SOFTWAREBuyer's Guide

Browser shoot-out: IE 7 v Firefox 2

Robert Vamosi CNET

Published: 31 Oct 2006

For years, Microsoft Internet Explorer has enjoyed near dominance of the Web browser space -- but not any more. Since the release last year of Mozilla Firefox 1.5, Firefox has been steadily eroding Internet Explorer's claim of superiority. According to information from NetApplications.com, in October 2004 Internet Explorer had 92 percent of the market; in September 2005 that dropped to 86 percent; and as of September 2006 Internet Explorer's market share dropped to 82 percent, with Firefox's rising to 12.5 percent. In two years Microsoft ceded 10 percent of its audience to its competition.

So how do the latest versions of each browser compare? For this prizefight, we looked at Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft's first new Internet browser since 2001 and Mozilla Firefox 2, Mozilla's update of its popular Firefox 1.5 browser released in November 2005. I've already had my two penny-worth in the reviews we've already published, so I've turned over this prizefight to my colleagues who specifically cover the Web services beat.

About the judges

Rafe Needleman, editor at large for (ZDNet sister site) CNET, covers new online applications and is launching a new CNET Web site about them: Webware.com.
Peter Butler is senior editor for CNET in charge of Download.com reviews.
Elsa Wenzel is an associate editor for CNET who reviews hulking office suites, tiny apps and Web services.