Timeline: 15 years of the web browser

Important points in the history of the web browser

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Here is a look back at the 15 years of wars, lawsuits, and standards the web browser has brought us.

Febuary 9, 2004

The Mozilla Foundation released a beta version of Firefox - dubbed Firebox 0.8 - that would soon catch on as a speedy alternative to Internet Explorer.

By 2004, Microsoft had more than 87 percent of the browser market, according to Janco Associates. But within six months of this release, Firefox was the preferred browser among techies, winning awards at Linuxworld Expo and being dubbed hot by Wired Magazine.

Firefox grew in popularity, and today this free, open source browser has 19.2 percent market share.

December 13, 2007

Opera filed a complaint with the European Commission (headed by Neelie Kroes, shown here), claiming that Microsoft violates antitrust laws by integrating Internet Explorer into the Windows operating system and by failing to follow open web standards.

Microsoft has offered to provide its customers with a menu of available browsers to download rather than installing Internet Explorer by default in Windows 7. The EC says it hopes to settle the case before year's end.

Broadband speed test

NEXT PAGE: Web browsers top internet vulnerability list

1. We chart some of the most important points in the history of the web browser
2. Microsoft muscles in
3. Mozilla's creation
4. AOL buys Netscape
5. Firefox is released
6. Web browsers top internet vulnerability list
7. Microsoft releases IE8
8. Netscape founder backs new browser