Firefox tipped to topple IE

A fifth of the UK's 35 million business and home internet users are predicted to switch from Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser to Mozilla's open source Firefox product before the end of the year, according to a new report.

Consulting firm BDO Stoy Hayward claims figures from some sources in the US of over 20 per cent of internet users converting from IE to Firefox could easily be replicated in the UK because of increasing concerns over security and privacy.

Dr Peter Chadha, technology expert at BDO Stoy Hayward's business systems advice group, said the innovation and security of Firefox is a significant development for both business and home users.

"Firefox isn't totally secure as no browser can be, especially if it runs on Windows, which is the world's top digital target. But, in short, Firefox has better security and privacy, and we are actively working with clients to reduce their IT costs by incorporating Firefox into their environments," he said in a statement.

He also accused Microsoft of letting IE become out of date since the last major upgrade to the browser with version 6 in 2001.

A US study from earlier this week also shows Firefox continuing to gain market share at the expense of IE. Online measurement company WebSideStory found Firefox use among surfers rose to 4.78 per cent from December and January.

However, while IE usage declined 0.7 per cent, it still retains a massive dominant share of the market at 92.7 per cent.