I’ve never been to an Opera and despite downloading the Opera browser several times on several different machines, I haven’t used the Opera browser either. This isn’t saying I don’t think it is any good, the point is that I’ve never given it a fair chance.

It’s tough for a commercial browser to make it when free browsers like Firefox are making such huge splashes these days. I have only purchased one commerical browser: iRider which was actually my very first review at this blog: 6 reasons the iRider browser is worth downloading. In MacWorld magazine February 2005 they are pointing to a commercial Mac-only browser called Omniweb which I also downloaded to check out. Anybody reading like/dislike Omniweb?

The newest version of Opera — its name is still a secret — is slated to be released in February. Among the new features is the Trash Can, an oddly named but useful addition that acts as a sort of extended bookmark for stored history. The Trash Can also allows users to save a series of pages as a “session” and then reload that session later. Voice Interaction, Opera’s splashiest new feature, allows users to control the program by talking to their computers. Websites, e-mail and documents can also be read aloud by the browser.

Among features that I personally don’t care enough about to pay for in a browser, voice integration is one of them. I’m usually listening to something on the computer so in order to use voice integration I need to turn off what I’m listening to and then dance with the speech recognition software. The only implementation I’ve seen of this to date that’s works practically without special configuration is hands free voice calling through OnStar (via Verizon). What happens there is I press a white dot button and my radio or whatever is playing in the car automatically quiets so I can tell the computer what number or “tag” to use to call. I suppose with a couple mouse clicks or a hotkey combination I could mute what I was listening to and utter my commands to the browser. But the point is if I’m going to use hotkey to do that, why not just save the extra step and use hotkeys to activate what I’m trying to do in the browser? The only practical use for voice integration in a browser is for accessibility reasons and for that I think it’s great that it’s there.

Netcraft has released a new toolbar (free, IE only at the moment) that has a couple innovative, useful features that are worth checking out:

• Displays which hosting company a site uses, including country flag to help avoid fraudulent sites
• Will block access to known phishing sites reported by users (non toolbar users can report sites through web too)
• Enforces display of browser navigational controls (toolbar & address bar) in all windows, to defend against pop up windows which attempt to hide the navigational controls.

The toolbar is currently only available for Internet Explorer but according to the Netcraft news (blog) they are hard at work at a version for Firefox.Netcraft Toolbar FAQ.

… encourage friends and relatives that you think might be vulnerable to phishing attacks to use the Toolbar, so that that maximum number of people receive the benefit of these timely reports. If your preferred desktop operating system can’t run the Toolbar until a Firefox version is available, you can report phishing sites directly http://toolbar.netcraft.com/report_url  

I like that I can see what hosting companies that regularly visited websites use. Also it shows some other hosting-related data like last time the server was rebooted. This toolbar isn’t just another well known company with a “me too” toolbar.

Last night something fascinating Firefox related happened at the Seattle Blogger Meetup. I had several people come up to me while I was using my Tablet PC and say something to the effect of: Why aren’t you using Firefox? It got somewhat intense (in a friendly way) at one point that I had to actually declare that I fully intended to download Firefox when I got to it, but that I was working on learning the system as it came out of the box and was saving Firefox for later. At one point I had to show some of these Firefox loyalists that I actually had a Spread Firefox blog so I’m quite obviously a fan of Firefox too. I am planning on using Firefox on my Tablet PC but, easy, guys, please a little less caffeine intake.

I like Firefox, really I do, but it’s not among the very first programs I’m going to install on a brand new (type of) machine. Yes, I know how much IE is attacked, ActiveX issues, blah, blah, blah. The bottom line is most our site visitors use IE and as a web developer that’s where I — as a web developer – need to spend most of my time. I still use IE the majority of the time and on my Tablet PC currently 100% of the time. On my Mac I use Safari 100% of the time.

This default generation is exactly what Firefox should be worried about: not being a default option on new computers. This is where Microsoft lays the (almost?) crippling blow to the Firefox infrastructure. I’m not sure how Firefox can compete on this particular front because there are so many users who will never bother to download Firefox and change their default browser, even knowing that they could and probably should.

Last month FireFox and other Moz browsers were at 25% Now? 34%!!! Geeze Louise! Nothing like giving a guy a heart attack. IE is now down below 60% (from 90% 6 months ago, and 75% 2 months ago).

We’re seeing similar trends, though not as significant, as Jeremy Wright. BTW, for those who don’t know him, Jeremy is the guy who sold his blog for five figures and also auctioned his blogging services off on eBay. He’s a living, breathing case study and the type of business entrepreneur who should be speaking at the AMA Blogging Marketing seminar tomorrow.

