Internet Explorer 8 Continues to Lead All Web Browsers
Net Applications has published the latest monthly browser market share stats. Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser rebounded for the second month in a row, as both Firefox and Chrome declined in market share--led by IE8 which continues to have the most growth and remains the single most used browser.
During the month of July, Internet Explorer market share globally grew by 0.42 percent, while Firefox fell almost a full percentage point, and Google's Chrome Web browser declined by 0.08 percent. Internet Explorer 8 increased by 0.98 percent globally, and went up 1.38 percent to 42.16 percent in the United States.
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Microsoft MCTS Training bashers and opponents of Internet Explorer are fond of trying to connect the dots and claim that Internet Explorer market share is what it is because the browser is automatically included with the Windows operating system.
There are a few flaws in this argument. First, Windows enjoys a virtual monopoly on the desktop operating system market with over 91 percent; however, Internet Explorer has less than 61 percent of the Web browser market. There is not a one-to-one relationship between Windows and Internet Explorer despite the inclusion of the browser with the operating system.
Second, at least in Europe, Windows users are offered a menu of choices during installation. With twelve browsers to choose from, Internet Explorer is not automatically installed with Windows, so the success of Internet Explorer in Europe can not be tied specifically with the Windows operating system.
The third and arguably most relevant flaw in the Windows-IE connection is that Net Applications is measuring browser usage, not browser installation. Personally, I have Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome, but I use Internet Explorer as my primary browser. If Net Applications reports that Internet Explorer share is rising, it is because more users are surfing the Web using the Microsoft browser, not because more users bought Windows and had no choice.
It is also worth noting that IE8--the browser with the most market share of all when broken down by version--had already captured almost 20 percent of the market before Windows 7 even launched. Since the launch of Windows 7--which has sold more than 150 million units--IE8 has only grown another 10 percent.
Microsoft MCITP Certification Ryan Gavin points out in an Exploring IE blog post about the latest market share stats that "usage share is simply one of several ways we measure our progress with Internet Explorer. Ultimately, we know customers have a choice when it comes to the browser they use, and that choice has a lot to do with the good work that developers and our partners do to build a better Web with Internet Explorer."
Companies aren't necessarily going to make business decisions based on these statistics, but the data is worth making note of for IT admins that are considering changing the default browser used on company PCs, as well as for developers trying to determine which browser platforms represent the target audience when creating Web sites and applications.
Read the views of online Certification Experts, which provide the real questions and correct answer and explanation for the students / professionals who are seeking or enhancing their level of expertise. more at certkingdom.com
August 2, 2010
Internet Explorer 8 Continues to Lead All Web Browsers
Internet Explorer 8 Continues to Lead All Web Browsers
Net Applications has published the latest monthly browser market share stats. Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser rebounded for the second month in a row, as both Firefox and Chrome declined in market share--led by IE8 which continues to have the most growth and remains the single most used browser.
During the month of July, Internet Explorer market share globally grew by 0.42 percent, while Firefox fell almost a full percentage point, and Google's Chrome Web browser declined by 0.08 percent. Internet Explorer 8 increased by 0.98 percent globally, and went up 1.38 percent to 42.16 percent in the United States.
Optimize VMware View VDI Deployments with F5: Download now
Microsoft MCTS Training bashers and opponents of Internet Explorer are fond of trying to connect the dots and claim that Internet Explorer market share is what it is because the browser is automatically included with the Windows operating system.
There are a few flaws in this argument. First, Windows enjoys a virtual monopoly on the desktop operating system market with over 91 percent; however, Internet Explorer has less than 61 percent of the Web browser market. There is not a one-to-one relationship between Windows and Internet Explorer despite the inclusion of the browser with the operating system.
Second, at least in Europe, Windows users are offered a menu of choices during installation. With twelve browsers to choose from, Internet Explorer is not automatically installed with Windows, so the success of Internet Explorer in Europe can not be tied specifically with the Windows operating system.
The third and arguably most relevant flaw in the Windows-IE connection is that Net Applications is measuring browser usage, not browser installation. Personally, I have Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome, but I use Internet Explorer as my primary browser. If Net Applications reports that Internet Explorer share is rising, it is because more users are surfing the Web using the Microsoft browser, not because more users bought Windows and had no choice.
