HitChrome

A new study shows that the Firefox web browser has increased its share and is now having 20% percent of the browser market. This leaves Internet Explorer with only 69 percent. The study collected data from users worldwide and it shows that browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are not niche products anymore.

The data was collected by the web statistics company Net Applications and showed that Firefox reached 20.78 percent share in November 2008. What is more important, though, is that Microsoft Internet Explorer, the long-time favorite browser for many users, has fallen beneath 70 percent barrier for the first time.

John Lilly, chief executive at Mozilla, stated that the new report, which depicted Firefox as being the second most favorite web browser worldwide, represents a “milestone” both for Mozilla and for Firefox. He added that the huge community of developers boosted the browser’s popularity, as it offers a wide range of applications and plug-ins. This way, users can customize the browser the way they like it to.

In the meantime, Google managed to deliver its Chrome web browser to about 1 percent of the internet users. While it may not mean too much, things are expected to go better for Chrome. That is because the browser is now marketed as a full-release product and we should see some OEMs bundling it to their computers in 2009 and hence, increasing Chrome’s popularity among users.

Firefox’s extensibility is the primary reason why I have stuck with it. The browser extensions I’ve installed do what I want and significantly improve my Internet experience. The folks at Mozilla are playing to that strength with a new browser customization Web site called “Fashion Your Firefox.”

The site simplifies Firefox add-on discovery by having users select from a menu of nine categories that are geared toward various browsing scenarios such as “Shutterbug” for photo aficionados and “Rock Star” for music lovers. Users simply check the box next to add-ons that interest them, and install them as a batch.

For Firefox, add-ons are a good hedge against a reinvigorated Microsoft Internet Explorer and new competition from Google Chome. (I was tempted to switch to Google’s Chrome browser to get a good feel for it, but found myself missing my add-ons.)

Microsoft has revamped its own add-on Web site to coincide with the launch of IE 8, but I do not know anyone that uses IE for its add-ons. Google also supports some add-ons, but like Microsoft, it lacks the depth of choices that Firefox has to offer.

The Mozilla Foundation is wise to showcase its add-ons to differentiate Firefox. In doing so, it also keeps its base of developers happy and firmly in its camp.