I've hired you to help me start a war. That's a prestigious line of work with a long and glorious tradition.” – Fezzini, in The Princess Bride

Did you know that there was once a war between internet browser manufacturers? If you didn’t, you’re not alone. The majority of Internet users fit a common profile: They have a Windows operating system installed on their computer, and Internet Explorer (IE) installed as their browser. The two come as a package deal, they work well, and that’s the end of the discussion. We use our browsers like we use our coffee pots: We switch them on, and don’t give them another thought until they break.

So, what about this war?

As Internet use exploded a decade ago, a handful of companies found themselves fighting with Microsoft to gain a share of the internet browser market. Internet Explorer has consistently been the browser of choice for some 90% of the world’s web surfers. Along the way, several other manufacturers of web browsers have tried – often unsuccessfully – to grab a slice of that pie.

The battle started with the launch of Netscape Navigator and first version of Internet Explorer. IE had the upper hand from the get-go, as Microsoft bundled the browser with its Windows 95 application. The result was a no-brainer for the average consumer: Buy the Win95 operating system, get yourself a ready-made browser and mail program (Outlook), and you were ready to go. In the meantime, Netscape’s Navigator marketed itself as a free download, available from the company website. While not as readily available as IE, it appealed to those who were always on the lookout for alternative technology. With NN’s launch, the race was on.

Over the next few years, the two companies ran neck in neck, constantly upgrading and releasing new versions of their respective browsers as quickly as they could. Web developers quickly fell into camps, labeling their sites “best viewed with…” and attaching the name of either Netscape or IE. The quicker the manufacturers could boast new features, the more marketable their product became. Unfortunately as both companies started to concentrate on promoting new “bells and whistles,” and paid less attention to things like security, problems ensued. The result was an extended period of technical bugs, crashes, and headaches for the once-enthusiastic user.

Web Browsers

Through all the stages of development and innovation and implementation of new features, Microsoft always had advantages over Netscape: Web developers will be quick to tell you that neither product was technically superior, but when it came to money, Microsoft, the richer cousin of the two, always came out on top. Netscape had begun its life with a large market share, but remained a relatively small company, operating on what many said was less about capital investment and more about goodwill. Reports were that Netscape’s total revenue was less than Microsoft’s interest income. The other major factor was availability: Explorer was bundled with every copy of Windows, and while the early versions were technically inferior to Netscape, they were average-consumer-friendly and widely accessible. As its market share grew, Microsoft plowed even more money into development and marketing. They bought and promoted Front Page, a web authoring tool that created pages that tended to look better in Explorer than in Navigator. By the end of 1998, Microsoft had effectively beaten Netscape at its own game.

The so-called “war” flamed out when Internet Explorer ceased to have any formidable competition from other browser developers. Netscape was bought by America Online and “open-sourced” its code, meaning that they made it available to anyone who wanted to take it in hand and improve on the original model. Mozilla stepped up to the plate, and built its own Mozilla 1.0 browser, which along with Opera, and Safari, provided alternatives for those looking for something a little different in their web experience, but they weren’t able to stop the Microsoft juggernaut.

By 2002, IE had commanded the attention of a whopping 96% of browser users, but not without consequence. With gaps in security technology and a massive consumer group, Explorer became the victim of countless virus and worm attacks. On the development front, a lack of attention to ever-evolving web standards caused headaches for those designing websites. IE6 – the most recent incarnation of Explorer – still does not comply with Cascading Style Sheets, the PNG image format, or XHTML. This shortcoming forces developers to add cumbersome chunks of code to the building process, simply to ensure that their work doesn’t break in Explorer.

So, where does the “war” stand now? Most say that it’s old news. With Microsoft’s announcement that IE6 will be the last version that we will see until after the Longhorn Operating System is launched in 2007, many will tell you that the Internet is now officially stagnant. Others, however, say a second war is imminent. Mozilla continues to gain popularity with its latest Firefox browser, promoting features like increased security, pop-up blockers and tabbed browsing. For Unix users, the Konqueror browser competes with Mozilla. Konqueror’s KHTML engine was used by Apple for their Safari browser, now the default browser for Mac users. Opera, while still a small player, has remained a popular choice on mobile devices such as cell phones.

Browser wars

Those in the know say that a second war will emerge because of the growing popularity of mobile devices: As so many of us step away from our Macs and PCs and rely on phones, Blackberries and other portable sources for our information, the onus will be on everyone in the browser game to come up with technology that is efficient, standards compliant, and adaptable to all formats.

If they can rise to that challenge, everyone will win: The consumer will have a larger choice of products, market shares and revenues will rise across the board, and the companies behind the browsers will be forced to keep improving to meet consumer and developer demands.

For now, the best advice to any Internet user is to shop around. Experts and hacks alike will tell you that Internet Explorer is a decent browser in its own right, but it’s not the only game in town. There are smaller players out there, and they all do a fine job. Look around, use them all, and decide what best suits your needs.