Remember the beating Internet Explorer gave Netscape? All but chased ‘em right out of the browser business. Microsoft’s weapons of choice: Free and bundled.

In retrospect, those weapons bit Microsoft on the backside, triggering US & EU anti-trust investigations, which in turn, have led to non-stop government diddling by countries large and small.

Meanwhile, Netscape responded by spinning off its skunkworks, Mozilla, which then released Firefox, a free browser bristling with anti-IE armament: Addictive multi-tabbing, unlimited extendability (with vibrant community support), and a huge security advantage, best summed up by, “Exploits that work on IE probably won’t work on Firefox.”

[Internet Explorer Succumbs To a Horde of Competitors: 2004 vs 2005]

Mozilla makes the fact that Firefox is not bundled with Microsoft Windows a giant selling tool, pointing out that its lack of integration with Windows “helps prevent viruses and hackers from causing damage if they somehow manage to compromise Firefox.”

In addition, they note:

  • There is no support for VBScript and ActiveX, two technologies which are the reasons for many IE security holes.
  • No spyware/adware software can automatically install in Firefox just by a user’s visit to a web site.
  • Firefox doesn’t use Microsoft’s Java VM, which has a history of more flaws than other Java VMs.
  • You have complete control over cookies.

World Wide Web watchers like Janco and WebSideStory thrill over Firefox gains in browser share, reporting that it’s actually clawed its way to as much as 12% of the market in 2005. However, that birds-eye view belies a much more fundamental change taking place.

In December 2004, 76% of Email Battles visitors used Internet Explorer. By December 2005, just 51.7% were viewing with IE. Over 37% browsed with Firefox (see chart above), a product that we simply trapped as a Netscape compatible in 2004.

As Email Battles readers tend toward stability-centric network management, as opposed to wild-eyed optimistic early adopters, these figures are telling. They like security, especially when it comes with enhanced functionality. And once they’ve vetted new software on their personal systems, they blow it out to their users. Hence, the momentum at the center of SMB networking is moving away from IE.

If you’re Microsoft, it’s almost insidious. Once network managers get it in their heads that security is best served by almost any non-Microsoft browser, it’ll cost a fortune to de-program them without triggering more government intervention.

For whatever reason, the Internet Explorer team has crashed on its laurels. While we’re tempted to say this is ground they can’t win back, that would be dumb. Instead, Microsoft must ask itself:

  1. Do we want to write the checks necessary to beat back this growing horde of free browsers;
  2. How much would a new attack on free browsers cost us in legal fees and sour government relations?

In other words, it boils down to how bad Redmond wants it. We’ll all know in 2006.

Background (updated 3 January 2006):