It is also worth noting that IE8--the browser with the most market share of all when broken down by version--had already captured almost 20 percent of the market before Windows 7 even launched. Since the launch of Windows 7--which has sold more than 150 million units--IE8 has only grown another 10 percent.
Microsoft MCITP Certification Ryan Gavin points out in an Exploring IE blog post about the latest market share stats that "usage share is simply one of several ways we measure our progress with Internet Explorer. Ultimately, we know customers have a choice when it comes to the browser they use, and that choice has a lot to do with the good work that developers and our partners do to build a better Web with Internet Explorer."
Companies aren't necessarily going to make business decisions based on these statistics, but the data is worth making note of for IT admins that are considering changing the default browser used on company PCs, as well as for developers trying to determine which browser platforms represent the target audience when creating Web sites and applications.
Net Applications has published the latest monthly browser market share stats. Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser rebounded for the second month in a row, as both Firefox and Chrome declined in market share--led by IE8 which continues to have the most growth and remains the single most used browser.
During the month of July, Internet Explorer market share globally grew by 0.42 percent, while Firefox fell almost a full percentage point, and Google's Chrome Web browser declined by 0.08 percent. Internet Explorer 8 increased by 0.98 percent globally, and went up 1.38 percent to 42.16 percent in the United States.
Optimize VMware View VDI Deployments with F5: Download now
Microsoft MCTS Training bashers and opponents of Internet Explorer are fond of trying to connect the dots and claim that Internet Explorer market share is what it is because the browser is automatically included with the Windows operating system.
There are a few flaws in this argument. First, Windows enjoys a virtual monopoly on the desktop operating system market with over 91 percent; however, Internet Explorer has less than 61 percent of the Web browser market. There is not a one-to-one relationship between Windows and Internet Explorer despite the inclusion of the browser with the operating system.
Second, at least in Europe, Windows users are offered a menu of choices during installation. With twelve browsers to choose from, Internet Explorer is not automatically installed with Windows, so the success of Internet Explorer in Europe can not be tied specifically with the Windows operating system.
The third and arguably most relevant flaw in the Windows-IE connection is that Net Applications is measuring browser usage, not browser installation. Personally, I have Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome, but I use Internet Explorer as my primary browser. If Net Applications reports that Internet Explorer share is rising, it is because more users are surfing the Web using the Microsoft browser, not because more users bought Windows and had no choice.
It is also worth noting that IE8--the browser with the most market share of all when broken down by version--had already captured almost 20 percent of the market before Windows 7 even launched. Since the launch of Windows 7--which has sold more than 150 million units--IE8 has only grown another 10 percent.
Microsoft MCITP Certification Ryan Gavin points out in an Exploring IE blog post about the latest market share stats that "usage share is simply one of several ways we measure our progress with Internet Explorer. Ultimately, we know customers have a choice when it comes to the browser they use, and that choice has a lot to do with the good work that developers and our partners do to build a better Web with Internet Explorer."
Companies aren't necessarily going to make business decisions based on these statistics, but the data is worth making note of for IT admins that are considering changing the default browser used on company PCs, as well as for developers trying to determine which browser platforms represent the target audience when creating Web sites and applications.
July 30, 2010
Nearly half of Microsoft 2010 security patches have known problems
Nearly half of Microsoft 2010 security patches have known problems
Last month's fix of a broken Windows Server patch got me thinking -- just how often does Microsoft release a patch that it knows has problems? The answer: nearly half the time. How often are those problems so severe they fry your system? That's less clear, but it seems as if the answer is, "not all that often."
Microsoft patches with known problemsMicrosoft MCTS Training has so far released 45 updates in 2010, some fixing multiple vulnerabilities. Of them, 20 were released with a known problem (see list below) but of those, only two had issues severe enough to warrant a fix and re-release of the patch altogether. Those two patches were MS10-024 and MS10-025. Both were originally released during April's patch cycle. 024 was re-released in July after users began reporting that the patch hosed their systems and that Microsoft's workarounds didn't work. 025, also originally released in the April Patch Tuesday, was re-released two weeks later.
