Major Web Browsers Worldwide Usage – April 2013

Fresh statistics have been released into the wild by Net Applications for April 2013.  Net Applications’ statistics are based on the activity of about 160 million visitors per month to Web sites using its services.

These are the latest figures on the performance of the behemoths of the Internet as far as web browsing is concerned.

1. Internet Explorer: 55.81 – 55.83 = 0.02 percent
2. Firefox:  20.30 – 20.21 = 0.09 percent
3. Chrome:  16.35 – 16.45 = 0.10 percent
4. Safari:  5.38 – 5.31 = 0.07 percent
5. Opera:  1.73 – 1.74 = 0.01 percent
6. Others:  0.42 – 0.48 = 0.06 percent

COMMENTS:

Last month things were pretty quiet in the browsers’ arena.  Just about every one of the players held their ground with the exception of Chrome who lost 0.10 points and Safari who won 0.07.  Firefox is keeping a steady trend upwards which is good news for me; being a devoted Firefox user.

Opera is frozen in deep ice.  Nothing they do seems to work to get their engine in motion.  For a moment I thought Google was going to gobble it up, but at the end of day nothing happened.  One thing I can say about Opera—they are persistent people.  No matter what, they keep struggling forward.  I like that.  As the saying goes, “persistence makes perfection”.  I hope it works for them in the long haul.

See you next month, and in the meantime, have fun and live your life the best you can.  Good Day.

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Major Web Browsers Worldwide Usage – March 2013

Fresh statistics have been released into the wild by Net Applications for March 2013.  Net Applications’ statistics are based on the activity of about 160 million visitors per month to Web sites using its services.

These are the latest figures on the performance of the behemoths of the Internet as far as web browsing is concerned.

1. Internet Explorer: 55.83 – 55.82 = 0.01 percent
2. Firefox:  20.21 – 20.12 = 0.09 percent
3. Chrome:  16.45 – 16.27 = 0.18 percent
4. Safari:  5.31 – 5.42 = 0.11 percent
5. Opera:  1.74 – 1.82 = 0.08 percent
6. Others:  0.46 – 0.54 = 0.08 percent

COMMENTS:

On the desktop, Internet Explorer saw no meaningful change, at 55.83 percent for the month compared to 55.82 last month. Firefox and Chrome both edged up a little, gaining 0.09 and 0.18 points for shares of 20.21 and 16.45 percent respectively. Safari and Opera both nudged downward, losing 0.11 and 0.08 points to drop to 5.31 and 1.74 percent respectively.

Interesting to see how Apple Safari is loosing ground while Google Chrome has made a considerable turnaround.  Never a dull moment in the technological world. Good Day.

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Major Web Browsers Worldwide Usage – February 2013

Fresh statistics have been released into the wild by Net Applications for February 2013.  Net Applications’ statistics are based on the activity of about 160 million visitors per month to Web sites using its services.

These are the latest figures on the performance of the behemoths of the Internet as far as web browsing is concerned.

1. Internet Explorer: 55.82 – 55.14 = 0.68 percent
2. Firefox:  20.12 – 19.94 = 0.18 percent
3. Chrome:  16.27 – 17.48 = 1.21 percent
4. Safari:  5.42 – 5.24 = 0.18 percent
5. Opera:  1.82 – 1.75 = 0.07 percent
6. Others:  0.54 – 0.45 = 0.09 percent

COMMENTS:

There was a great surprise from Net Applications’ numbers.  All the players received a green score except, Chrome which slid backwards a walloping 1.21 percent.  Even though Google has broken the $800.00 per share landmark, and making all the right decisions, users are not taking the bait.  Microsoft Internet Explorer did very well advancing forward 0.68 percent.

Mozilla’s Firefox  continues to hold its ground.  It edged forward 0.18 increasing its distance from a sliding Chrome.  So far it has shown its resiliency holding a solid second place despite the ferocious attacks from Google’s camp.

Google Chrome was the only loser last month.  It’s the only player who won a red medal which is a bad sign.  Losing 1.21 percentage points in 30 days is a bad omen.  I’m sure they are seriously discussing what can be done to allure more users into its camp.  It was doing well, until the word spread out that Google was taking a look at the private surfing information of Chrome users.  An invasion of privacy is something people will not accept.

