A browser war is a competition for dominance in the usage share of web browsers. The "first browser war" (1995–2001) consisted of Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator,[2] and the "second browser war" (2004-2017) between Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome.[3]
With the introduction of HTML5 and CSS 3, a new generation of browser wars began, this time adding extensive client-side scripting to the World Wide Web (WWW), and the more widespread use of smartphones and other mobile devices for browsing the web. These changes have ensured that browser battles continue among enthusiasts, while the average web user is less affected.[4]
- ^ "Browser Market Share Worldwide - September 2019". Statcounter. September 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ Swartz, Jon; Writer, Chronicle Staff (1997-10-02). "Microsoft Pulls Prank / Company takes browser war to Netscape's lawn". SFGate. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
- ^ Andreas (2017-05-25). "Chrome won". Andreas Gal. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- ^ "Did the browser wars finally end in 2014?". ZDNet.
Over the past decade, a lot has changed: Mobile devices now outnumber traditional PCs, and the desktop browser has become much less important than mobile web clients and apps. Apple's mobile Safari and Google's Chrome are now major players, Mozilla is in a time of major transition, and Microsoft is still paying for its past sins with Internet Explorer.
And in 2014, all those players seem to have dug into well-entrenched positions.