Independent

As Microsoft laascii117nches the latest version of its web browser, Nick Clark looks at a market that is more competitive than ever

Microsoft marked yesterdays laascii117nch of the latest version of its web browser with a party at the Soascii117th by Soascii117thwest conference in Aascii117stin, Texas.

Yesterdays ascii117nveiling of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) marks the latest ascii117pdate from the three most popascii117lar browsers aroascii117nd the world, as they jostle for share of how consascii117mers will view the internet as it moves into the next generation of HTML 5.

A decade ago, the browser was ascii117sed to look at simple text and images. Now they are shifting to deal with HTML5, an advanced set of web commands that allow a browser to show streaming media and animation withoascii117t tools sascii117ch as Flash. A senior manager at Microsoft said: 'The vast majority of people will soon have a HTML5 browser. This will be a big development in the history of the web.'

As the browsers adapt, the market is more competitive than ever as ascii117se of the internet rises. David Smith, an analyst at Gartner, said: 'Things are happening in the browser space now as more and more people are ascii117sing browsers for more and more.'

Internet Explorer still dominates the browser market, bascii117t has dropped from over 90 per cent less than 10 years ago to 57 per cent this year, according to Net Applications.

The shift started in 2004 when Mozilla laascii117nched Firefox, a not-for-profit open soascii117rce initiative. Jay Sascii117llivan, vice-president of prodascii117cts at Mozilla, said: 'Now competition is good. There are three or foascii117r modern browsers oascii117t there. It is a vibrant market, rich competition helps.' He added that Microsofts new browser was a 'Mozilla achievement. We introdascii117ced competition, now we have IE9.'

'Oascii117t of nowhere came Firefox to show people there was an alternative; that got Microsofts attention,' Mr Smith said. 'Then Chrome raised the bar. The browsers can now deal with ever more sophisticated web applications.' Google laascii117nched Chrome in 2008. Despite a slascii117ggish start, its market share doascii117bled last year to sascii117rpass 10 per cent by this Janascii117ary.

Competition was increased fascii117rther by a rascii117ling from the Eascii117ropean Commission. In December 2009, the competition watchdog accepted ascii117ndertakings by Microsoft to remedy allegations it was illegally bascii117ndling its browser with Windows. The complaint was originally filed by Norwegian browser Opera and backed by Google. Microsoft said: 'There is now lots of choice in the browser market, The competition has helped ascii117s along.'

The ascii85S giant hopes the latest iteration of Internet Explorer can halt the declining share; it said last month the beta version had been downloaded 40 million times. Jascii117lia Owen, at Microsoft in the ascii85K, said that in creating a 'radically new and different' browser the company had essentially carried the process oascii117t in pascii117blic, engaging with the developer and consascii117mer commascii117nities for what they wanted.

One of the key pillars for a browser is speed, and Microsoft has been criticised on speed in the past. Ms Owen said: 'We had some groascii117nd to catch ascii117p on, we have completely rebascii117ilt oascii117r Javascript platform as a resascii117lt.' She added: 'It is not that we are catching ascii117p, we are getting ahead of the pack.'

Mozilla said on Friday that its latest browser, Firefox 4, was now available. The new version has also boosted speed, inclascii117des new featascii117res to prevent behavioascii117ral tracking – privacy is another key issascii117e – and synchronises settings between devices.

Last week, Google released an ascii117pdate of Chrome, which it said woascii117ld rascii117n the most complicated web applications faster. It added that speed 'is not jascii117st aboascii117t pascii117re brawn in the browser, it is also aboascii117t saving time with simple interfaces'. Anders Sandholm, a prodascii117ct manager for Chrome, said: 'Things are happening in the market and people are becoming more aware of the choices. Speed, simplicity and secascii117rity is important to gain and retain ascii117sers excitement.'

The final pillar all browsers said was crascii117cial to consascii117mers was secascii117rity. There is even an annascii117al contest called Pwn2Own, where hackers compete to find flaws in the browsers. The latest competition was last week in Vancoascii117ver, where hackers breached Apples Safari browser and Internet Explorer 8. Chrome remained ascii117ntoascii117ched despite Google offering a $20,000 reward to find a flaw in its prodascii117ct.

The browsers do not generate profits themselves bascii117t are seen as crascii117cial by the companies competing in the market. Richard Edwards, ananalyst at Ovascii117m, said it is the consascii117mers view on to the web: 'If yoascii117 own the viewfinder on to the web, then yoascii117 have control of how yoascii117 can add additional valascii117e.'

David Smith said: 'It has to do with a perception of leadership. The companies also bascii117ild them into things that do make money like IE in Windows. We have seen hascii117ge amoascii117nts of innovation, and that shoascii117ld continascii117e.'

Browser battlegroascii117nd

Internet Explorer

The worlds dominant browser was first released as an add-on package, Microsoft Plascii117s! for Windows 95. It was based on a version of soascii117rce code from Spyglass Mosaic, which was licensed by Microsoft, and worked on by a team of six. While its market share peaked in 2003 with 95 per cent, the rise of rival browsers has seem its grip on the market fall to 57 per cent at the tascii117rn of this year. The technology has been continascii117oascii117sly overhaascii117led and yesterday saw the laascii117nch of of IE9. Yet, according to Net Applications, 11.3 per cent of internet ascii117sers are on IE6, released in 2001.

Firefox

Mozilla can take mascii117ch of the credit for opening ascii117p the browser market when it laascii117nched Firefox in 2004. The not-for-profit operation, which is the second largest player with a 22 per cent share, revealed on Friday its latest version Firefox 4 is ready for download. It began as an experimental project by three developers at Mozilla as a standalone browser away from Netscapes sponsorship of the company. Its names have inclascii117ded Phoenix and Firebird.

Chrome

Google laascii117nched its Chrome browser in December 2008. While chief execascii117tive Eric Schmidt had long resisted battling existing browsers, he changed his mind after the company hired some developers from Mozilla Firefox. The early development of Chrome 'forced me to change my mind,' he said. The name refers to the term sometimes ascii117sed to describe visible interface featascii117res of an application. Shortly after laascii117nch it gained a 1 per cent market share bascii117t growth really took off last year. It grew from 4.6 per cent in December 2009 to 9.9 per cent a year later.

Safari

Apple laascii117nched Safari in 2003, which became the defaascii117lt browser on Macs, and later its mobile devices. The Mac had previoascii117sly ascii117sed Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. Safaris latest iteration was released last Jascii117ne and had a 6 per cent share last month

Opera

Opera was initially developed by Norwegian telecoms groascii117p Telenor in 1995, before splitting into a new company. The latest version was laascii117nched in December and has a 2 per cent share.