Apple Safari gained 0.18 percentage points in February.  The unexpected acceptance of the mini iPad tablet worldwide is indisputable and this success will positively affect the spread of Safari.  This means more users of Safari and a better a market share place in the future.

Norwegian Opera is struggling to keep its hard-earned global market share.  It moved forward 0.07 which is admirable, considering that they are fighting against formidable adversaries..  It’s not a big secret that the real action is in the mobile and tablets industry where it’s a serious contender.  Good Day.

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Mozilla Firefox Upgrades to Version 19.0

In an effort to improve the security of its flagship browser—Firefox—Mozilla has gone ahead and launched version 19.0 yesterday morning.

The update is somewhat modest on new features, but it does include a built-in PDF viewer, which will eliminate the need for third-party plugins (unless you’d prefer said plugins for aesthetic reasons or for some additional functionality). The PDF viewer incorporated in the browser uses PDF.js, a JavaScript library that converts PDF files into HTML5. Users only need to upgrade their Firefox browser and open a PDF to take advantage of it.

Mozilla also fixed two bugs that slowed Firefox’s launch time. Now, when the user clicks the Firefox icon, it should result in a box immediately, rather than forcing the user to wait for the page to load—and click again and again as the user sees nothing, only to have eight pages open a minute later.  My experience regarding this feature, is that the browser is the same as before.  I haven’t experienced any increase in speed.  I own and old HP desktop system with2GB RAM and a cable modem connection with a broadband of 7 MB, which is quite fast.  However, Firefox is still as fast as it was before the launch.  That’s okay with me, I’m not that demanding in speed.  My computing needs are quite modest.

According to TechCrunch, Mozilla also released an update to its Firefox for Android browser, lowering the minimum CPU requirements to 600MHz. Now, Firefox will “run on over 15 million devices, including the LG Optimus One, T-Mobile myTouch 3G slide, HTC Wildfire S and ZTE R750.”

Being the Internet a very dangerous place to be, I would strongly encourage you to update your Firefox browser as soon as possible.  It’s not as safe to surf the Web as it used to be, not even for Apple users and you probably know.  Chinese hackers were able to compromise several Apple computers recently.  Nobody is safe from these evil guys nowadays.  Good Day.

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Major Web Browsers Worldwide Usage – January 2013

Fresh statistics have been released into the wild by Net Applications for January 2013.  Net Applications’ statistics are based on the activity of about 160 million visitors per month to Web sites using its services.

These are the latest figures on the performance of the behemoths of the Internet as far as web browsing is concerned.

1. Internet Explorer: 55.14 – 54.77 = 0.37 percent
2. Firefox:  19.94 – 19.82 = 0.12 percent
3. Chrome:  17.48 – 18.04 = 0.56 percent
4. Safari:  5.24 – 5.24 = 0.00 percent
5. Opera:  1.75 – 1.71 = 0.04 percent
6. Others:  0.45 – 0.42 = 0.03 percent

COMMENTS:

Every month I’m curious to see how the Masters of the Universe performed the previous months.  Some months are unexpected surprises, others are more of the same.  Microsoft Internet Explorer’s boat is still sailing full speed ahead.  Its compass has been fixed and the direction is North, propelled by a fierce commercial blitzkrieg promoting Windows 8, Microsoft Surface and Microsoft Office 2013.   Last month Internet Explorer plunged forward 0.37 percentage points—from 54.77 to 55.14—compared with 53.83 points ten months ago.  Over the years, Microsoft have proved to its competitors that they know how to hold their ground.  The numbers are speaking loud and clear.  Microsoft wants to stay in the game…and if possible—win!

Mozilla’s Firefox is fighting tooth and nail to keep its fragile second place.  In January 2013, Firefox staved off the rivals with a walloping 0.12 percentage point gain. After dropping market share for several months, they have been able to put their house in order and are clawing back to a strong second place closely followed by strong competitor Google Chrome.  The red-hot competition between these two behemoths is fascinating to watch.