"The [025] bulletin was rated critical and affected Windows Media Services. On April 21st, Microsoft pulled the bulletin from their webpage as they found the patch did not fully fix the vulnerability as intended. On April 27th, Microsoft re-released the bulletin as it addressed the vulnerability as originally intended. With this bulletin, this had a pretty low impact on administrators as it only affected Windows 2000 SP4 with Windows Media Services installed. This service is not installed by default, so this type of software scenario is typically quite rare," explains Jason Miller, data and security team manager for patch management vendor, Shavlik Technologies, Minneapolis.
The number of re-releases isn't a good indicator of how many bulletins hose a users's systems. As Miller notes, each bulletin may fix multiple vulnerabilities and if Microsoft changes one patch, it may not re-release the whole bulletin. Users might get a cumulative patch bulletin for the product (common for Internet Explorer, for instance). One would assume that these new fixes are rolled into the next service pack, too.
Additionally, Microsoft will re-release a bulletin not because the patch is faulty but because it is updating the list of software known to be affected (usually adding, not subtracting) or because Windows Update is just plain confused. "There are cases where a patch will be detected as missing when it is actually installed. Microsoft MCTS Certification has made changes to patches addressing these detection and deployment issues. If the patch has already been applied, no action is required by the administrator as the vulnerability has been fixed," Miller adds.
Still, I wanted some measure of how many patches cause problems. So I counted the number of bulletins released in 2010 with stated known issues. This doesn't indicate how badly these issues might affect the performance of the machine it was meant to fix. For instance, below is the known issue and its fix for MS10-040, a June patch rated "important" that fixes a hole in IIS.
Last month's fix of a broken Windows Server patch got me thinking -- just how often does Microsoft release a patch that it knows has problems? The answer: nearly half the time. How often are those problems so severe they fry your system? That's less clear, but it seems as if the answer is, "not all that often."
Microsoft patches with known problemsMicrosoft MCTS Training has so far released 45 updates in 2010, some fixing multiple vulnerabilities. Of them, 20 were released with a known problem (see list below) but of those, only two had issues severe enough to warrant a fix and re-release of the patch altogether. Those two patches were MS10-024 and MS10-025. Both were originally released during April's patch cycle. 024 was re-released in July after users began reporting that the patch hosed their systems and that Microsoft's workarounds didn't work. 025, also originally released in the April Patch Tuesday, was re-released two weeks later.
"The [025] bulletin was rated critical and affected Windows Media Services. On April 21st, Microsoft pulled the bulletin from their webpage as they found the patch did not fully fix the vulnerability as intended. On April 27th, Microsoft re-released the bulletin as it addressed the vulnerability as originally intended. With this bulletin, this had a pretty low impact on administrators as it only affected Windows 2000 SP4 with Windows Media Services installed. This service is not installed by default, so this type of software scenario is typically quite rare," explains Jason Miller, data and security team manager for patch management vendor, Shavlik Technologies, Minneapolis.
The number of re-releases isn't a good indicator of how many bulletins hose a users's systems. As Miller notes, each bulletin may fix multiple vulnerabilities and if Microsoft changes one patch, it may not re-release the whole bulletin. Users might get a cumulative patch bulletin for the product (common for Internet Explorer, for instance). One would assume that these new fixes are rolled into the next service pack, too.
Additionally, Microsoft will re-release a bulletin not because the patch is faulty but because it is updating the list of software known to be affected (usually adding, not subtracting) or because Windows Update is just plain confused. "There are cases where a patch will be detected as missing when it is actually installed. Microsoft MCTS Certification has made changes to patches addressing these detection and deployment issues. If the patch has already been applied, no action is required by the administrator as the vulnerability has been fixed," Miller adds.
Still, I wanted some measure of how many patches cause problems. So I counted the number of bulletins released in 2010 with stated known issues. This doesn't indicate how badly these issues might affect the performance of the machine it was meant to fix. For instance, below is the known issue and its fix for MS10-040, a June patch rated "important" that fixes a hole in IIS.
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