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**babbuxp** · 09-16-2010, 09:06 AM

SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp isreleasing a new version of itsInternet Explorer Web browsertoday, aiming to stem marketshare lost toFirefox, Google Inc'sChrome and Apple Inc's Safari.Microsoft, based in Redmond,Washington, will mark the publicrelease of a test version ofInternet Explorer 9 at an event in. The software offers support forHTML 5 technology and loadspages faster.Internet Explorer's share of thebrowser market has fallen to 60per cent from 74 per cent abouttwo years earlier, as Firefox,Chrome and Safari gain ground,according to Net Applications.With Chrome usage up sevenfold,Microsoft needs to ensure thatusers keep their focus on theWindows operating system,rather than run programsthrough Google's browser, saidMatt Rosoff, an analyst atDirections on Microsoft, aresearch firm in Kirkland,Washington."Based on developer buzz, itseems tech enthusiasts are moreexcited about IE 9 than anyversion of IE in recent times,"Rosoff said. "We might start tosee IE regain some market sharefrom Firefox," whose growth hasslowed, he said. "Chrome stillseems to be the one people aremost interested in, in terms ofthe cutting edge."Market share for Firefox, made byMozilla Corp, rose to 23 per centlast month from 19 per centabout two years earlier,according to Net Applications,which tracks Internet usagestatistics. Chrome jumped to 7.5per cent from 1.1 per cent, andSafari climbed to 5.2 per centfrom 2.8 per cent.New featuresMicrosoft, the world's largestsoftware maker, had as much as97 per cent of the Internet-browser market as recently as2003.Internet Explorer's HTML 5support delivers high-qualityvideo playback faster and letsusers do things like open a virtualbook and flip through its pages.The set of technologies mayeventually replace Adobe SystemsInc's Flash and Microsoft'scompeting Silverlight, Rosoff said.The new browser also is faster atloading and running applicationswritten in JavaScript, an areawhere IE 8 was far slower thanChrome, Rosoff said.