Webkit now more popular than Firefox

[takemehomegrandma]

Just wanted to highlight the fact that the Webkit browsers (Webkit also being the engine used in the MorphOS web browser Odyssey) now seems to be more popular than Firefox.

Webkit is very popular, due to (among other things):
-Its good performance
-Its good HTML5/CSS3 support and new standards
-Its fast development pace

In many ways, Webkit is leading the way, pushing the envelope. It's a very young browser engine, only a few years old, but it has *quickly* gained ground and popularity. I guess it doesn't hurt having the two giants Apple and Google pushing it forward!

But just how much ground has it gained in these few years?

Well, individual statistics may vary depending on source, but if you weight various sources together it seems that the Webkit based Chrome and Safari browsers beat Firefox in popularity some time during December 2011.

Here is statistics from W3Counter (click to enlarge):



This shows how the Webkit browsers positions themselves way ahead of Firefox, and actually just a mere 1.1% from Internet Explorer.

Here are some statistics from StatCounter Global Stats (click to enlarge):



This graph shows how the Webkit Chrome browser *alone* is bigger than Firefox, also see news about it here (from 1st December, 2011):
http://gs.statcounter.com/press/chrome-overtakes-firefox-globally-for-first-time

If you add Safari on top of Chrome, the Webkit graph for December 2011 would rise to 33.35%, only a mere 5% below IE.

The graphs go back a full year, and you can clearly spot the trend for both Webkit and Firefox.

And according to this site, the Chrome browser version 15 even knocked Internet Explorer 8 off the throne as *THE* most popular web browser in the world, see news about it here (from 15th December, 2011):
http://gs.statcounter.com/press/chrome-15-becomes-worlds-most-popular-browser

These first two sources of statistics are examples of *mainstream* statistics, measuring all kinds of *general* users. But here is a graph I put together myself, based on the data found on Browser Statistics on W3Schools (click to enlarge):



This data comes from the world's biggest reference site for Web Developers, always top-ranked in Google searches for HTML/CSS/JS etc info. I would guess that this is probably why Internet Explorer scored relatively low; Web Developers and advanced users have traditionally avoided IE (because its reluctance to follow standards and doesn't keep up in current development) and they have preferred Firefox, much because of the flexible and useful developer tools you can use with this browser.

But in December 2011 the Webkit has taken over also in this population! And the trend, ranging back two whole years, speaks its clear language!

This is the engine used in Fabien Coeurjoly's *excellent* web browser Odyssey! It is extremely fun, coming from the Amiga heritage where you have been in the back-water of the computer industry since 1995, to see how a MorphOS browser displays CSS3 *better* than Internet Explorer 9, but in "the iBrowse style", with all the tools you need and with the native MUI GUI, the configuration possibilities, Arexx, etc.

*Extremely* satisfactory!

:pint:

[commodorejohn]

...huzzah? I dunno, I've never pledged my undying loyalty to a layout engine. Firefox does what I need, doesn't do anything else that would annoy me, and is available on every system I want it on short of my A1200. (I do wonder how things would stack up if you did Webkit browsers versus all Gecko browsers instead of just the most popular.)

[drHirudo]

Yep, Firefox started playing on my nerves recently. Especially with the frequent updates that made previous plugins unworkable.
No wonder it's loosing popularity.

[takemehomegrandma]

Firefox does what I need, doesn't do anything else that would annoy me

While Firefox 9 indeed shows HTML5/CSS3 better than IE9, it's almost just as slow. It takes forever to start and feels incredibly bulky.

IMHO of course...

[mfilos]

Seems just fine for me. Never had issues with latency or bulkiness except some earlier versions (5, or 6 iirc that had some issues with some NVidia drivers crashing at some cases).
Xmarks, Firebug, FlagFox and IE Tabs are just full of win plugins. Never bothered with heavy plugins installations or Personas.
For me Firefox it's just fine, and matured much over the years. Opinions ofc differ but it's true that many peepz are turning to Chrome these days.

[commodorejohn]

While Firefox 9 indeed shows HTML5/CSS3 better than IE9, it's almost just as slow. It takes forever to start and feels incredibly bulky.

Huh. As TenFourFox 9 it seems fairly snappy even on a 2x800MHz G4, and I never had any problems with it as IceWeasel, either. I use FF1.5 on my Eee, because 9 definitely is too much for a 1.6GHz Atom and a crappy Intel GMA chipset, but then that's true of any versions from 2 on up. On newer Windows systems I've never noticed any performance problems with it.

[Krischan76]

Whereas Chrome has the tendency to freeze for a sec when opening more than one tab on my Eee (just like Firefox), I've never had any problems with the Norwegian underdog, so I almost exclusively run Opera on it.

I've never trusted the Klingons, and I never will. Therefore Chrome is for me almost as untouchable as IE. But then, I am just a silly user without deeper knowledge. Fashion comes and goes, and we Amigans know that not always the most popular is simultaneously the best.

[tone007]

I am proud to be enjoying the number one browser in the world! Woo!

I only use Firefox when I happen to be running Linux, like on my newly modded McDonald's cash register.

[commodorejohn]

I've never trusted the Klingons, and I never will. Therefore Chrome is for me almost as untouchable as IE. But then, I am just a silly user without deeper knowledge. Fashion comes and goes, and we Amigans know that not always the most popular is simultaneously the best.

I'm with you there. By all accounts Chrome is a solid piece of software, but I'm not going to do my bit in contributing to Google's ever-growing dominance of the Internet...

[TheBilgeRat]

While Firefox 9 indeed shows HTML5/CSS3 better than IE9, it's almost just as slow. It takes forever to start and feels incredibly bulky.

IMHO of course...

I'm right there with you.  My favorite FF only plugin, Downthemall, was the only reason I haven't thrown FF completely to the curb.  Even still, I'm more apt these days to just download without it.

[mihcael]

... Therefore Chrome is for me almost as untouchable as IE. But then, I am just a silly user without deeper knowledge. Fashion comes and goes, and we Amigans know that not always the most popular is simultaneously the best.

Agree with everything here.

Chrome may be a very good browser but AFAIK it is also a very good piece of spyware, don't people see this?

[gertsy]

Hmm, once again "Market Share" and "Popularity" merge.
Whether its market share or browser usage statistics, this category, and that category equalise the figures.  Marketing magic makes any product popular.
In my view a good browser is one you are comfortable with and does what you want all of the time.  Consistency is the key.

Signed // on the y-axis.

[persia]

Yep, dumped Firefox a year ago, it's slow and buggy compared to Chrome.  All our installs across the university now include only the default browser (IE on MS Windows, Safari on Mac) and Chrome, with the recommendation to use Chrome.

Times change, the world moves on, Firefox is yesterday's browser...

[motrucker]

Chrome is great if you don't mind Google eyeballing all of your information. Obviously too many people don't read the fine print any more.....
Firefox runs very fast on my machines, and it has much better security.

[klx300r]

don't give a rats arse about popularity contests but in my house Firefox rules on my PC's period so it's no surprise that I'm very excited about Timberwolf coming to my miggy:afro: