Which web browser rules them all?
It's not geek favorite Mozilla Firefox, or fast-growing newcomer Google Chrome. It's the classic clunker Internet Explorer.
In fact, not only does Internet Explorer far outstrip the market share of its closest competitor Firefox, but any one of its three currently available versions (IE 6, 7, and 8) beats out all versions of Chrome combined, based on results compiled by the market share tracking service Hitslink.
Internet Explorer is one of the oldest browsers around. Since initial development in 1995, IE, manufactured by Microsoft, has dominated the market. Though it currently holds close to 60 percent of usage share, that number has been steadily declining over the past decade (other estimates have pegged IE's share at below 50%).
And for all its popularity, IE has always been a subject of derision for the techno-savvy. PC World named IE6 one of the 25 worst tech products of all time. Its most recent reincarnation, IE 8, has a little over 32 percent of market share.
Mozilla Firefox, with its usage share of around 23 percent, was first released in an officially supported format in 2005, though earlier versions had been around since 2003. Its functionality for optimization, which numerous add-ons and tabbed browsing, has made it a favorite for those in the digital know.
Yet since the introduction of Google's first web browser, Chrome, in 2008, Firefox has had to fight to hold on to their number two spot in the browser rankings. Though Chrome trails Firefox at close to 10 percent for third, it has steadily eroded Firefox's lead in the past two years.
It seems, though, considering Internet Explorer's enduring popularity, that many web surfers don't care about trendiness when it comes to their browsing.
(h/t The Next Web)