Here’s the question; what is your default browser?  Is it Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera or something else? Browser behavior is a shifting segment right now as more entrants come onto the playing field, and mobile introduces new forms of web browsing.  Currently, IE and Firefox are still on top with 52.81% and 22.48% respectively, though they have suffered a decline in users as others are now utilizing Chrome with 13.45% and Safari with 8.05%.

The large amount of IE users is from the fact that IE is the default browser for Windows and few people actually exert effort in trying out other browsers, as is the case for Apple devices and the Safari browser as well.  However, there are not that many Mac users for Safari to dominate the browser wars.  Other browsers like Firefox and Chrome offer worthy alternatives, though Firefox is only now approaching mainstream appeal, whereas Chrome is still attracting the early adopter crowd.

IE6-IE8 users have significantly dropped but the drop is attributed to users moving to IE9, which is actually good news for Microsoft.  If this continues, IE9 will be able to challenge Firefox and Chrome’s service from a feature standpoint.

“IE9 has now reached almost 25% share on Windows 7 in the US in July. Worldwide, IE9 usage share on Windows 7 is now over 18% for July, leading the pack among the recent browser releases.

“The results, a composite organization of 50,000 desktops based on these companies could expect to save over $3.3 million from migrating to IE9 based upon IE9’s superior malware protection capabilities among other things,” says Roger Capriotti, Director of Internet Explorer Marketing for Microsoft.

Mozilla is one of the big boys now, and plans on sticking around.  The open source browser has unveiled a new interface for Firefox 9 and other future versions.  The new interface actually resembles Chrome at first glance, but it’s much like IE9 if you take a closer look.  The revamped browser features a new Settings menu that provides easy access to add-ons, web apps, and primary surfing functions that replaces the Big Orange Firefox Button.  The reason for the UI revamp is to make Firefox more usable.

Google’s got big plans for its web-based portals, including its Chrome browser.  Chrome 13 boasts of faster Google search with Instant Pages, which works by preloading the first search result after entering a query into Google.  Print previewing for both Windows and Linux builds have also been added, while the Mac support was still enroute, Google said.  Several improvements were also made to the browser’s “omnibox,” which combines the traditionally separate address and search boxes.

Some people think that browsers are just browsers and using whatever browser doesn’t make much of a difference, but it does, especially when it comes to security.  Browsers actually offer a layer of protection from malware, and are becoming another line of defense with the rise of hacks and malware attacks.   An independent test by NSS Labs found that IE8 and 9 proved to be the most secured browser as it is equipped with the Smartscreen URL Filter a cloud-based system that checks URLs against a master database and the SmartScreen Application Reputation which offers browser users a remarkably effective level of download block protection.

“The significance of Microsoft’s new application reputation technology cannot be overstated. Application Reputation is the first attempt by any vendor to create a definitive list of every application on the Internet.  Browsers provide a layer of protection against socially engineered malware, in addition to endpoint protection products; as this report shows, not all are created equal. The overall lower protection offered by Firefox, Safari, and Chrome is concerning,” the authors conclude.