/internet_explorer_market_share/index.htm?hpt=T2

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Proud Firefox user in the house!

:woohoo:

[habitual]

2. as one of many many programmers who have pulled hair

out because of IE, let me just say..... YES YES YES

[KansasVoter]

7. At least MS was helpful. Try calling Netscape at the beginning and asking questions!

[Recursion]

50. I communicated with them all the time

The development team is called "Mozilla" now, but here are a bunch of mailing lists you can use to contact them:

https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo

[Recursion]

51. Delete

D'oh. Wrong place.

[htuttle]

10. Same here!

Just this month, I spent over 3 days trying to get our website to work using IE8, and that was using a javascript library that was already supposed to be compatible with IE8.

I'm about ready to just tell all Internet Exploder users to either install the 'Chrome Frame' plugin, or use Firefox.

[Tesha]

15. "This site is best experienced with..."

...any browser OTHER than Internet Exploder!"

Tesha

[Regret My New Name]

23. I agree... I'm not anti-microsoft or anything... It's just that IE made things difficult

of course it wasn't Microsoft's fault that so many people kept their ancient versions of IE rather than updating. Hopefully MS will finally get things right with IE9, since they can't just say "we're the leader and everyone else should follow"..

[Ter]

3. Google Chrome here!

:)

[WolverineDG]

25. yo tambien! nt

[bluerum]

4. heebee geebees it's about effin time

[marmar]

5. I kicked the extra-suckage that is IE to the curb.....Firefox Baby !!!!

nt

[XOKCowboy]

9. Have you tried to uninstall IE?

Have any problems?

[marmar]

11. I didn't uninstall it. I just don't use it.

I think I tried to uninstall it and there was some drama, so I just left it.

[Canuckistanian]

32. "there was some drama" LOL

:rofl: I know what you mean.

[icnorth]

60. I didn't try to uninstall it either.

I removed all desktop/tool bar icons or links and now it just sits in its corner and sulks. The only time it rears its head is when I have MS updates and it gets p'&*%$ed off upon discovering I'm using Firefox. :D

[WinkyDink]

6. I liked Netscape. I actually got academic sites when searching, say, Macbeth, rather than stores.

[Renew Deal]

8. According to this site, IE has been below 50% for two years

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

[blogslut]

36. That's their own server stats

W3Schools is a geek's site and a preponderance of geeks have adopted alternate browsers. Statcounter is a more likely measure of non-geek users.

[stopbush]

12. I use Firefox on my home Mac and on my work PC.

[TreasonousBastard]

13. I'm not all that thrilled with the alternatives, either...

and I go back to Mosaic.

Remember when Compuserve was all over itself about Mosaic?

Firefox drives me up a wall and is becoming a bloated POS, with extensions needed for things everyone needs and other ones no one needs. Chrome works , but is mainly Google spyware, and I still haven't found anything special about Safari.

Been using Opera since version 3, a long time ago when Netscape still existed and when it had features Firefox wouldn't rip off until five years after it was invented. But, it had its buggy versions and is now suffering from the bloating all browsers seem to get when they age. I guess I'm still using it because it's been so long now and there's nothing out there really any better.

It's easy to trash Microsoft, but when I get a Windows 7 box, I suspect I'll find out the newest Exploder will be a damn good browser.

[Tesha]

16. What Plugins do you install besides Adobe POS Reader, QuickTime, and (maybe) FireBug?

Well, maybe Adobe POS Flash, but even that one is dispensible
and eliminating Flash from your browser *GREATLY* improves
your browser's stability.

Tesha

[TreasonousBastard]

21. There was a bunch of stuff from popup controllers to special editors that I...

stuck into Firefox, but it all got too confusing and I hardly use it at all any more.

With Opera I have Flash, java, Foxit reader (yeah-- Adobe's blows) and the usual media stuff. Everything else I need is built in, even RSS and bittorent.

[Tesha]

24. Thanks! (NT)

[deaniac21]

47. You speak the truth.

[Upton]

14. I use Firefox as my default browser

on all my computers. And I prefer Opera to Chrome. IE is a buggy piece of garbage.

[KamaAina]

17. Firefox at home

for whatever reason, the rather knowledgeable IT guy here is sticking with Exploder. Maybe he just doesn't want the hassle of switching.

[DearAbby]

18. Half and Half

Firefox on two, and Opera on the other two (much older machines).

[Jazzgirl]

19. I only use IE when I absolutely have no choice.

When I access my workplace intranet they allow you to use Firefox but pages don't render correctly. That is the ONLY time I use IE. Otherwise.....yech!

