Browser Wars Part II

The upcoming release of the latest edition of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser will contain a search box that in some cases defaults to the MSN search engine. A feature already there in some rival browsers such as Firefox or Apple's Safari. The box allows users to enter search terms without first going to the trouble of entering the Web address for a search engine. Google sees this as Microsoft's attempt to shift as many users as possible to its own MSN search engine.
Now, Google has unveiled a new plan to promote the open-source Firefox browser, starting off a new phase in the browser wars with Microsoft. The new offers from the Internet search giant enable websites to run small ads promoting Firefox and gain a referral fee of $1 for every downloaded version of Firefox that has a Google toolbar. The open source browser has steadily been gnawing away at the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer since 2004. From a market share high of 95 percent, Internet Explorer is now down to 85 percent, as web surfers discover the delights of Firefox, which offers better security and many powerful features. On the other front, it is trying to use the people power by throwing considerable weight behind the fast-growing alternative to Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, which has about 11 percent market share. As the Google's latest salvo escalates the browser war between Microsoft's IE and Firefox, here's a feature comparison of Internet Explorer 6 and Mozilla Firefox. Firefox does not reinvent the browser, but it does provide technical enhancements that make Web browsing faster, safer, and easier. Like Internet Explorer, Firefox includes built-in controls to block pop-ups. One major interface difference is Firefox's tabbed browsing feature, which lets you open several Web pages within a single browser window. Quickly move among pages by clicking the tabs at the top of the window. Compare that to IE, in which you must open several instances of the Microsoft browser, each requiring system resources. So viewing multiple Internet pages in IE can tax your computer, while tabbing through multiple pages within Firefox will not. Tabbed browsing is also available in the Apple Safari and Opera browsers, but not in Internet Explorer. Another feature is a built-in RSS reader. Firefox delivers automated updates of news or blog content from sites that a user subscribes to in advance. Mozilla calls these RSS feeds Live Bookmarks because the content is dynamic. Firefox is regarded more secure than Internet Explorer, in part because most criminal hackers look for holes in the industry leader. But there are also several structural differences that make Firefox an inherently more secure browser. First, Firefox doesn't support VB Script and ActiveX Controls, which are often the source of attacks and vulnerabilities within IE. Unfortunately, the lack of ActiveX support also affects the performance of some Web sites. Another difference noted is in how Firefox handles secure Web sites, such as e-commerce or online banking sites. When visiting a secure site, Firefox highlights the address bar's URL in yellow and shows the Lock icon. If the user clicks the Lock icon, he can view the site's security information. The domain name of the site is also listed in the right-hand corner of secure windows, so one gets to know the true source of every page. Though FireFox doesn't boast of as many Plug-ins as IE, the Firefox plug-ins, called extensions, are much more varied in nature. For example, Chatzilla is an IRC chat client, Adblock blocks flash advertising from Web sites, and Mouse Gestures lets you navigate using simple mouse movements.