Firefox is slaying the IE dragon (albeit very slowly).

All I can say is "Thank God" ANYONE who uses IE for authentication on websites should be sent back to computer-ed and have their surfing license ripped up.

might be all those iphones they sold this year with safari being the first button on the screen.......

Nothing to do with the fact people have been off work at Christmas then? You know away from those nasty work desktops.

Don't you mean 67.11 percentage points? 67.11 per cent is something else...

Steve: Because he won't be at MacWorld this year.

... or could it be that more suckers updated their iTunes and didn't uncheck Safari? ;)

Anyway, it is interesting to see that IE is slowly, but surely, losing supermajority status in the browser market. It might mean that more average users are actually using Firefox/Opera/Chrome/Safari instead of sticking with the default tripe (IE).

Of course, it also means that there might be more suckers using AdBlock, which might mean that some ad-supported sites might start doing nasty stuff...

Nothing to do with Apple pushing safari installs with itunes I'm sure...

"Apple pushing safari installs with itunes"

Could be, but that would explain only *installs*, not usage of the browser. Which is what was measured. Obviously.

Now, Chrome passing 1% already, that sounds pretty impressive, I think...

There is a database on my work Intranet that ONLY works with Netscape.

"Of course, it also means that there might be more suckers using AdBlock, which might mean that some ad-supported sites might start doing nasty stuff..."

Don't you think you've put the cart somewhere before the horse there? The likes of adblock [plus] came along because they were *already* doing nasty stuff. epilepsy-inducing flashing banners, floating uncloseable popups, popunders, unwelcome sounds suddenly blaring out, browser hangs while something phones home... Adblock was what they deserved.

By all means don't count the computers people chose to spend THEIR OWN hard earned money on... yes, count the computers they're forced to use at work - that's how to count personal preference.

What a joke.

All I can say is "Thank God" ANYONE who uses IE for authentication on websites should be sent back to computer-ed and have their surfing license ripped up.

Except for websites that wont on any thing else.

From your report it looks as if the study is conflating Safari and Mac use. Putting aside Safari for Windows, isn't it likely that the Safari upswing is partly/largely due to Safari on iPhones and iPod Touches?

The iPhone has made me wish I never purchased Apple - it is the crappiest piece of bling on the market, sort of says it all for Apple nowdays.

"Except for websites that wont on any thing else" - whatever that may mean.

Perhaps you meant "except for shit websites written by incompetent developers".

If you look at the browser versions information, Safari for Windows constitutes only 0.34 percentage points for the month so, no, it doesn't have anything to do with being 'pushed' alongside iTunes installs on Windows PCs.

Apple's overpriced iProducts that all the iDiots buy...?

I bet 99% of the increase is due to iphones and ipods.

"Use of Apple's Safari browser grew in December to 7.93 per cent, up from 7.13 per cent in November, suggesting a parallel growth in adoption of Mac OS X..."

And which marketing idiot came up with that "suggestion"? Increased usage of Safari, a browser available on multiple platforms (at least Mac OS X, iPhone, and MS Windows), speaks only of Safari. It says nothing about OS X. Using that logic, I could claim that increased Firefox usage suggests a parallel growth in adoption of Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. I don't make such a claim because I'm not an idiot.

However you are incapable of looking at the original data which is linked to in the article - OS X share also increased (again) this month in Net applications metrics, whereas Windows fell. Ergo, it is a reasonable assumption to make that increased use of Safari is partly if not largely down to increased use of Macs. Especially as the figures are available for the iPhone and iPod as separate OSes to Mac OS X and they do not see a significant jump in usage over the prior month to account for all that much of the increase in Safari's usage.

Therefore, one can only make the claim from the evidence that, yes you are in fact an idiot.

...the figures do suggest increased Mac OS usage:

http://marketshare.hitslink.com/os-market-share.aspx?qprid=9

Where has Webster gone, anyway? Or is he just posting anonymously nowadays?

<quote>

By all means don't count the computers people chose to spend THEIR OWN hard earned money on... yes, count the computers they're forced to use at work - that's how to count personal preference.

</quote>

No, the point was that less people are at work, and therefore do more of their surfing at home.

That is, of course, you know of a way to tell a work computer from a home one?

Paris, cos it makes no difference where her noxt victim is

Don't forget that many mobiles use Safari as browser, like Iphone, and even some Nokia's, such as my E90.. That accounts for some of the increase. As for IE's descent, it's still a wonder that it's still in the 60's.. Then again, people don't learn.

-turgut

some Nokia's, such as my E90

Net Applications doesn't count Nokia traffic. Not counting one of the most used operating systems in use today makes these stats kind of useless.

If by 'suggesting', you mean possibly coinciding, but they don't actually know, then yes, I guess so. Safari for Windows and Safari on the iPhone are more likely to be the big drivers of this growth, as any fule no...

Plenty of people got Ipods for Christmas so installed Itunes and didn't untick the Safari box. Then they tried it out. Nothing to do with OSX.