At a time when the browser war is in the spotlight, there’s now a study that says Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has surpassed Netscape Navigator in market share. Research by management consulting group Positive Support Review found that since September, IE’s share rose to 63% from 42%, while Navigator fell from 54% to 36%. PSR’s study is a landmark one as it is the first to give the edge to Microsoft, while most other research firms hold that Netscape has maintained at least a slim lead. Netscape, predictably, dismisses the results of the study, asserting that it lacks credibility and insisting that its market share is still in the mid-60s percent range. Microsoft greeted the results with subdued optimism, ahead of Monday’s contempt of court hearing in its fight with the US Department of Justice over the bundling of IE with Windows. Whether the findings of the study carry much weight or not, skeptics who might think that Redmond was behind the study should keep in mind that it could only damage Microsoft’s position in the antitrust matter to openly declare it has outright beaten Netscape in the browser struggle.