[HuckleB]

20. Wow! I didn't know anyone used it anymore.

[frogmarch]

22. Google Chrome!

I like it a lot. :thumbsup:

Internet Explorer was okay at first, I thought, but it went downhill after that.

[Odin2005]

35. So you like Google data-mining your computer?

[ShamelessHussy]

26. I guess that is why they have invested so much in following standards with IE9 - HTML5/CSS3

I wonder if my CSS3 button maker will work in IE 9?
http://dvia.com/buttonMaker

if it does, it's been a looong time coming, but better late than never, i guess.

:hi:

[frylock]

27. IE8 user and tech professional checking in here..

just wanted to go on the record.

[Nye Bevan]

28. IE does not allow me to place my Google Toolbar under my Links Toolbar.

Why not? Did the fact that people might want to do this not occur to anyone of the thousands of people in the Microsoft IE development team? I guess not.

And another thing: when you save your links/favorites to copy to a different computer, they appear on the Links bar in alphabetical order after being imported, not the order you originally had them in. Yep, Microsoft sucks.

[frylock]

44. why do you need google toolbar?

ie8 has a search feature built-in that you can configure to use google. can't help you on the bookmark front. i always right-click and sort by name when adding a new bookmark. having them in alphabetical order makes it easier for me to find them.

[Nye Bevan]

46. I like Wikipedia in the built-in search. So I have immediate access both to Google and Wikipedia.

And I am talking about the links toolbar, where I like to base the links location on category (e.g. weather, news, finance, etc.) rather than alphabetically.

[frylock]

58. got it

[Canuckistanian]

29. Internet WHAT?

Internet Explorer, you say?

I have some vague memories of something by that name.

Whatever happened to it?

[KansasVoter]

30. Microsoft has made me a crap load of money for 25 years! So I love everything about them!

[Terra Alta]

31. I haven't used IE in years.

Used Firefox for a long time(and still do sometimes) but now I'm really liking Google Chrome.

[live love laugh]

33. I switched from Mozilla to Safari and it's great. nt

[Odin2005]

34. WOOT! Fuck Internet EXPLODER!!!

[Metric System]

37. I switched to Firefox a few years ago and now I only use IE for the Automatic Updates. I also have

Chrome but I don't use it much. Firefox for the win!

[laundry_queen]

38. I used to be a hardcore netscape user.

You know. Back in the 90's. Then I got a new computer that had IE on it and I couldn't get netscape to work on that new computer. After I had my freak out, I resigned to using IE. Since I am a creature of habit, I've been using it ever since. I have had brief experiences with other browsers, but IE is what I'm used to and I hate change. I have been using Safari a bit here and there since I have it on my Ipod and itunes installed it on my computer as well, but still mostly use IE. And now that I'm in school, all the internet labs I have to complete ONLY work on IE. My daughter, however, loves firefox. I may try it. Someday. :yoiks:

[Swamp Rat]

39. I hate IE, and haven't used it at home for about a decade.

I have had to use it at school on very rare occasions, or in Internet cafes while abroad.

It's Firefox and Safari for me. :)

[Suji to Seoul]

40. Mozilla is amazing. IE can suck a fat one

[Vehl]

53. Yep! Firefox all the way nt

[JCMach1]

41. Can I just say for the record, the latest Firefox sucks wind!

Have been switching more and more to Google Chrome. I tried it when it first came out and hated it. However, the latest versions (including the Linux one) are pretty good.

[Recursion]

52. I can't stand Chrome

For several reasons, too tedious to list. I'm pretty much always on UZBL when I'm in X11 now.

www.uzbl.org

[Mudoria]

42. Use IE 8 every day...

I wasn't that impressed with Firefox or Safari.

[Nye Bevan]

45. OK. What does IE8 do that Firefox doesn't? (other than crash)

[HopeHoops]

43. Firefox is on all of the machines here except for the Mac, which has Safari.

IE is just "clutter" like the other shit they put on the desktop when you get a new machine. I have no use for it.

[uncommon]

48. Good it sucks. Chrome is the shiz.

I liked Firefox but it was slower than Chrome.

[HughMoran]

49. Good

they haven't kept up with the times.

[Marr]

54. That's because it's a piece of garbage. The web developers I know like to

discuss forming a kind of organized boycott of the browser, and simply not making content that supports it anymore. I mean actively sniff it out and return a "no internet explorer" message if the user is on Explorer.

They dream. They're the dreamer type.

[MattBaggins]

55. I'm old school... nothing wil ever replace lynx

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

57. Lynx, feh. I use "telnet www.hostname.com 80"!

[Drunken Irishman]

56. I haven't used IE since...2005?

[smiley]

59. I won't be happy until IE is wiped from the earth

Try designing a website that works with all browsers and you'll quickly find that IE is the bane of you existence.