Firefox 3.5 Could Upgrade the Whole Web

Explorer, Firefox down as Google's browser makes big gains

(NEWSER) - Less than three years since its official public launch, Google's Chrome has become the second-most popular web browser in the world, reports Digital Trends . In November, Chrome accounted for 25.7% of global browser usage, climbing just past declining Firefox, which fell to 25.23%. Just two years ago, Chrome had been roughly tied for third, along with Safari and Opera, with about 4.5%, but since then has steadily gained market share around the world. More»

Especially if they haven't upgraded

(NEWSER) - If you’re reading this site on Internet Explorer 6, you should know you’re not in good company. A new study from a Canadian company called AptiQuant has found that Internet Explorer users are on average significantly less intelligent than users of other browsers, especially if they’re using older versions. Those still running Internet Explorer 6 have an average IQ just above 80, while Firefox and Chrome users are up at around 110 and Opera and Camino users above 120. More»

New web standard leaves your computer wide open

(NEWSER) - There’s been plenty of worry over the years about Internet privacy, “but the alarmists have not seen anything yet,” warns the New York Times in a front-page story on the dangers of HTML5. The new web standards will bring tons of new features—“It’s going to change everything … it’s the new web,” gushes one web developer—but it will also make surfer’s computers much more vulnerable to trackers. More»

Microsoft's latest puts it back ahead in browser wars

(NEWSER) - It's been quite a while since Microsoft was in the lead for browser innovation, but Internet Explorer 9—released in beta form yesterday—is good enough to lure some users back from Firefox and Chrome, say reviewers.

• IE9 "not only catches up with its competitors, but improves in several areas," writes Jared Newman at PC World , praising the lack of clutter and Microsoft's adoption of the "omnibar" for addresses and searching.

Forget the open WWW—it's all about apps now

(NEWSER) - As the World Wide Web turns 18, Wired declares it dead—even as the Internet continues to rule. Chris Anderson takes us through a typical user's day: email checked and Facebook browsed on an iPad; podcasts and Pandora listened to; Skype and IM conversations held. "You’ve spent the day on the Internet—but not on the Web," he writes, and it's because we now want closed platforms, like apps, that "work better or fit better" in our lives. "For the sake of the optimized experience on mobile devices, users forgo the general-purpose browser. Fast beats flexible." More»