Microsoft Plans Browser Upgrade

The growth in IE's competition has been fascinating to watch. In the old days of 28.8- and 33.6-Kbps modems, downloading an alternative browser was a painful task rarely undertaken by end users. But with the rapid growth of broadband access, plus IE's security problems, Mozilla's Firefox has begun to chip away at IE's dominance: Estimates now show Firefox with 5 percent to 10 percent of the browser market.

Firefox's modularized and extensible framework--providing a variety of add-on functionality, from ad blocking and download management to ways to keep tabs on Abe Vigoda--has been a boon for users. Its tabbed presentation, a lesson learned from Opera, has become the darling de jour of users.

Obviously, Microsoft knows a competitor when it sees one. With Longhorn's release date pushed back more times than Nortel's financial results have been recalculated, Microsoft must update its browser--or risk a continued slide in market share.More than that, though, Microsoft must offer a solid, secure browser users can trust. The company hasn't revealed details on the functionality of the new release, but even if the feature set is updated, it's the security angle that will restore or further diminish IE's popularity.

If you're struggling with IE security, don't bet IE 7 will solve your problems. It could be more than a year before the upgrade is available to the masses, and Microsoft's track record in browser security suggests there'll still be vulnerabilities in the new release. For now, it's best to keep one eye on Microsoft's promised enhancements for IE and the other on the latest developments from Mozilla.