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In the space of two months the browser has gone from an also-ran to provide the first challenger in many years to the hegemony of Internet Explorer. According to the latest WebSideStory figures, IE's share of worldwide browser usage has dropped from around 96 per cent to 92 per cent. The impact of the final 1.0 release of Firefox is expected to have an even greater impact.

Firefox appears to have gained momentum from a series of widely reported security flaws in IE set against its own claims to be more secure. Nonetheless, it has more to offer then security, not least its rendering speed, tabbed browsing (you have to have used tabs to understand why you cannot browse without them) and the range of extensions that let you add a wide range of custom functions. And if the look does not appeal, a plethora

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of themes are available.

Other key Firefox features include pop-up blocking, clear identification of secure sites, integrated searching of Google, Yahoo!, eBay, Amazon, Dictionary.com and others and Live Bookmarks, which integrate RSS feeds.

'We are delighted to be announcing this major milestone for the Mozilla Foundation and for the Firefox browser, which has been made possible thanks to the tireless effort of hundreds of community volunteers and developers around the world,' said Mitchell Baker, president of the Mozilla Foundation. 'Now millions more will be able to enjoy a better Web experience.'

Firefox's lead developer, Ben Goodger, said the goal has been to create a 'stylish usable browser, making as few compromises as necessary,' which he said was made possible by freedom from commercial constraints.

'I try to think about what people are trying to accomplish, and design the feature so that it helps them as best as possible,' he explained. 'The result is software that works for the most part exactly as you expect it. These things are not easy, but the quality bar has to be set high to be noticed, and in that department I think our focus on detail has paid dividends.'

Firefox 1.0 is available to download or on CD for Linux, Mac and Windows from www.mozilla.org/firefox.