Question: is Internet Explorer the world’s most popular browser?

Let’s look at the stats for the major players (correct at January 2010)…

(EDIT: no doubt these stats will be completely inaccurate by now, particularly given the massive security flaw in IE that allowed Google email accounts to be spied on by Chinese hackers, and the subsequent warning from the German Government that people should find an alternative browser to use)

62.69% – Internet Explorer
24.61% – Firefox
4.63% – Chrome
4.46% – Safari
2.40% – Opera

Internet Explorer still has a considerable lead in the market share (although this is steadily decreasing), but this is simply because the PC buying public are force-fed the IE browser as it comes built into their Windows installation. So, Internet Explorer is certainly the most used browser, but I wouldn’t say it was the most popular, particularly when you consider that Firefox is not shipped with major operating systems (it is usually the default browser in most Linux distributions, but Linux as an OS only has 1.02% of the world market). So, in order to be using Firefox, the user has to have actively voted with their feet and installed the Firefox browser, rather than use the default browser forced upon them by Microsoft. In my opinion, this makes Firefox the most popular browser, if not the most used. I don’t think you can call something “popular” if it’s something that’s foisted upon people – people who probably don’t realise there’s an alternative.

Some might call this semantics, but for me it’s about getting to the core of the issue. Serious computer users, and anyone with any sense or IT knowledge, will most likely not be using Internet Explorer.

IE as a browser is the worst of the five listed above. Microsoft resolutely refuse to abide by standards set by W3C and others. When W3C compliant code doesn’t work as expected in Internet Explorer, the Microsoft support stance is that their browser is flawless and it is the developer who is at fault. This means that web developers everywhere are having to develop code twice: once to standards, and then a second time to adapt it for Microsoft’s flaws. Microsoft’s arrogance beggars belief! It’s equivalent to buying a car that doesn’t support highway standards, then when you complain to the company involved that your car doesn’t work with the road network in your country, they just turn around and say “change the road network to suit our car”. What a joke!

Worse still, IE is the principal reason for many of the viruses and trojans that plague Windows users (but not Mac or Linux users). Do a Windows update and you will notice that it runs through Internet Explorer. This means that it is possible for a remote computer to access your files and setup details, and update those files and configurations via your web browser! Microsoft may occasionally patch and secure it, but this is a totally flawed mechanism that will always have vulnerabilities no matter what they do.

If most Windows users were told the truth about Internet Explorer, I think the market share data above would be very different. If you are currently using Internet Explorer, I strongly suggest you try Firefox, Chrome or Safari – they’re all free, faster than IE, standards compliant, feature rich and more secure than Internet Explorer.

Microsoft is losing it’s global dominance, albeit very slowly. Apple are selling more computers than ever – in fact every quarter they post record sales of Apple desktops and laptops. Linux has also properly arrived in the mainstream – the latest version of Ubuntu is exceptional. Consumers are getting more savvy and will start to demand better. Why should you have to put up with a virus-riddled, unreliable dog of an operating system when the competition is more secure, more stable, faster and cheaper?

Beats me why anyone would choose to use IE or Windows. My business partner swears by a PC with Windows… well actually, he swears at his PC with windows. A lot. There is continual talk of “rebuilds” (re-installation of Windows and wiping of the hard disk), whereas my three and a half year old Apple MacBook Pro is still going strong despite never being re-installed, and never having any anti-virus software whatsoever installed. It’s a no brainer.