Firefox passes Internet Explorer to become first in Europe

[Emil]

Mozilla's Firefox has overtaken Microsoft's Internet Explorer to become the most popular browser in Europe, according to web analytics firm StatCounter. This is the first time Microsoft's browser has lost its top spot in a major market.

In December 2010, Firefox grabbed 38.11 percent market share in Europe, while Internet Explorer's share slipped to 37.52 percent. Google Chrome took third place as its share rose to 14.58 percent. The aggregate data collected by StatCounter is from a sample exceeding 15 billion page views per month collected from more than 3 million websites.

"This appears to be happening because Google's Chrome is stealing share from Internet Explorer while Firefox is mainly maintaining its existing share," Aodhan Cullen, StatCounter chief executive, said in a statement. "We are probably seeing the impact of the agreement between European Commission competition authorities and Microsoft, to offer EU users a choice and menu of browsers from March last year."

In December 2009, European Union regulators and Microsoft ended a long antitrust dispute over how Windows lets consumers get rival browsers. In March 2010, Microsoft began offering Europeans the option to choose from among 12 browsers on more than 100 million old and new Windows PCs via a browser ballot. Since then, IE has lost share, and while some say this is due to the browser ballot, we would disagree given that IE has been losing share worldwide, not just in Europe.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/41815-firefox-passes-internet-explorer-to-become-first-in-europe.html

 

[Benny26]

Good for Firefox eh. I'll bet it's not long before Chrome comes into the fray.

 

[madboyv1]

While Internet Explorer's slow but steady decline was obvious years ago especially when Firefox 2 came out, even today I think that the required browser ballot is unfair to Microsoft (GASP, how could anyone say that!!!! lol). User's have ALWAYS had a choice to what browser they used on Windows, and with online advertising for both Chrome and Firefox often by website owners, the availability of the more popular alternatives to Internet Explorer is far higher than it has ever been. Having the ballot is almost* like being at car dealership with one brand of car, and then making them show people who come to that dealership alternative brands that they do not sell.

*almost, as one brand of car does not usually dominate a market like Microsoft does in the OS market.

 

[SSaywell]

I live in the UK, Europe and personally I hate the EU, one they take loads of money from our country and don't give anything back 2)They do stupid things like fineing MS for putting IE on the OS. I dunno about the rest of you but when I buy an OS I expect a broswer to come with it and I don't see Apple getting fined for putting Safari on there OS, but thats the EU all over, *#!@*!$@#

 

[madboyv1]

Glad to actually see someone from Europe sharing one of my views on the EU regulator board. =)

Technically, the OS does come with a browser, it just does not immediately install it by default, opting to let users choose their main browser first.

 

[Archean]

Well done to FF, it has been a much better browser in the last few years. Now to the ballot, aren't we are living in countries run by authoritarian (& Orwellian) governments ? Who want to control everything and anything, and EU is just an extension in this regard. Anyway, my question is will the dumb regulators over at EU will force other OSes to have a browser ballot as well, so at least to give a perception of 'fairness' to all this farce they've created?

 

[princeton]

I love firefox. Chrome may be gaining, but for people who use stuff like tree style tabs and greasemonkey, firefox is king.

 

[Emil]

princeton said:
I love firefox. Chrome may be gaining, but for people who use stuff like tree style tabs and greasemonkey, firefox is king.

http://www.mychromeaddons.com/chrome-addon-greasemetal-greasemonkey-for-chrome/

 

[princeton]

Emil said:

princeton said:
I love firefox. Chrome may be gaining, but for people who use stuff like tree style tabs and greasemonkey, firefox is king.

http://www.mychromeaddons.com/chrome-addon-greasemetal-greasemonkey-for-chrome/

Give me tree style tabs and firefox goes out the window

 

[mosu]

I like Firefox and Chrome in that order and I use both of them, but given the improvements in Windows 7 I'm tempted to use IE 9 as well. On mobile I use Opera and sometimes ago I used Safari.So what about statistics?

 

[mosu]

SSaywell said:
I live in the UK, Europe and personally I hate the EU, one they take loads of money from our country and don't give anything back 2)They do stupid things like fineing MS for putting IE on the OS. I dunno about the rest of you but when I buy an OS I expect a broswer to come with it and I don't see Apple getting fined for putting Safari on there OS, but thats the EU all over, *#!@*!$@#

My friend, your country is a net receiver of funds from EU, please check statistics. But of course you're free to hate EU, so do I.regards

 

[lawfer]

Emil said:

princeton said:
I love firefox. Chrome may be gaining, but for people who use stuff like tree style tabs and greasemonkey, firefox is king.

http://www.mychromeaddons.com/chrome-addon-greasemetal-greasemonkey-for-chrome/

No. Use this one instead: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dhdgffkkebhmkfjojejmpbldmpobfkfo

Greasemetal is buggy, and practically non-functional; use the one I put above. Firefox's Greasemonkey is still superior though.

 

[Guest]

id so like to like FF..but i don't

my mates tell me its great,fast stable and unbloated....then fill it with loads of junky addons

 

[hitech0101]

Firefox is great.I stopped using IE years back.Keep it up FF.

 

[3DCGMODELER]

I wish I could use fire fox....
I Install it and My Explorer looses all the icons and folder options toolbar ..

So I uninstall it an go back to Google Chrome..

 

[Guest]

And, given a free choice, Aiy-eee is not the popular selection.
Clueness?

 

[captaincranky]

While Internet Explorer's slow but steady decline was obvious years ago especially when Firefox 2 came out, even today I think that the required browser ballot is unfair to Microsoft (GASP, how could anyone say that!!!! lol). User's have ALWAYS had a choice to what browser they used on Windows, and with online advertising for both Chrome and Firefox often by website owners

Nope. I agree with you completely....! The personal computer, its operator, and the internet are now one. That's the zen of it. That said, any operating system couldn't be considered complete with the inclusion of a web browser. M$ gives you a M$ browser. I'm unsure how that came to be considered draconian. Apple gives you Safari, not IE, and so it goes. Linux gives you FF, Linux is free, I suppose that there are those among us that could construe that to be, "stifling competition".

If you don't want IE, don't use it. I don't.

 

[Guest]

We all know that England is America's dog. Hating EU is no surprise. As to the IE, you have to differentiate between OS and application programs. I think EU is right to ban IE because customers should not be forced to buy IE when they buy OS.