Google Chrome dipped dramatically last month from 18.04 to 17.48 percent.  That’s a scary drop of 0.56 percent which is huge if you ask me. Google has made three big bets on the future of computing; Chrome (browser), Google Apps (cloud), and Android (mobile). The trends are pretty clear. All the exciting new applications are running in the browser, with application code in the cloud, and the cell phone as the platform….2010 was the year that enterprises of all sizes started their transition to Gmail and Google Apps, and took their first steps towards the vision of the future.  That future might be blurred if Chrome continues to fall behind.  February will be interesting to watch.  I’ll keep you posted.

Apple Safari froze last month.  It didn’t move an inch.  Wall Street is not very happy either.  For some reason, Apple’s shares are dropping in value.  I understand an Apple share is selling for $453.62 which is difficult to understand when they could be had for $702.10 on September 19, 2012.  I wonder what ever happened to Apple’s mojo and the magic of its extraordinary products.

Norwegian Opera remained relatively stagnant in January.  It moved forward a meager 0.04.  The real action is in the mobile and gadgets industry where it’s a serious contender.  I’m sure they are looking closely at the computing tablets market as well.    Good Day.

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Mozilla is Dead Serious About Crushing Malware

Credit: Mozilla Corporation

In an effort to prevent “drive-by exploitations,” upcoming versions of Firefox will have Java, Adobe Reader and Silverlight disabled by default, according to a recent Mozilla Security blog. All other third-party plugins except Flash will also be disabled, requiring users to enable them using the so-called click to play feature introduced last year. All that is to prevent “poorly designed” Firefox plugins from crashing or recent headline-grabbing exploits involving the likes of Java, with Adobe’s Flash player being the one exception that works out of the box—though versions longer of tooth than 10.3 won’t see daylight without your say-so.

This is music to my ears, because Mozilla Firefox is my default browser.  As a precautionary move I have installed Google Chrome and Norwegian Opera as a backup, but am not crazy about their performance.  Any step to crush slack codes is good news for me.  Good Day.

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How to Remove Region Blocks and Enjoy the Web With Hola Unblocker

Credit: Mozilla Organization

For a long times I had problem watching news clips, videos, TV episodes, movies, and other Internet content because they were restricted to Panama due to royalty issues.  For example, I have a Netflix subscription to stream movies and documentaries in English with Spanish subtitles which is good, I’m not complaining.  However, the U.S. version has a wider variety of movies and documentaries and its database includes newer movies.  The problem was, I was blocked from this richer content.  The same was true with Pandora, Hulu and other sites.

Yesterday, in a serendipitous event, I found out there was a way to unblock the restrictions and access these elusive web sites using a Firefox or Chrome extension.  Hola Unblocker Web Proxy version 1.0.113 is a browser extension that removes region locks and allows you to watch BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, and more regardless of where you live. It doesn’t require any set up and works right out of the box.

The Hola Unblocker guys have found a few ways to circumvent region-locking, including, changing your DNS server, VPN, and easy to use services like Tunnelbear. Hola Unblocker makes the whole process even easier. Just install the extension, and Hola Unblocker does the rest. You don’t need to reboot or change any setting in your browser. Currently, Hola supports Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, BBC iPlayer, iTV Player, CBS, and Fox.

If you enjoy websites like Pandora, ABC, CBS, NBC, Hulu, Netflix, just to name a few, but find it impossible to do so, no problem, the U.S. Cavalry is on the way.  I’m now enjoying a series dubbed, “Commander in Chief” starring Geena Davis as president Mackenzie Allen, the first female president in U.S. history, available in HD through Netflix.  Using Hulu, I also found another interesting show called, “Shark Tank”, about entrepreneurs seeking growth capital from shrewd investors.  The show is absolutely fascinating plus you learn a lot about investing in small but growing enterprises.

Pandora worked flawlessly as well, although I did notice miniscules interruptions, even though I have a generous Internet bandwidth of 7 Mbps from Cable Onda.  This doesn’t worry me, since I have other American Internet radio stations with similar musical contents.  However, it’s good news to open up new territory that was once banned in this part of the world.

If you miss your favorite TV programs from the United States and are currently living abroad, I fully recommend this Firefox/Chrome add on.  After using it, you will wonder how you ever lived so many years without it.  Good Day.

Source:  Hola!—Access blocked content from any country in the world.

