Dataquest Keeps Score in the Browser Wars; Netscape Currently Commands 84 Percent of the Market.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 1996--Dataquest today announced its latest results in the battle for browser use, with Netscape Communications the clear winner with 84 percent of the market. Microsoft was a distant second with 7 percent of the market, according to Dataquest's Browser Scorecard, a regular report that tracks browser market share based on actual use. While Netscape has controlled the market so far, Dataquest analysts report that Microsoft is inching ahead.

"More than 40 percent of the Netscape Navigator use is Version 2.0, and in fact the biggest shift in browser use has been among Netscape users upgrading from Version 1.1," said Kathryn Hale, principal analyst of Dataquest's Online Strategies Worldwide program.

Creating a more competitive environment is the great challenge for all browser developers, and a number of smaller ones have already lost market share, Ms. Hale said. "At the same time, new browsers like Hot Java are already hitting the scene, and the Web Crawlers are a growing presence. Web designers should bear all this in mind," said Ms. Hale.

America Online held onto the No. 3 position with 3 percent market share, while NCSA Mosaic is in the fourth position with 1 percent of the market. Web Crawler traffic accounts for 2 percent of the market (see Table 1). -0-

Table 1
Worldwide Browser Market Share Estimates
                                                  Market Share (%)

Netscape                                                        84
Microsoft                                                        7
America Online                                                   3
NCSA Mosaic                                                      1
Web Crawlers                                                     2
Others                                                           3
Total                                                          100

Source: Dataquest (May 1996)

To respond to market dynamics, Dataquest's Browser Scorecard will be updated quarterly to develop a current snapshot of the browser market. Browser Scorecard will be a regular feature of Dataquest's Web site, Dataquest Interactive (DQi) at http://www.dataquest.com.

Dataquest monitors Web traffic as reported at various sites worldwide. The sites include a mixture of commercial companies, Internet Service Providers, and educational institutions; approximately a quarter of the sites are outside the United States. The analysis includes findings from these sites, in addition to the historical Web traffic Dataquest maintains from a wide variety of sites.

"We started Browser Scorecard because the free information is tightening up," said Ms. Hale. "Major sites no longer post traffic counts, making it hard for typical companies to estimate Web traffic outside their own site. We're trying to fill a growing gap."

More information about Dataquest's programs, descriptions of recent research reports, and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.dataquest.com. To inquire about Dataquest reports, please call 800-419-DATA.

Dataquest is a 25-year-old global market research and consulting company serving the high-technology and financial communities. The company provides worldwide market coverage on the semiconductor, computer systems and peripherals, communications, document management, software, and services sectors of the information technology industry. Dataquest is a Gartner Group Company.

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