There is a consistent amount of oscillation on the browser market with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari caught in a three horse race, and with Opera also thrown in the mix as negligible ballast. But with Microsoft's proprietary browser the detached leader thanks to the monopoly of the Windows operating system. According to data made available by market Share by Net Applications, IE accounted for no less than 78.68% of the browser market. You can also access the image included toward the bottom of this article for a graphic representation of the percentages released by Market Share.

Mozilla Firefox is living up to its position of traditional runner-up for yet another month. In August, Market Share placed Firefox at 14.56%. Additionally Safari accounted for a total of 4.68%, and Opera still struggles under the 1% milestone with 0.88%. Although there is comprehensive support for Firefox, Safari and Opera, neither of the browsers can seem to gain the edge on Internet Explorer and convert Microsoft users in mass. Still, Mozilla and Apple seem the most likely candidates, with less emphasis placed on the Cupertino-based company.

The fact of the matter is that both Firefox and Safari have increased their market shares in the past month. Firefox jumped to 14.56% from 14.37% in July, while Safari climbed from 4.56% to 4.68%. In contrast Opera stagnated losing just little ground from 0.89% to 0.88%. In the same period Internet Explorer dropped from 78.98% to 78.68%. And it seems that neither the adoption of IE7 nor the uptake of Windows Vista have come to the aid of Internet Explorer.

Still, the situation is bound to get worse for Microsoft. Come October, Apple will make available Mac OS X Leopard, and the new final Safari 3 for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista and Windows XP. Also by the end of the year, with the focus on November - December, Mozilla readies Firefox 3.0. Microsoft only has IE7 to respond, but it will be a mute response...