Chrome, Firefox edge IE in browser reliability test

Recent versions of Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox are measurably less prone to crashes and errors than Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10, a new analysis by applications testing firm Sauce Labs has found.

If this looks like another stick to beat Microsoft's browser with, it is worth pointing out that the firm's study of around 55 million tests run using the Selenium platform found that all browsers showed extremely low levels of errors, in the order of 0.12 percent or lower for the "worst" performer, Apple's Safari 6.

On the same scale, Opera 12 scored 0.08 percent, IE10 at 0.05 percent, Chrome 27 under 0.02 percent, with Firefox was so low it effectively achieved a remarkable zero, that is to say no errors at all. IE lagged its main rivals but at levels that were already extremely low.

As interesting as the reliability figures was the level of improvement shown by these recent versions, some only months or even weeks old.

Internet Explorer 6 (released in 2001 with XP) and 7 (2007) had previously been the worst performers on 0.3 percent each, behind Firefox on Opera 10 (2009) and Firefox 7 (2011) and IE8 (2009) on just under 0.25 percent. It is remarkable that all of these are still used by small percentages of global browser users, but they are also aging software vulnerable to issues more serious than how often they might crash.

"Half of the browser versions we analyzed had error rates lower than 0.07 percent. That's pretty low, and suggests that browsers are getting more reliable as more versions come out," said Luren Nguyen of Sauce Labs.

Despite lagging slightly, IE had also shown major improvement over time.

"Microsoft has really been pushing their new version of Internet Explorer as the most modern and high-performing version of IE. You've may have seen their nostalgia-tinged IE 10 commercial. The data we have on browser error rates suggests that their claims may have quite a bit of merit," she said.

The absolute level of errors in these tests is an imperfect way to measure browser reliability some might argue (can the errors be proved to be the browser's fault and not the testing suite's?), but the comparative measurement won't be coincidence. Errors, which usually result in a crash of some kind, are caused by bugs in the browser code.

Do error rates really matter? Only when they occur, which seems to be rarely these days.

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Chrome challenges Firefox, may become No. 2 browser

Mozilla's Firefox browser has lost more than 11 percent of its user share in the last two months, giving Google's Chrome another shot at replacing it as the world's No. 2 browser, according to new data.

Statistics from Web measurement company Net Applications illustrated a rapid decline in Firefox and a corresponding upswing in Chrome during June and July.

At the end of July, Firefox owned a 18.3 percent share of all desktop browsers, down 2.3 percentage points in just two months, a decline of about 11 percent. Meanwhile, Chrome's user share stood at 17.8 percent, up 2 points since May and its highest mark since October 2012.

The half-percentage-point gap between Firefox and Chrome was the smallest since May 2012, when it appeared certain that the latter would overtake Firefox to become the No. 2 browser behind Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

In fact, Net Applications for a few hours in early June 2012 reported Chrome ahead of Firefox, but retracted the claim after revised numbers showed Chrome trailed Firefox by just one-tenth of a percentage point.

That was Chrome's moment in the spotlight: Starting in June 2012, Google's browser began shedding share, falling to a low of 15.7 percent in May 2013. Firefox fared slightly better, but has also lost share in the last 12 months.

Most of the losses posted by Firefox and Chrome have gone to a resurgent Internet Explorer (IE). In the past year, IE has climbed 2.7 points to a 56.6 percent share, an impressive 4.7 points above its all-time low in December 2011.

Analysts have credited IE's comeback to IE9 and IE10, the popular 2011 and 2012 editions, and the widespread adoption of Windows 7, which can run both those browsers.

If Firefox and Chrome continue the trends they've set in the last 90 days, Chrome will bypass Firefox this month; the longer-range 12-month trend would delay that until April 2014.

When mobile browsers are combined with those on the desktop, Google has already stolen second place from Mozilla.

According to Net Applications, about 12.4 percent of all users reached the Internet in July from a mobile browser, the highest percentage since February. Google's browsers—Chrome on desktops and mobile devices, and the stock Android browser on smartphones—accounted for a combined share of 18.7 percent. Mozilla, which has no measurable share on mobile—though it offers Firefox on Android—owned 16.1 percent of the overall browser market.

Another Web measurement firm, Ireland's StatCounter, long ago called Chrome the winner over not only Firefox, but also IE. For July, StatCounter pegged Chrome with a 43.1percent share, with IE and Firefox far behind at 24.5 percent and 20.1 percent, respectively.

