Bill Gates Must Die!

This week has seen the long awaited official release of the Mozilla Firefox 1.0 web browser. Firefox is an alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) and has begun to eat away at Bill Gates' virtual monopoly of the market. Even before the official release, 8 million people downloaded the Preview Version and Firefox developers are apparently hoping to control 10% of the browser market by the end of the year, an ambitious, but not unattainable, objective.

The main reason for its success is simple, Firefox is just a much better programme than IE. I've been running various earlier versions of the programme for some months and I can't speak highly enough of it. It's difficult to put your finger on exactly what is better about it, but once you start using Firefox, going back to IE simply doesn't feel right.

The rise of Firefox is also important because it demonstrates the strength of free, open source software. As the Guardian notes, it is this that has Microsoft worried: "Firefox is dangerous because it represents more than just another rival to Microsoft's browser: it is also a showcase of how good free software can be." There are non-proprietary programmes to fulfill all the functions people currently use Microsoft programmes for and many of them are far better. Based on these fears, Microsoft has responded to the challenge not by seeking to develop a better product but by abusing its market power and massive wealth.

What I'm trying to say in a roundabout way, is dump IE and get Firefox. You won't regret it.