Firefox faces a problem

I love Mozilla Firefox – as a browser, it’s been the acceptable face of anti-Microsoft over the past few years and took over the mantle from Netscape.
In fact, it’s so good that it forced Microsoft to get off their rear end and make Internet Explorer 7, a massive improvement from previous incarnations.

So, it’s some surprise to discover that only 25% of users who download the browser continue to use it.

And now Mozilla faces its biggest test. Can they manage to keep numbers up and keep challenging Microsoft? With all the power that Bill Gates’ organisation has, it’s always been tough for anyone to take on the giant.

Personally, I use anything as long as it’s not Microsoft – and for the very same reason, I adore Macs (OK, the design and coolness helps), because it’s not a PC and doesn’t totally rely on Microsoft products.

The shame of it is, Mozilla is always going to be fighting an uphill battle. My girlfriend, who is an intelligent journalist and not a technophobe, just thinks I’m weird for using it, for no other reason that the name sucks.

Its big plus over IE – tabbed browsing – has now vanished with the introduction of IE7, so it needs to come up with some new ways to increase its market share. Perhaps they need to promote their Facebook group a bit more – it only has 20,000 members at the moment!

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