IE9 has competition - Firefox 3.7 Alpha 1!

I downloaded a program that davehc recommended for managing downloads, and with it came a wonderful surprise. There is an program updater within the download, and although you don't have to use it, out of being curious, I checked it out. I had 12 programs out of date, and this seemed odd, being that I just installed XP Media Center Edition on my notebook last week.

But one of the updates was like finding a jewel on the ground, Firefox has matched IE by offering their Alpha download (FF 3.7 Alpha 1). It's a little raw, as the IE9 preview is. But FF is showing that they are not going to just lay down for anyone, even IE. And unlike the IE9 platform, you may download the source code for yourself, if anyone knows what to do with it (I don't), but they are showing their dedication to the future, and from the looks of things, IE has a long battle ahead of them shaking off the competition.

Cat

Providing source code can be a two-edged sword. Developers can take advantage of the openness to streamline code etc but on the otherhand hackers can use it to find and exploit weaknesses.

That's true, but in my opinion FOSS developers have a better track record of plugging those holes. Closed source approach hasn't exactly made IE the safest browser around in the past.

I can't say I have any interest in IE, whether it's closed source or open, until it goes cross-platform.

How very true! IE is and always been closed source, but look at IE's track record. They do take action to address issues, but usually they're announced a week or so in advance by someone (sometimes a leaked source, sometimes not). Firefox just simply "fixes" things, without having a press release over it. I have FF 3.6.4 (beta), the updates comes in whenever one is necessary. I mean, if there's fixes to apply, why announce a date for them to be applied? Fix them on the run, as each update is ready, instead of giving the bad guys advance notice, so further damage is done. That's what FF does, and their approach to these things is better, as they show they're working in a state of urgency. MS is too much interested in press releases for everything, I guess to look good?

LOL!!