More in this Article • But I Already have a free browser • Why Mozilla?

Related Resources • Mozilla Links • Free Software

At this writing, roughly 85 percent of Internet users browse the Web with Internet Explorer, about ten percent use Netscape Navigator and the other five percent tool around the Web with Opera, Mozilla, and dozens of other less known browsers.

It may seem unlikely that any browser could gain much ground on Microsoft's overwhelming 85 percent share. But, the tables have turned before on browser market share. Not many years ago it was Netscape who held 85 percent of the browser market. Microsoft started to produce a browser that was debatably equal in form and function to Netscape and made it free for everyone. At that time Netscape was only free for educational and nonprofit institutions. Microsoft also included Internet Explorer as an integrated part of the Windows operating system. I don't think Mozilla is going to create such a dramatic shift in the browser landscape, but it will have a significant impact.

In the dawning days of the Web I was a devoted Navigator user. The early versions of Internet Explorer were technically and noticeably inferior to Netscape Navigator. While I like things that are free, I am picky about the software I use. I didn't switch to Internet Explorer until I felt it had become technically superior to Netscape's offering. I think my browser experiences, are similar to that of many who currently use Internet Explorer, and who were around in Netscape's heyday. That is why I think Mozilla is going to make some waves -- I've made the switch to Mozilla because I feel it is technically and noticeably better than IE, and I can see many others doing the same.

The next page outlines some of the things that make Mozilla worth trying.

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