Web browser war leads to more choice, confusion

What is the most important piece of software to access internet? Without doubt, it's the web browser. It's not just because we need it to access almost every kind of information and service on the web, but also because it's one big battleground between developing companies. The irony is web browsers are free. So why all this fuss?

Last week the European Commission welcomed the implementation by Microsoft of its commitment to give consumers in the European Union the opportunity to choose from a variety of browsers to access and surf the internet. From the beginning of March, users of Windows PCs who have Microsoft's Internet Explorer as default web browser are being provided with the so-called "browser choice screen", designed to give them an effective and unbiased choice between their default and competing web browsers.

The Commission said this should ensure fair competition and allow consumers to benefit from technical developments and innovation both on the web browser market and on related markets, such as web-based applications.

This move by Microsoft is just one action to address the Commission's concerns over Microsoft's dominance of the PC operating system market through its Windows software. Windows is installed in around 90 per cent of home and office computers, and the fact that the Internet Explorer web browser comes as part of Windows attracted complaints from rival web browser developers.

Specifically, Microsoft committed to make available the "choice screen" for five years in the European Economic Area, enabling users of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 to choose in an informed and unbiased manner which web browser(s) they want to install in addition to, or instead of, Microsoft's web browser. The choice screen is available at www.browserchoice.eu.

In addition to Microsoft's web browser, users will have the opportunity to choose between 11 additional web browsers, namely Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera which will be prominently displayed alongside Internet Explorer, and Avant Browser, Flock, Green Browser, K-Meleon, Maxthon, Sleipnir and Slim Browser which will be displayed if the user scrolls sideways.

Reports from web browser developers already indicate there has been a positive response from users to this choice.

Opera Software said last week it had seen a surge in downloads of its browser after Microsoft started making it easier for Europeans to choose smaller rivals' browsers. Opera downloads have more than tripled in major European countries, such as Belgium, France, Spain, Poland and the UK, the company said. This coincided with the launch of a new version of Opera browser, version 10.5.

The choice screen only shows five browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, IE8 and Opera) and users have to scroll horizontally to the right to see the other seven. Small browser developers have already expressed their dismay, insisting users might not immediately notice there are more than five options.

Being the most important software to access content on the web, the browser has seen many a war being fought to obtain dominance of the market.

He who controls the browser can have a say over how the contents are displayed and even influence the development of content, especially if the current trend of having your personal documents and even software application in the "cloud" and not stored on your computers continues to develop. The first browser war was between Microsoft and Netscape, the first truly popular browser in the mid-1990s. Microsoft pushed the war to the bitter end, but it was a Pyrrhic victory for Bill Gates. With Netscape out of the scene, Microsoft got too complacent with its dominance in the early Noughties and for years internet users got stuck with IE6 and no real choice. IE was used by some 95 per cent of internet users in 2002.

That was until Mozilla come out with Firefox. Actually Netscape founded Mozilla before it lost the first browser war with Microsoft. The seeds of the counter-attack had been sown and Firefox slowly but surely started eating back market share from Internet Explorer, which got stuck with version 6 until 2006.

Firefox brought tabs, plug-ins, add-ons and customisation. IE6 looked fossilised in contrast. Apple decided to come up with its own browser, Safari, in 2003 and eventually made a version for Windows too. Opera had been launched in 1996 and remained a little-known but robust browser. Google launched its Chrome in 2008 and this too garnered good ratings and popularity at a steady pace.

Meanwhile, Microsoft was very slow to react to the onslaught. The share of internet users preferring IE slumped from 95 per cent in 2002 to just 62 per cent in the last few days according to Net Applications. Firefox holds a 24-point share, Chrome 6, Safari 4 and Opera just 2.

Microsoft only woke up in 2007 with IE7, but by then Firefox was riding the wave and Google was already starting to position itself as direct competitor to Microsoft's dominance in the computer world. Indeed, though Opera initiated the case that led to the European Commission imposing a choice to EU citizens, Google had entered the dispute as an interested third party.

Microsoft's new IE7 had browser tabs like Firefox and more security features, which were further enhanced in IE8. However, this did not stem the increasing number of attacks on Microsoft's browser that continued to be the preferred target. On the other hand, Firefox, the child of open source and free spirit, was untouched.

Despite all efforts, IE8 continued to be the target of hackers and more vulnerabilities were being exposed, so much so that last January some European governments, including France and Germany, urged their employees to stop using IE altogether and switch to another browser until particular vulnerabilities were patched.

Developments in the web browser field are continuous. Microsoft is urging users of IE to switch from version 6 to version 8 as it is more secure. IE6 is still used by users who are not so savvy about computers. However, all internet users should keep an eye on new versions of their browser(s) and update as necessary to avoid the security risks.

Opera has announced it will launch a version for iPhone, the first competition to iPhone's in-built Safari. Google continues to see its Chrome rise in market share as it prepares to launch its very own Chrome operating system, an alternative to Microsoft's Windows.

The browser war is set to continue and the users are in for some surprises. Unfortunately those are not aware of the choice available could end up as collateral damage.