Unlike Net Applications, which calculates browser user share by tracking unique visitors, StatCounter measures page views. The two methodologies have generated increasingly-divergent figures for IE and Chrome. StatCounter's data, however, may indicate that Chrome users browse the Web more often or for longer periods than those who rely on IE or Firefox.

Chrome's in hot pursuit of Firefox for the No. 2 spot in browser user share. In July it closed to within half a percentage point of Firefox, the narrowest gap in over a year. (Data: Net Applications.)

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news.
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Mozilla to ship 'Metro-ized' Firefox Dec. 10

Mozilla will launch Firefox for Microsoft’s Windows 8 “Modern” user interface in mid-December, more than a year after the operating system’s launch, according to the open-source developer’s planning documents.

Called the “Preview Release,” the touch-ready browser will be packaged with Firefox 26 for the Windows desktop. Firefox 26 is slated to ship Dec. 10.

Work on the browser—a so-called “Metro-ized” version of Firefox—will continue up until release, Mozilla said in notes from a planning meeting Wednesday published on its website.

Before the final release of Firefox 26, Mozilla will pair the Modern version with the browser’s “Aurora” and “Beta” channel builds, which are to release Sept. 16 and Oct. 28, respectively. At each step, Mozilla will quash bugs and possibly respond to user feedback with changes.

Mozilla started work on a Modern edition of Firefox, one that would run in the user interface (UI) once known as Metro, more than a year ago. The open-source developer released a rough preview in October 2012, several weeks before Microsoft shipped Windows 8.

At the time, Mozilla’s schedule claimed that the Firefox app might appear as early as January 2013. In May, the company said its developers would complete Firefox for Modern between Oct. 2, 2013, and March 20, 2014, with mid-November the likeliest date.

Third-party browser makers face unique hurdles in Windows 8. Only the default browser—which is set by the user—can run in the Modern UI; during setup, Windows 8 assigns Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) as the default browser; when Windows 8.1 ships in October, IE11 will be set as the default.

Even so, Mozilla has said it’s important that it have a Modern browser app to remain competitive. Google, for instance, has had a Windows 8 Modern version of Chrome since June 2012.

Windows RT, the touch-only spin-off designed for tablets, is a different story. Unlike Windows 8, Windows RT bars all third-party developers from accessing the limited “desktop” mode; only Microsoft’s programmers can call the APIs there, which they do to power much of the Modern version of IE on the tablet OS.

A year ago Mozilla accused Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior by purposefully blocking others from building browsers that could effectively compete with IE10 on Windows RT. That may be moot at this point, as Windows RT has struggled even more than its bigger brother, Windows 8, and increasingly looks moribund at best, a bad bet by Microsoft at worst.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news.
More by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

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Bogus Chrome, Firefox extensions pilfer social media accounts

Trend Micro has found two malicious browser extensions that hijack Twitter, Facebook and Google+ accounts.

The attackers plant links on social media sites that, if clicked, implore users to install a video player update. It is a common method hackers use to bait people into downloading malicious software.

The bogus video player update lures people in a macabre manner: it says it leads to a video of a young woman committing suicide, according to Trend's description.

The video player update carries a cryptographic signature that is used to verify that an application came from a certain developer and has not been modified, wrote Don Ladores, a threat response engineer, with Trend.

"It is not yet clear if this signature was fraudulently issued, or a valid organization had their signing key compromised and used for this type of purpose," he wrote.

Hackers often try to steal legitimate digital certificates from other developers in an attempt to make their malware look less suspicious.

If the video update is executed, the malware then installs a bogus Firefox or Chrome extension depending on which browser the victim uses.

The malicious plugins try to appear legitimate, bearing the names Chrome Service Pack 5.0.0 and the Mozilla Service Pack 5.0. Ladores wrote that Google now blocks the extension that uses its name. Another variation of the extension claims it is the F-Secure Security Pack 6.1.0, a fake product from the Finnish security vendor.

The plugins connect to another website and download a configuration file, which allow them to steal the login credentials from a victim's social networking accounts such as Facebook, Google+, and Twitter. The attackers can then perform a variety of actions, such as like pages, share posts, update statuses and post comments, Ladores wrote.

Send news tips and comments to jeremy_kirk@idg.com. Follow me on Twitter: @jeremy_kirk

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