Browser Security News

At first, Blake Ross says Mozilla’s Firefox isn’t really in a battle with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, even though a major new version of each browser is coming out this month. The Firefox co-creator is half right: Firefox spreads by word of mouth, not IT dictate, and it’s backed by a nonprofit instead of the world’s largest software company. Time to play nice?

On second thought, the 21-year-old Ross lets the fighting words fly. "Firefox brought Microsoft back to the table, but they make no guarantees how long they’ll stick around," he says. "I can’t imagine why any individual–let alone an IT department–would bet on a company with a proven track record of gross abandonment."

Time to go another few rounds. Five long years after the release of Internet Explorer 6–which provided the final knockout punch to one-time champ Netscape–Microsoft is about to release a major upgrade to IE. New features such as tabbed browsing and integrated search mimic those already in Firefox, causing some observers, Ross among them, to describe IE7 as a "catch-up" release. Mozilla’s not standing still –Firefox 2.0 will be released within days of IE7. IE7 vs. Firefox 2.0: Why This Browser Battle Matters To Businesses - News by InformationWeek