3 ms·

When IE has a 40% market share, will the question still be troll bait? The only reason it makes sense for Microsoft to continue developing the IE rendering eng

When IE has a 40% market share, will the question still be troll bait? The only reason it makes sense for Microsoft to continue developing the IE rendering engine is because IE is still the most popular browser and they have some control over the market. When the popularity drops, it will no longer make sense. I think it was a valid question, not "cheeky."

krschultz 18y ago
You say "When" as if it is a foregone conclusion. Firefox has been arguably better for several years, but its growth isn't that explosive anymore. The reality is that a lot of everyday people just don't KNOW or CARE that IE sucks. By being the default installation for all Windows users IE is guaranteed to continue its dominance. I would bet you won't see more than 30% Firefox in the near future. And Apple would have to really give Microsoft a punch in the face for Safari to get 30% of the browser market.
- cabalamat 18y ago
  I know loads of people who aren't techies by any means but use or are considering using Firefox or Apple or Ubuntu. I can easily imagine Firefox getting 30% market share.
jm4 18y ago
It makes sense for Microsoft to continue to develop IE because they are capable of doing so and they also want to be a major player in the web applications market. Having control of a platform is a huge advantage when developing software targeting that platform. There isn't a chance they're going to let go of IE. Don't underestimate Microsoft. They haven't let IE stagnate over the years out of incompetence. It was a conscious business decision to do so. Why should they devote resources keeping up to date when they can sit on their asses and still maintain a huge lead? They had almost no real competition for years. They were sure to lose some market share to Firefox anyway simply because there are people that will always choose to use open source software when it is available. The much larger market of average users is still very much loyal to Microsoft because Windows and IE is what comes preinstalled on their computers. It will be much longer before a real dent is made in that segment of the market. There is way too much room in the browser market for just one player so Microsoft was bound to eventually lose some market share when a competitor came along. There's still really no cause for concern on their part. I'm sure this is what they expected. Now they're going to pick up the pace again after having saved years of development expenses.
- blasdel 18y ago
  If there is one thing Microsoft doesn't care about it is saving money or resources.

krschultz 18y ago

You say "When" as if it is a foregone conclusion. Firefox has been arguably better for several years, but its growth isn't that explosive anymore. The reality is that a lot of everyday people just don't KNOW or CARE that IE sucks. By being the default installation for all Windows users IE is guaranteed to continue its dominance. I would bet you won't see more than 30% Firefox in the near future. And Apple would have to really give Microsoft a punch in the face for Safari to get 30% of the browser market.

cabalamat 18y ago
I know loads of people who aren't techies by any means but use or are considering using Firefox or Apple or Ubuntu. I can easily imagine Firefox getting 30% market share.

jm4 18y ago

It makes sense for Microsoft to continue to develop IE because they are capable of doing so and they also want to be a major player in the web applications market. Having control of a platform is a huge advantage when developing software targeting that platform. There isn't a chance they're going to let go of IE. Don't underestimate Microsoft. They haven't let IE stagnate over the years out of incompetence. It was a conscious business decision to do so. Why should they devote resources keeping up to date when they can sit on their asses and still maintain a huge lead? They had almost no real competition for years. They were sure to lose some market share to Firefox anyway simply because there are people that will always choose to use open source software when it is available. The much larger market of average users is still very much loyal to Microsoft because Windows and IE is what comes preinstalled on their computers. It will be much longer before a real dent is made in that segment of the market. There is way too much room in the browser market for just one player so Microsoft was bound to eventually lose some market share when a competitor came along. There's still really no cause for concern on their part. I'm sure this is what they expected. Now they're going to pick up the pace again after having saved years of development expenses.

blasdel 18y ago
If there is one thing Microsoft doesn't care about it is saving money or resources.