Forum Moderators: phranque
OR Katherine Sandlin, a barrage of pop-up ads was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back - in this case, her reliance on Microsoft's Internet Explorer...
Very interesting read. I wonder if it's time for the browser migration to begin again?
-kpaul
As long as MS owns the desktop, MS will own the browser market.
Consider for a moment, perhaps the future for Google will be browsers. Not saying it's going to happen, but who can predict what the future holds. I'll bet Microsoft has already taken enough of a hit on their browser share to notice. If Longhorn falls flat (not likely, mind you) the future of browsers could open up considerably - likewise if they can't produce a product that people like using. Folks are going to tire of constant updates and security threats, and that only makes things like popups/unders/overs/tarts even more irritating.
I switched, anything is possible :)
She kept getting pop-ups, so she bought Norton Internet Security.
She never considered switching browsers, and I doubt she ever would.
A few companies are switching to alternative browsers in the work place due to the security concerns with IE. While Joe and Jane wouldn't switch on their own, at work they are forced to and are exposed to alternative browsers through that.
The next time they have problems at home, they may think about switching because they are already use to it at work.
Pop-up blocking and tabbed browsing are my two best arguments. Security is third, and for a good number of people over 50, Firefox's ability to override font sizes (even when a designer specified fixed size fonts) is a wonderful feature.
MS owns the desktop, but they don't have geek mindshare. MS is also pissing off some respected corporations, like Google and anti-virus vendors, trying to compete against them. McAfee could go the way of Netscape if MS bundles their anti-virus. Obviously, it would be in their interest to fight back, attacking IE for being insecure. To secure its market share in search, Google could also promote Firefox when it hits 1.0.
Mozilla is more than just a browser. XUL and XForms, should they ever become widely used in corporate applications, could make switching back to IE difficult. MS avoided making IE a development platform, because this would threaten the need for their OS- if you can deliver over the web, what's to prevent you from using Mac OSX?.
MS is just now reconstituting its IE team after being dormant for 2 years. The next version will have to be released before Longhorn, a mega-project that could take several more years to release, and several more to be widely adopted. Check out the Google Zeitgeist: Windows XP is now at 51% of operating systems. There are still people using Win95, and 16% of the installed base is using Win98, 18% on Win2k.
Pop-ups alone won't provoke a mass-migration... SP2 should take care of that. But I'm not writing off Mozilla/Firefox quite yet.
Tech Support: "Okay, open up your browser now."
Customer: "You mean get on the Internet?"
A friend of mine, highly intelligent, skilled and well-respected in an industry that doesn't require computer skills, recently bought a new computer. I went to set it up for him and was able to persuade him to use FireFox for his browser - after I answered one question:
"Do Internet Explorer and FireFox use the same Internet?"
So thanks, Microsoft, for making "the Internet" and "Internet Explorer" synonymous in most people's minds. In other words, popups, spyware, security, tabs, etc., none of that will get the masses to change to a different browser. The only thing that can achieve that change is for deliberate and massive promotion by webmasters and "tech gurus."
If "my neighbor who knows all about this computer stuff" recommends a different browser, people will begin to use it and, in turn, many will recommend their new browser to their friends. More widespread use of broadband will also help this process due to easier and quicker downloads.
