Why Firefox Now?

Why now? Why is Firefox becoming a serious contender to Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

When I first was introduced to Firefox, my thought was, "Great, another warmed-over copy of Netscape." I was happy with my browser and thought it was great. Then, slowly, things happened. Friends started to ask me, "Have you tried Firefox yet?" This was usually followed up with a comment that, once I tried it, I'd never be happy with that other browser again. I'll admit it took a lot of pushing. But when two people who never liked Netscape either suggested I try it, I knew something special was happening.

I have to be fair to everyone. Firefox is not 100% perfect. (Neither is Internet Explorer, for that matter.) It has bugs, quirks, and strange behaviors that take a bit of getting used to. But once you are started with Firefox, there is no turning back.

Will Firefox ever dominate the browser market? Truthfully, Firefox probably will not end up with 100% of the market. Internet Explorer's too entrenched, too established, and too well backed financially to fall to the wayside. But, Firefox's market share is growing at a rate that is impressive.

Today, it is estimated that there have been about 100 million downloads of Firefox. That means Firefox has more than 10% of the worldwide browser market share. As more and more people try (and accept) Firefox, the growth potential is enormous. I would not be surprised to see Firefox's share double within the next year or two. Only time will tell….