A Year Ago: Explorer trounces Navigator

European sales in Netscape's Navigator have plummeted, according to a report by INTECO, which shows that Microsoft's Internet Explorer has trounced its rival in the browser war.

Netscape was holding on to a narrow lead in Europe in April last year but between April and October, Navigator lost significant ground to Explorer. This has made the Microsoft browser number one in the UK, Germany and France with more than a 50 per cent share of the market in all three countries.

The biggest share is in the UK where the split is 60:40 in favour of Explorer. This compares to a 54:46 split in favour of Navigator in April.

"The evidence speaks for itself, said Tom Bachman, president of INTECO. "Microsoft had almost caught up in April, but this is the first time we have seen them ahead in all three countries. Navigator was able to hold the lead for a while because it was established and was a superior offering in many respects -- particularly for users on platforms other than Win 95 and NT. But times have changed -- NT and 95 penetration has increased, Internet Explorer got better and has become the natural selection for more and more users as a result."