browsers

More than two million people have downloaded Internet Explorer 9 in the first day of its public availability. Microsoft has welcomed the "enthusiastic reception", though Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) hasn't been received with quite as much fanfare as ... some previous web browsers. To put things into context, the 2.35 million downloads -- equivalent to 27 downloads per second -- is double that of the first day for the beta edition of IE9 and four times that of the IE9 release candidate (RC). Internet Explorer 9 Download Not Record Breaking The numbers are on par, as a finished browser is ... (view more)

Research conducted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) suggests that more than 8 in 10 of web browsers have unique signatures, creating identifiable "fingerprints" that can be used to track almost any user that browses the Internet. The ... results ( PDF ) were found after an experiment was conducted by the EFF with volunteers who visited panopticlick.eff.org. Each participant who visited that site had the configuration and version information of their operating systems, browser, and browser plug-ins anonymously logged. (Source: eff.org ) The information gathered by the website ... (view more)

Microsoft's share of the web browser market has dropped since the release of the " browser choice " screen in Europe. But the decline is not significant enough to draw firm conclusions that the ballot is making a serious difference. The browser ... ballot is the result of a settlement between Microsoft and the European Union (EU) over antitrust concerns related to Internet Explorer's packaging in the Windows operating system. The screen has been appearing gradually since March 1, 2010 to all users in EU countries who have Internet Explorer (IE) set as their default browser. It prompts ... (view more)

Opera has reported that downloads of its browser have doubled since the release of the " browser ballot ". In some countries, the numbers of downloads have risen four-fold. The ballot, which will eventually appear to all European Union citizens who ... have Internet Explorer set as their default browser, prompts the user to select from a list of 12 browsers. It came about as a settlement between Microsoft and the EU after investigations into whether the browser being bundled with Windows was anti-competitive. (Source: google.com) As noted earlier this month , Opera's downloads rocketed ... (view more)

Many within the tech world are expecting Microsoft to announce a beta version of Internet Explorer 9 at the upcoming MIX 2010 conference. While nothing is yet confirmed by Microsoft, the new version of the popular browser is expected to boast ... improved support for open web standards. Microsoft has in the past been criticized for not fully supporting open web standards. Considering that most Microsoft software produced is proprietary and closed source, the push towards open web standards for Internet Explorer is a huge change for the company, and many critics believe it will yield high returns ... (view more)

The Microsoft browser ballot has been under way for a few days now, and there's already an indication that some people are moving away from Internet Explorer. How the Microsoft Browser Ballot Works This week saw the debut of a scheme which prompts ... Internet Explorer users in Europe to choose one or more browsers from a list of the 12 most popular on the continent. It's a system put together by Microsoft to stave off regulator criticism that including Internet Explorer as the default browser in Windows gave it an unfair advantage in its market over competitors such as Apple's Opera Browser, ... (view more)

Microsoft will ask all European users of Internet Explorer whether they want to try out a rival browser. It's an unexpected result in a long-running dispute with European Union officials. It came as no surprise when the firm announced today that it ... will include a "browser ballot" screen on all Windows PCs sold in Europe from January 2010, and on. The scheme, which Microsoft had proposed some months ago, will mean that during set-up users will see a list of leading browsers and have the option to install some or all of them, rather than simply getting Internet Explorer by default. Ball Screen ... (view more)

It looks almost certain that Microsoft will be redesigning European editions of Windows 7 and its predecessors to offer users a clearer choice of which Internet browser they'd like to use. However, the changes won't be introduced until well past the ... October 22 launch of the new operating system (OS). The European Union will soon begin official testing of a menu system designed by Microsoft. The new menu is meant to answer criticisms that the Redmond-based firm has an unfair advantage by including Internet Explorer as the only browser shipped with Windows. If approved, it could mean the ... (view more)

Those who made the upgrade to Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) will be pleased to learn that the browser has proven to be the most effective at blocking malware, following a recent study by NSS Labs . However, some experts question the validity ... of the results. Five Browsers Tested NSS tested a total of five Windows-based browsers including: IE8, Firefox 3.0.11, Safari 4.0.2, Chrome 2.0.0.172.33 and Opera 10 beta. The browsers were to defend their users against more than 2,100 malware sites in 69 tests run over a 12-day period. The malware peddled on the infected sites is "socially ... (view more)

The security researcher who recently discovered an especially sneaky way of spreading spyware online says Internet Explorer 8 will have "zero impact" on the problem. It comes as attacks using the 'clickjacking' technique spread to other browsers. ... 'Clickjacking' lures users into clicking on a button that at first appears legitimate but actually does something altogether nasty. The usual way of doing this is to hijack a legitimate web page and use frames to overlay it with a transparent web page. This means victims are actually clicking on a button they can't see, which will usually 'authorize ... (view more)