NEWS IBM is encouraging its employees to use Firefox, aiding the open source web browser's quest to chip away at Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Firefox is already used by about 10 per cent of IBM's staff, or about 30,000 people. Starting today, IBM workers can download the browser from internal servers and get support from the company's helpdesk staff.
IBM's commitment to Firefox is among its most prominent votes of confidence from a large corporation. Based on development work by the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, Firefox has been downloaded by more than 50 million people since it debuted in November. Internet Explorer still dominates the overall market by far, though, with Firefox's share in the single digits.
For IBM, the move is a significant step in lessening dependence on a product from rival Microsoft.
Brian Truskowski, chief information officer at IBM, said by supporting Firefox internally, IBM is also furthering its commitment to open source products based on industry standards.
"This is a real good example of walking the talk when it comes to open standards and open source," Truskowski said.
Because Firefox is based on industry standards - as opposed to proprietary technology - IBM has some "comfort" that it will interoperate well with third-party products, Truskowski said. By contrast, Microsoft's IE uses some proprietary technology, such as ActiveX for running programs within a browser.
"What I will avoid is anything that is propriety in nature," Truskowski said.
The company is training its helpdesk staff on Firefox and certifying that internal applications will work with the browser, he said.
Truskowski expects that Firefox will ultimately end up costing IBM less than IE because the company can use open source additions to Firefox. "I hope in making a small investment up front, I can leverage that innovation going forward," he said.
Stacy Quandt, an analyst at the Robert Frances Group, said IBM's endorsement of Firefox internally aligns with the company's strategy of backing open source products based on standards. It may also give other companies reason to "pay attention to" Firefox and see it as an alternative to Internet Explorer.
Martin LaMonica writes for CNET News.com
Comments
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1. anonymous
What took them so long?
Oh well, better late and never.
2. anonymous
It's really great IBM is pushing Firefox, but what about their warranty service provider website (wca.eclaim.com)? It says it'll only work with IE5.5 and above. Even though it seems that this is an external web app, if IBM is pushing Firefox use then they should be consistent about it.
3. anonymous
"What I will avoid is anything that is propriety in nature," IBM's Truskowski is quoted as saying.
So can we expect IBM now to adopt an almost anarchic approach to business? Safety pins through IBM executive eyebrows, perhaps?
Propriety means conforming to prevailing customs and usages, whereas what he probably intimated was his wish to avoid anything proprietary in nature.
4. Lucifer
Short and objective.Good
aluno1216
5. anonymous
Nice one Big Blue - but what about the lack of support for one of your top products, IBM Lotus Domino Web Access for IBM Lotus Notes Mail, with Firefox. This product is the main competitor to Microsoft Exchange/Outlook, and works fantastically with IE6, providing you have a few ActiveX components available.