At twenty years old, Firefox’s fur is no longer very shiny. While in 2009, at the height of its popularity, the software was adopted by almost a third of Internet users, now its user base has completely melted. With a market share, in 2023, on all devices combined, of 2.65% (compared to 66.7% for Google Chrome), it is only the fourth browser in the hearts of Internet users.
This disenchantment, as well as two waves of layoffs in February and November in different sectors of the Mozilla foundation, including the one that manages the development of Firefox, Mozilla Corporation, even raise the possibility of extinction. A situation that contrasts with the determination of its users, many of whom have attested to the Worldwho know exactly why they keep using it.
It must be said that Firefox was very famous in its beginnings. The browser emerged on November 9, 2004 from the ashes of Netscape, from which it borrowed part of the code base. Considered fast and secure, it democratizes a number of features and sets the benchmark for modern browsers.
All roads lead to Chrome
“It was free software, fast, with tabs, when it was an innovation, and endless extensions”recalls Maël, 43 years old, digital project manager. The native blocker of pop-up windows (those windows that appear alone and that some sites abuse for advertising purposes) is also a strong argument of the software against its main competitor, Internet Explorer, then in an almost monopoly position but the object of ridicule due to its slowness and lack of security.
But Firefox, in turn, is beginning to be considered obsolete, obsolete. in particular by a new actor, who appeared in 2008 and whose rise seems irresistible. “I discovered Google Chrome when I was a teenager. It was a much faster browser than the others and I let myself be tempted”says Marie, 24 years old. In response, Mozilla will carry out a major technical revamp in 2017, which puts its browser on equal footing with its competitors in terms of performance. However, the effort is insufficient to stop the erosion of its user base.
On mobile phones, which today represent almost two-thirds of global Internet traffic, the browser also fails to establish itself. Disadvantaged by the ubiquity of Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS, it never surpasses usage percentage. “Since March, European legislation has forced several phones to ask which browser you want to install at the time of purchase.However, Sylvestre Ledru, Mozilla’s engineering director, qualifies. Since then, on iOS, we’ve seen a 25% increase in users and a 51% increase in daily active users. »
You have 63.62% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