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Major Web Browsers Worldwide Usage – December 2012

Fresh statistics have been released into the wild by Net Applications for December 2012.  Net Applications’ statistics are based on the activity of about 160 million visitors per month to Web sites using its services.

These are the latest figures on the performance of the behemoths of the Internet as far as web browsing is concerned.  Figures are expressed in terms of percentages.

1. Internet Explorer: 54.77 – 54.76 = 0.01
2. Firefox:  19.82 – 20.44 = 0.62
   
3. Chrome:  18.04 – 17.24 = 0.80
   
4. Safari:  5.24 – 5.33 = 0.09
   
5. Opera:  1.71 – 1.67 = 0.04 
6. Others:  0.42 – 0.56 = 0.14 percent.

COMMENTS:

Lot of surprises during the last month of 2012.  Microsoft Internet Explorer is stubbornly holding its ground.  Was able to move a bit 0.01 percent global market share.  It ain’t much, but it’s a move forward, and that is darned good.  It shows that Steve Ballmer has a thick skin and can still pull a rabbit from his hat.  Wonder how he will thrust Windows 8 forward; so far it has received a lukewarm reception from computer users.  It’s honest to say that when all versions are taken into account, IE still leads the overall market with 54.77 percent of usage in December.

Mozilla’s Firefox is fighting tooth and nail to retain its fragile second place.  It has been moving in a zig zag pattern.  Up, then down, then up, then down and so forth.  In December it went down in a big way. The Fox lost a walloping 0.62 percent last month.  Ouch!  that hurts. The Christmas lights didn’t do the trick. My gut feeling is that soon they will have to move to a third place ceding its position to robust Google Chrome.

Google Chrome clawed its way back in a big way; let me correct that, in a spectacular way.  They escalated 0.80 percentage points in December which is huge, if you ask me.  The growing trend is back again.  They are heading north full speed ahead and will soon bump Firefox to third place.  Google is also very active in the mobile phone arena where Android is rapidly becoming a favorite operating system for cellphones.  The race in this category is red-hot with Google, Apple and Opera trying to take the lead.  The sweet spot is in computing tablets where Apple is a front-runner candidate to nail down the gold, although Samsung is doing their job.

Apple Safari surprisingly lost 0.08 points.  This was a complete and unexpected surprise for me.  Maybe they lost their compass with the Maps app fiasco.  Not even the recently launched Apple Mini could help Tim Cook mend the fence. However, truth be said, the acceptance of the iPad tablet worldwide is indisputable and this success should logically propel Safari forward.  This means more Safari users and a better a market share position in the future.

Norwegian Opera moved a bit forward.  These Vikings are a touch cookie and have managed to hang in there, no matter what.  The real action is in the mobile and gadgets industry where it’s a serious contender.  I’m sure they are looking closely at the computing tablets market as well.  In the desktop arena though, they have been stuck in quick sand for quite some time.  Well the point is, even though Opera is the fastest browser on earth for the time being, it’s just not doing it right. Being a web browser is much more than just being fast. It also means that the web browser has to be easy to use, intuitive, support the web standards, simple, and yet get the job done beautifully. For me Opera, you might be the fastest browser, but definitely not the right one for my taste.  Good Day folks, see you next month for more number crunching.  I love it!

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Major Web Browsers Worldwide Usage – November 2012

Fresh statistics have been released into the wild by Net Applications for November 2012.  Net Applications’ statistics are based on the activity of about 160 million visitors per month to Web sites using its services.

These are the latest figures on the performance of the behemoths of the Internet as far as web browsing is concerned.

1. Internet Explorer: 54.76 – 54.13 = 0.63 percent
2. Firefox:  20.44 – 19.99 = 0.45 percent
3. Chrome:  17.24 – 18.55 = 1.31 percent
4. Safari:  5.33 – 5.21 = 0.12 percent.
5. Opera:  1.67 – 1.63 = 0.04 percent
6. Others:  0.56 – 0.50 = 0.06 percent

COMMENTS:

There was only one big loser last month—Google Chrome.  It’s the only player with a red uniform.  All the rest are wearing green.  That was the most relevant fact unveiled by Net Applications in November.  Microsoft Internet Explorer’s boat has kept its hull heading North and is now flying high.  In November it clawed back 0.63 percent which is great. The leakage of red ink seems to be a thing of the past.

