The Browser Wars

I've written very recently about the browser wars that are heating up again, what with the recent release of both IE7 and FireFox 2. As I try out these browsers, I realize that add-ons are increasingly important to me. I've been using Firefox (though I'm re-evaluating now), so WeatherFox, Live HTTP Headers, and FireFTP have become staples for me. While trying out both new browsers, I've realized that these add-ons are increasingly important to me and probably also to other users.

Firefox has more than 1,000 extensions, but some of these no longer work in 2.0 and Microsoft is catching up. For Microsoft's launch they have partnered with Trailfire, a recommended IE7 download that is also available for Firefox.

Trailfire is particularly interesting because it allows any user to place comments on any Web page. This is a kind of "blogging in situ". As I've used Trailfire, I've been impressed with the immediacy of comments and had a lot of fun reading others' breadcrumbs. It occurs to me that social add-ons like Trailfire may create a kind of "add-on ecosystem" that lies atop the Internet ecosystem itself. Trailfire is important because it points the way to this new ecosystem.

I've said above that I'm re-evaluating my browser choice. Those of you who know me know that I'm only kidding. I'm still a Firefox fan.

Firefox Extension; Internet Explorer 7 add-on