I love The Register !The open source community is in a state of shock this morning at the news that Microsoft has
released a version of popular browser Firefox.
The audacious move, which pretty well guarantees Redmond control of
the entire browser market, will be received with dismay among those who
previously believed that the might of Bill Gates' chequebook could, and
should, be resisted.
Naturally, Microsoft has made some improvements to the product, and the new features offered to Firefox fans include:
Simplified user experience
Microsoft Firefox presents a noticeably simpler, more streamlined,
less cluttered interface than all other browsers. The introduction of
the Cut Away Effect™ randomly disables the rendering of 9/10 of
Microsoft Firefox [and] helps to reduce the strain on system resources.
This also maximizes the area of the screen devoted to the desktop that
you want to see and makes performing the most common computing tasks
easy.
Amazing marginal manipulation
Automatically scales a printed margin so that it's not wider than
the paper it will be printed on. Microsoft Firefox also includes a
multi-page margin preview with live margins, resizing margins to avoid
margin clipping, and an option to print only selected margins. Never
have you seen a more robust margin technology in one small package.
Instant search box
Web searches using your favorite Microsoft search provider can now
be entered into a search box within the toolbar. By eliminating the
clutter of other search engines, you can easily choose a REAL reliable
Microsoft provider from the drop-down list.
Tabbed browsing
View multiple Microsoft sites in a single browser window. Easily
switch from one Microsoft site to another through tabs at the top of
the browser frame.
Seems plausible enough. Of course, it's in the area of security where MS Firefox really scores:
Dynamic security protection
Microsoft Firefox 2007 provides security through a robust new
architecture, security features that help defend against malicious
software, and new ways to better protect against the theft of personal
data from fraudulent websites, a practice known as Googling.
Third party opt-in
Disables nearly all pre-installed non-Microsoft software to prevent
potentially vulnerable controls from being exposed to attack. You can
easily enable or disable required programs as needed through the Add-on
Manager by using any valid credit card.
Security status bar
Enhances awareness of website security and privacy settings by
displaying colour-coded notifications next to the address bar.
Microsoft Firefox changes the address bar to green for websites bearing
the Microsoft Partnership Certificate, indicating the site owner has
completed extensive identity and friendship verification checks.
Googling filter notifications, certificate names, and the gold padlock
icon are now also adjacent to the address bar for better visibility.
Googling filter
Proactively warns and helps protect you against potential or known
fraudulent sites such as Google.com, blocks the site and shuts down
your computer if necessary. The filter is updated several times per
hour using the latest security information from Microsoft.
Delete browsing history
Allows you to clean up cached pages, passwords, form data, cookies,
and history of illegal warez and propaganda sites - all from a single
window.
Address bar protection
Every window, whether it's a pop-up or standard window, will present
an address bar to the user, helping to block malicious sites such as
Yahoo.com.
Parental controls
To help keep kids safer online, parents can control browsing
behavior through the parental control settings built into Microsoft
Firefox with an extensive range of options - on or off. Force your
child to browse educational Microsoft based content sites only.
Teaching your children programming for "native Javascript objects for
rich AJAX-style applications" has never been easier. Browsing sessions
are automatically examined by Microsoft marketing representatives 24/7.
Microsoft Firefox is available for download
here. Please note it won't run on Mac or Linux.
Please note it won't run on Mac or Linux. 
