Firefox, the leading alternative to Internet Explorer, is now the browser of choice for one in three Europeans.
Figures released by monitoring firm XiTi reveal that the open source browser created by the Mozilla Foundation is growing steadily, averaging a growth rate of just over three per cent of the market in 32 European nations in the last four months. Finland and Slovenia have added the largest number of Firefox users, with the market share for the browser in these countries passing 45 per cent for the first time.
Across Europe, Firefox now commands a market share of almost 28 per cent, eating into Explorer’s dominance, which is now 66.5 per cent compared to 73 per cent this time last year. The UK, though, is a slow adopter, with an estimated 11 per cent of internet users favouring the Mozilla offering.
The figures must surely be a worrying trend for Microsoft, especially so soon after the major upgrade to version 7. A certain percentage of defectors will be motivated for their own reasons, but to reach a position where a third of Europeans are using the browser shows that Firefox is doing something right when so many are voting with their feet.
Doubtlessly, a major factor in growing user numbers is Firefox’s wide-ranging scope for customisation. There is an almost endless catalogue of free extensions and plug-ins to enable users to build a browser to their personal specification.
One just released extension is BlueOrganizer, which suggests related information and links to the user based on the page that is being currently viewed. Billed as a smarter way to browse, the extension is an instant context analyser that avoids the need to jump back and forth from search results.
Another BlueOrganizer feature is BlueMarks, a high-octane bookmarks folder that collects all the information about the sites you visit regularly for easy access. This feature can be set to automatic or manual, enabling the user to manage which sites are recorded as BlueMarks.
Also interesting are Smart Links. BlueOrganizer can save any site or content as a Smart Link, which can then be embedded into a blog or web site. To create a Smart Link of a page all that is required is to choose the Smart Link option from the BlueOrganizer menu. A window then pops up with a small snippet of code that can then be added to your site’s header tag.
When uploaded to the site, the page will display a rich information link about the target content to all visitors regardless of whether they are using BlueOrganizer, Firefox, or Internet Explorer.
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