Firefox continues to make ground on IE

Mozilla's Firefox web browser has made some significant progress, with nearly 25 per cent of the web-using community in Europe choosing it instead of alternatives such as Internet Explorer and Opera.

Firefox usage is comparable in the Oceana area, while in the US the figures are much lower, with 15 per cent of web users choosing Firefox.

There have been 300 million downloads of the Firefox web browser since it launched version one in 2004. The current version is 2.0.0.3. The browser is known for being one step ahead of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, consistently introducing features such as tabbed browsing first.

The browser has many dedicated fans, many of whom refuse to use Internet Explorer .

Up-to-date auctions

Recently Mozilla, the creator of open-source browser Firefox, has teamed up with eBay to work on new technology that will make it easier for British, French and German eBay users to manage their auctions.

The new technology will enable eBay users running Firefox to stay up-to-date with their auctions regardless of where they are on the web. It will initially only be available to eBay users in the UK, France and Germany, Mozilla said.

"We are thrilled to be working with Mozilla and to explore a great opportunity that benefits both our communities of users," said Harald Eisenächer, vice president of eBay in Germany. "Our work together will help the community of Firefox users use eBay more easily and stay up-to-date with their auctions."

The first alpha version of Firefox version 3 was released in December last year.