Back to the browser stats, I find it interesting that 6% of the readers of our blog use Safari (Hello Mac users!). Again, the power of being in the default position. It’s the big M’s silver bullet. And check out Opera weighing in at 3%. I know a few passionate Opera users.

Bottom line: never count anybody out because companies, services and products come out of nowhere. I think that’s part of why Microsoft has been so aggressive in 2004. Google is firing all over the place, invading the desktop and the email (Gmail). Microsoft isn’t going to just stand still and watch their customer base leave.

As far as free Windows desktop search that actually works, Google entered the space first (please correct me if I’m wrong), then Microsoft who had to be embarassed that their own OS had such a shoddy working search, released MSN Toolbar Suite with desktop search and now Ask Jeeves says it is their turn.

It should be ready for download shortly at Ask Jeeves Download Center. Key features; Fresh, Full-Text Index, Fast, Flexible Search, and User-Centric Design.

Something just occured to me that disturbs me. While, I’m not too worried about Google or Microsoft implanting spyware and adware into their free desktop search, what’s to stop the also rans from coming along and loading your system with them?

I’m not suggesting that the butler, Ask Jeeves, desktop search will be contaminated, but after Yahoo who says they will be entering the desktop search space shortly, who’s left that wouldn’t take extra liberties with the power before them? It’s prudent not to throw caution to the wind when installing new desktop search applications that are free from companies who are not able to monetize these products through other means.

Yesterday the new MSN Toolbar Suite (beta) was made available and finally I got five minutes to go through the download. Here’s my quick thoughts:

- Please lose the Real method of making home page and search pages changes default checked. It’s a sleazy software installation practice. If users want to change their default search to MSN or change their homepage then they can easily check that box.
- very cool how it can highlight the search engine terms on a page and in the search results. Though it does look like a highlighting OD when a lot of terms are searched


- the same sort of highlighting appears in the search results

-Wow, check out the cool viewer option in the toolbar (see screencap along the left)! That will break down the number of times the search term appears on the page as well as colorize and block out the various components. They are really making these toolbars snazzy, nice job MSN Toolbar team!
- I like how the MSN Spaces ‘blog it’ is integrated like Pyra Labs did with their blog button, very handy! I haven’t tried actually blogging to my MSN space yet, but I like that they didn’t forget to include.
- haven’t demoed the desktop search component yet, though I did notice that it won’t index Outlook 2003 unless it’s running (which most of the time I keep it running)

All in all it seems like it has all the features users expect in a toolbar these days like popup blocking, form fills, highlighter (not sure how that’s exactly used yet) and the addition of the cool viewer for drilling down and really seeing if a search result is just spam or meaningful, related content.

Scoble is pointing to all kinds of MSN Toolbar Suite comments in the blogosphere about this, if you want to check in there or run your own Feedster search. I’m sure after I have much more time working with this I’ll have more to say as well. Got to run though shortly there’s an MSDN event at the Sheraton in Tacoma today and I’m hoping to be able to attend.

Though they have a long way to go still to make a really serious impact in Microsoft territory, Firefox isn’t proving to be any quick flareup as some critics are claiming.

Firefox, the open-source challenger to market heavyweight Internet Explorer, has surpassed 10 million downloads in a little more than a month since the browser was released in November.

Still waiting on the New York Times ad that they raised over a quarter million to do, but they are saying it is finished. Meanwhile, in the VoIP sector, Skype has eclipsed 42 million downloads.

This itnews story says Firefox users click adds 4-5 times less than users of Internet Explorer. John Battelle writes:

This makes sense - Firefox users, who are arguably more sophisticated web surfers, apparently click less on Web ads than those who use Internet Explorer.

Since it’s mostly geeks that are on board so far with Firefox, are they trying to suggest that geeks don’t buy as many products/services through banner ads? I guess the truth is that at least I don’t. Not regularly, anyway. Sure, I do my part buying things online and carry several subscriptions online (Napster, Safari, etc). My recent technology purchases didn’t come through banner ads, though. I have been clicking on banners for Blogexplosion though, but that’s just to visit/read/explore other blogs (for at least 30 seconds and sometimes more) and win those addictive mystery credits.

This doesn’t surprise or shock me (like it does rustybrick, see below), but it is interesting, if true, that Google would admit that the PR showing in the Google toolbar is the equivalent of a parlor trick.