Mozilla’s Firefox is again on the right track.  It has put its house in order and is gaining solid ground.  It gained 0.45 points last month which is most satisfying, being myself a zealot of this fine software.  In fact, Firefox is my default Web browser.

Google Chrome has lost its mojo and seems to be on a free fall after being a formidable contender.  November was a horrible month for this feared competitor.  Losing 1.31 market share percentage in one month is a disappointing performance.  Many of its former users have been complaining about Google’s intrusion into their private lives and are departing the camp in droves.

Apple Safari continues its upward trend.  It gained 0.12 percentage points in November.  The acceptance of the iPad tablet worldwide is indisputable and this success will positively affect the spread of Safari.  The recent unveiling of the iPad Mini will further augment its growth.  This means more users for Safari and a better a market share position in the future.

Norwegian Opera remained relatively stagnant in November.  It was an expected performance.  The real action is in the mobile and gadgets industry where it’s a serious player.  I’m sure they are looking closely at the computing tablets market as well.    Good Day.

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Major Web Browsers Worldwide Usage – October 2012

Fresh statistics have been released into the wild by Net Applications for October 2012.  Net Applications’ statistics are based on the activity of about 160 million visitors per month to Web sites using its services.

These are the latest figures on the performance of the Masters of the Universe as far as web browsing is concerned.

1. Internet Explorer: 54.13 – 53.63 = 0.50 percent
2. Firefox:  19.99 – 20.08 = 0.09 percent
3. Chrome:  18.55 – 18.86 = 0.31 percent
4. Safari:  5.21 – 5.26 = 0.05 percent
5. Opera:  1.63 – 1.62 = 0.01 percent
6. Others:  0.05 – 0.56 = 0.06 percent.

COMMENTS:

A big surprise in October.  Microsoft Internet Explorer made a great comeback last month.  It gained a walloping one half on one percent—which is huge.  Steve Ballmer is burning the midnight oil transforming the company into a business model similar to Apple Inc.  Microsoft is working on several fronts, (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, and obviously in operating systems).  The Surface tablet and Windows 8 are stirring the markets and that is trickling down to more users joining IE’s camp.

Mozilla’s Firefox is fighting tooth and nail to keep its fragile second place, but it doesn’t seem to be working.  They slid backwards and lost 0.09 percent in October.   Firefox has experienced loss of global market share since reaching its high-water mark of 24.7 percent in November 2009.  Interesting to understand why they have lost their mojo.  I’m extremely satisfied with its performance and have decided to use it as my default browser.

Google Chrome is on a free fall for two consecutive months.  In October it went down 0.31 percent which is a catastrophic performance.  People are not happy and they are showing it.  The company that said it would do no evil, is losing its credibility and many are angry due to Google’s policy of using users’ personal information to place their ads.  I expect Google to shift course and start taking corrective actions.  They are strong in search engines, Android, mobile phones, and computing tablets such as the Nexus 7.  I’m not counting them out of the race yet.

Apple Safari has encountered choppy waters of late.  It lost 0.05 percent market share in October and a ton of money in Wall Street.  Furthermore Apple stunned investors by announcing the ouster of chief mobile software architect Scott Forstall and retail chief John Browttt—the latter after six months on the job.

Its latest Maps software was met with widespread frustration and ridicule over glaring mistakes.  Some pundits agree that Forstall and Cook disagreed over the need to publicly apologize for its maps service embarrassment.

In October 2012, Apple entered the small-tablet market with its iPad mini, lagging Amazon and Google, considering Apple was a pioneer in the tablet market in 2010.  The Apple iPad mini is scheduled to hit the shelves tomorrow, November 2, 2012.  It remains to be seen how the market will react to their latest gadget which some analysts say it’s a little pricey.

Norwegian Opera remained stagnant in October.  The real action is in the mobile and gadgets industry where it is a serious contender.  I’m sure they are looking closely at the computing tablets market as well.   The rumors that it would be gobbled up by Facebook have vanished like the morning fog.   Auf Wiedersehen.

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