And the kicker: I could also use a Linux system. Windows, Mac, Linux-it makes no difference which platform I choose, I am able to run the same software with essentially the same interface and functionality. Oh, and let's not forget the cost: zero. No license fees, no downtime learning a new tool or juggling data sync.

Mozilla seems to have repurposed an old-school software vendor trick-previously, one of proprietary software's strongest (though frequently unstated) arguments was that it's the path of least resistance: once you were on their system you were essentially married to it as the cost of switching was too high. Mozilla has turned this "negative" benefit on its head: in the past I was loathe to switch (even though I might want to) due to costs incurred, but now I won't switch to another product because there's simply no need to switch! The path of least resistance is now defined with reference to the best tools-in this case, the ones that work across platforms and configurations. The fact that those tools are free is a plus, but it isn't the key determinant. Call me naive, but isn't this how it's supposed to work?

And I'm not the only one who has noticed. The trades are replete with reports of increasing adoption of Firefox. With Vista still vaporware, the abandonment of IE support for Mac, and no significant IE innovations in sight, it's not surprising that Firefox continues to strengthen its market position.

I ran an informal survey of my own to add some meat to this story. Using my web stats programs, I sampled visitor activity across 14 websites that I manage or monitor. In the last month, more than 2,000,000 visitors accessed these sites using either IE or Firefox (other browsers took a minority share in this two-horse race). Comparing IE with Firefox as a ratio: for every 3.73 IE users in my sample set, there was 1 Firefox user. So, while industry pundits report that Firefox adoption has reached 13 percent across the board, my off-the-cuff count shows a significantly higher erosion in IE market share.

Dear proprietary software vendors: there's a lesson here.