Today, the human experience of the Net stands at a crossroad, paths diverging into the future, and nobody knows which one we’ll be on in a year. There are many options: Safari is good, Opera is good, and Mozilla is good. People who go there don’t go back.

Let’s figure how we’ll get the things when the new Internet ready portable devices or smart phones will be intensively used. These pocket size devices wit keyboards, color displays, 3G connections will soon replace laptops, because all they need are browsers that can access Web -based software as easily as the desktop can. Soon we will be able to run entire sites from the phone’s browsers.

Blake Ross, a tech prodigy, is traveling around the world to spread the word about the latest version of his creation, the Web browser Firefox. Asked how the Firefox crew intends to respond to a revamped Internet explorer, his answer was really fair. As Mozilla is not a traditional company, a nonprofit organization, its programmers have the incredible privilege of being able to spend every moment thinking about how to serve the users better.

The business of predicting winners is facing an unusual situation: one side isn’t even fighting. So long as there is work to be done, Mozilla’s people will do it. Tabbed browsing and better security are the major Firefox’s achievements, but there are still small obstacles. On the future of browsers, the finish line will never be reached, because as the basics get easier, people will adopt more complicated usage patterns, those themselves will need to get easier. There is already a new challenge: a more sophisticated way to group related sites together, closing groups all at once, reopening groups we had open in the past. Maybe in another five years, the current incarnation of tabbed browsing will seem as archaic as the old window model is now.

This graphic shows the growing threat which Mozilla Firefox poses to Internet Explorer from 2004 onward. By the last quarter of 2005, Internet Explorer’s usage share dropped, primary due to competition from Mozilla Firefox. An important factor have been the increasing use of various distributions of the Linux operating system, many of which include Firefox as the default browser; the relative similarity in layout between the two competitor browsers’ design is making the transition easier; the lack of tabbed browsing as a feature in most Internet Explorer versions was another factor, too. The real fact is that users who convert to using Firefox often choose not to revert to Internet Explorer, and use it only to access Microsoft sites.

But almost every Web designer find hard sometimes to distinguish himself among the sea of Web developers out there. One way that developers can make a mark for themselves is to know about old and new technology. When someone possesses this type of knowledge, clients will see him as a much more wee-rounded developer who can make good recommendations about the best technology for a particular project. Being familiar with newest Web technologies can make the developer more appealing to clients.

Internet Explorer 7 is a major step forward in ease of use and security. There is an extensive list of add-ons to make the browsing with Internet Explorer 7 more productive, fun and safe. Windows defender will help any user to protect his computer against spyware. The look is new, and friendlier, tabbed browsing is allowing seeing thumbnail images of all open tabs in a single view. We can organize multiple tabs into a single tab group and save it as a favorite. A redesigned streamlined interface gives more of what the user need and less of what he doesn’t.  Print options also include adjustable margins, customizable page layouts, removable headers and footers, and changeable print space.

Internet Explorer 7 will deliver the latest updates from the user’s favorite site. Subscribing to RSS feeds through Internet Explorer  will allow instant access to personalized sports, news, and shopping feeds that keep the user up to date on the latest information online.

It is possible to search the Internet directly from the browser frame using the favorite search provider with the instant search box. Robust new Internet Explorer 7 architecture and improved security features help protect the user against malicious software, and help to keep the user’s personal data safe from fraudulent websites and online phishing scams.

Mozilla will update its popular and acclaimed free, open source web browser. Firefox is developed by an international community of contributors working together under the umbrella of the Mozilla foundation, a non-profit, public-benefit organization dedicated to improving the Internet experience for people everywhere. In less than two years, tens of millions of people worldwide have discovered the easier, faster and safer online experience that Firefox provides. Translated in more than 35 languages, Firefox is available in a native language version for more people around the world than any other Web browser.

Firefox is available for Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems. Mitchel Baker, CEO, Mozilla, said “Firefox 2 delivers the best possible online experience for people today”. “The improvements Mozilla have made to the ease of use, performance, and security in Firefox 2 reflects our ongoing, singular focus on meeting the needs of Web users all over the world.” Improvements to the user interface, security tools and options for customization, combine to deliver a rich, engaging, safer and more productive Web browsing experience for all.

Tabbed browsing: Firefox popularized tabbed browsing, enabling multiple Web sites to be viewed as separate tabs contained within a single browser window, and improving people’s efficiency by helping them to better organize their desktops. Tabbed browsing has been further improved with the addition of individual close buttons on each tab, enhanced tab navigation features, and a session restore system that automatically restores previously-open windows and tabs when a new browsing session is started.

Spell checking: modern web sites are increasingly complex with the rollout of new, rich Internet applications, such as word processors, spreadsheets and blogging tools. Inline spell checking Firefox 2 automatically checks for spelling errors and suggests corrections as users interact with Web sites, bringing a common desktop feature to the Web. The search is one of the most frequently used features of the Web. Mozilla will improve the browser’s integrated search capabilities, making it even easier for users to find the information they are looking for. The new Search Suggestion feature dynamically updates a drop-down list of suggested search terms as users enter into the search bar for Google, Yahoo! Or other search engines.

Firefox will offer a better advantage of the frequently updated content offered by Web sites, with increased options for handling Web feeds. Users now see a preview of the content being offered and are given the option to subscribe to a feed as a Live Bookmark, using a Web service such as Bloglines, My Yahoo!, or Google Reader, or with a desktop application.  In addition to its award winning safeguards for blocking drive-by installation of spyware and unwanted pop-up windows, Firefox helps protect users from identity theft by quickly informing them when they surf to a questionable Web site. To protect users’ privacy, Phishing Protection is active by default with a local blacklist that updates hourly, rather than sending information to an external online service. An enhanced mode is available where users may optionally elect to have Firefox check the validity of Web sites with a third party Web service, such as Google, prior to loading the site. Phishing Protection provides warnings, advice and guidance when Firefox encounters a Web site that appears to be fraudulent or malicious.

Mozilla’s open and transparent community-driven security model helps Firefox provides the safest possible online experience. Thousands of security experts and technical contributors from around the world examine and analyze the Firefox source code, uncover potential threats and vulnerabilities, and work together to quickly identify and address emerging threats. This open, distributed, innovative approach to security puts people’s interests first and delivers the safest Web experience possible. No other browser can be customized like Firefox 2; with thousands of adds-on that enhance the browser’s functionalities and features, Firefox lets users personalize their Web browsers to fit their interests and style. These features are inviting the user dream about the next ones; the future developments will be spectacular, in the same directions, too.