This is shocking news, I mean, we all knew PageRank was not something to look at too closely these days, but for Google to come out and say “The PageRank that is displayed in the Google Toolbar is for entertainment purposes only”, kind of shocks me.

Another parlor trick would be their blog. I wish the GoogleGuy would start writing again, as it seems after Google’s IPO, he did as he said he would and stopped commenting on what was happening at Google. The interesting stuff which might better explain things like the bogus PR display. The Google blog has been treated like more of an afterthought than a regularly updated, useful and/or very interesting blog. It isn’t nearly as creative as one would expect from Google. More updates, less corporate fluff, please?

Yesterday I posted 4 things Internet Explorer could have to quiet Firefox thunder and today I visited the official Internet Explorer blog, which is a bit sparse and lacking in the blog post area, but whoa! Check out comments like these — that don’t seem to have been edited:

“I can’t think of a competitor (even a free one) that MS has failed to crush. If Firefox looks a threat (and it *does not* at the moment) MS will improve IE in a matter of months. At the moment Firefox attracts open source crazies and web developers who like to have public wet dreams in any forum they can find about the day Firefox has a substantial market share. There’s no good evidence their randy Firefox dreams are anything more than an unrealistic fantasy. There’s plenty of evidence that MS can win a browser war. In fact, I believe they’ve already won one where the competitor had substantially more than a couple in every hundred users.” — Matt

Zach sticks up for Microsoft too, explaining what the average user really cares about:

“They do not like instructions, they do not like thinking about it, they do not care - its a stupid tool to get them to a webpage to check some scores, post on a forum, or check out some porn. Its a browser, they know how to use, and thats all they care about it. IE does a wonder job at keeping it simple - the others do not.” — Zach

LAH disagrees that the notion that average users don’t use Firefox:

Okay again, people are saying normal people would never consider firefox. I beg to differ. I know the university in this town (Northern Illinois University) actually HAS firefox installed on its computers in its public labs. Over 20,000 students attend this university. Most of them have used the computer labs at some point. The average student here is not a computer geek, but still has to use the internet and write papers. You don’t think any of these people will decide they like firefox?

Jim points to something interesting:

Just spotted this, in case anybody wants a laugh:

http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/ProductFeedback/
ViewWorkaround.aspx?FeedbackID=FDBK10939#1

It seems even Microsoft’s own websites are recommending that we install Firefox now

Kudos to Microsoft and what they’ve done for embracing blogging and letting the opposing voices speak up. It’s definitely on the right track.

This morning as part of my weekly 2-fer Tech Tuesday at Kblogger, I recommended Firefox as one of today’s two downloads. Towards the end of that part of the post, I referenced reasons why people might want to switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox. The Internet Explorer blog with its more liberal blog editorial policy is a reason, albeit a small step, for people to stay.

Currently I use Firefox about 60% of the time and IE 35% of the time. I don’t see a day in the near future where I’ll stop using IE altogether.

Whatever Microsoft says publically about Firefox not changing their plans to upgrade IE before the next version of Windows, Longhorn, due out in 2006, there is a strong possibility that they are working on some add-ons for Internet Explorer that won’t let Firefox eat all their lunch. computerweekly.com:

… Gary Schare, director of Windows product management at Microsoft, said features could be added to Internet Explorer through the browser’s add-on technology. “It is an option for the Internet Explorer team to add functionality in between releases,” he said. “We do not have specific plans at this point to use it, but it is an option.” Microsoft’s MSN group already uses the add-on mechanism for its MSN Toolbar.

Here’s a list of four things I’d like to see in a future version of IE:

1. one clear, obvious button for an ActiveX shutoff valve. Click that button and no more ActiveX is able to run, period without flipping the switch back on. No programmer backdoors, no clever API hooks, etc. Perhaps this button should be in the new Windows security center. This would give the users power to easily disable a powerful, but also crippling feature in IE..

2. RSS integration. It’s a must! I can’t believe that with blogger evangelist like Scoble on the team that he isn’t calling the IE department almost every day wondering when this built-in integration is going to happen.

3. tabbed windows OR some other, better way of dealing with multiple windows. It’s a feature people really find useful, so why not do it? IE’s way of dealing with multiple windows is horrible by comparison. Look at programs like iRider (maybe Microsoft should buy iRider) which are built upon IE for inspiration.

4. Easy skinning ability of the IE look and feel. Being able to skin IE would attract the designer types who think they could do a better job with the pixel allocation.