Consider the facts: Firefox 1.0 has been downloaded 44 million times since its release. More than 2.6 million people visited the Firefox Web site in March 2005 alone, purely to obtain more information about the open-source software (and perhaps download it) -- up from 2.2 million in January and 1.6 million in February. Since 2004, Firefox has gained momentum, and now holds approximately 5 percent of the browser market.
In light of these numbers, Round Two, a startup company in Palo Alto, Calif., has announced plans to offer new services and software built around this innovative Web browser in hopes of making it the dominant tool for consumer Web functions.
Round Two introduced itself to the public by announcing agreements to assist developers on several Firefox add-ons currently available, which can really optimize the browsing experience:
Round Two in the Right Hands
CEO Bart Decrem, who managed marketing and business affairs for the Mozilla Foundation that developed Firefox, is the co-founder and chief executive of Round Two. What sparked his interest in developing a business model around the newest open-source browser was the fact Firefox has been downloaded so many times, creating a customer base big enough to merit the risk.
Round Two's plan of action? To provide services and software that would turn Firefox into a web portal that would operate in a similar way to Yahoo, MSN and Google. (All three sites offer blogging, social networking, e-mail, e-commerce and more.) The company is striving to move toward becoming a social browser, according to Decrem, where it places users at the center, allowing them to control their information.
The company's first product is expected to be anti-virus software, scheduled to ship in a month. Until then, however, Round Two will support the most popular Firefox add-ons, building strong ties with the developers and getting the chance to market its brand with the software.
Information Week April 12, 2005
CNET News April 13, 2005
ZD Net April 13, 2005
If you are still using Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) as your browser, it's time to wake up and smell the coffee. Explorer is full of security flaws that make surfing the Net for information and doing business online a risky proposition at best.
One of the daily tech blogs I read, Boing Boing, announced, after analyzing their log files, that Firefox use had increased to 38.2 percent and Internet Explorer dropped to 35.2 percent. So this prompted me to look at my own logs. Although I found that my far less tech-savvy audience was quite different, a full 15.3 percent were using Firefox -- more than double what it was in 2004.
So the trend certainly seems to be turning and a large number of you (tens of thousands) have taken my recommendation; but the majority of you haven't. I have been using Firefox for two and a half years and I could not encourage you more strongly to make the switch. The primary reason is for your Internet security but it also has a variety of neat features:
Now, with its popularity already soaring, Firefox is taking the next step, and anyone using it will be reaping the benefits.
If aren't already using it, don't forget, Firefox is 98 PERCENT COMPATIBLE with the 1,700 most-trafficked Web sites, so you shouldn't notice any problems using it. To avoid the needless pain and stress viruses can have on your PCs and you, I strongly recommend downloading Firefox and trying it out for yourself.
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