According to data released by the AT Internet Institute, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has fallen to under 60% of visits in Europe. The firm suggests that with widely publicized news of a major security flaw and moves being made by competing browsers, IE’s fall may not be reversed in the very near future.

Mozilla has launched the latest version of its popular Firefox web browser – version 3.6. They say this version is a whopping 20% faster than version 3.5. New features in Firefox 3.6  include:

A while back, Google launched an extensions gallery for its Chrome web browser. Ad-blocking add-ons are among the most popular for Mozilla’s Firefox, so it stands to reason that they will be for Chrome as well. With Google’s primary source of revenue being its ads, a lot of talk has surfaced about Google letting people block its own ads with its own product.

Mozilla’s next salvos in the browser wars won’t come quite as soon as the company previously promised.  Firefox 3.6, which was supposed to ship this month, now isn’t scheduled to be finished until sometime during the first quarter of 2010, and the release of Firefox 4.0 has been pushed back, as well.

The mobile version of Firefox – also known as Fennec – is almost ready to launch.  Indeed, a Mozilla exec was recently quoted as saying that a release could be "days away," so it’s possible that the new mobile browser will appear in time for some tech-inclined individuals to play with it on New Year’s Eve or even Christmas.

Mozilla’s director of community development is not at all happy with Google.  Following an eyebrow-raising comment from CEO Eric Schmidt on the subject of privacy, Asa Dotzler has, in fact, pretty much suggested that everyone use Bing instead.

Update 3: Mozilla has now released Weave Sync Version 1.0 Beta 2.

Update 2: Mozilla has now announced the release of Weave Sync Version 1.0 Beta 1.

Update: Mozilla has now released Weave Version 0.6.

Mozilla has introduced a new inbox program called Raindrop. They refer to it as an "exploration in messaging innovation" to "explore new ways to use Open Web technologies to create useful, compelling messaging experiences." Sounds kind of like  what Google’s trying to do with Google Wave from that description doesn’t it? There is already talk that this may compete with it.

If you use Firefox, you are no doubt aware that there are many add-ons that can enhance your browsing experience. Many of these can make your online life a whole lot easier and save you time. Following are some that I have found particularly useful. Which do you like? Tell us.

1. Fire Gestures

Google has added a bookmark sync feature to its Chrome browser. Essentially, this lets users sync their bookmarks between their Chrome browser on different machines.

"This new feature makes it easy to keep the same set of bookmarks on all your machines, and stores them alongside your Google Docs for easy web access," says Google’s Tim Steele.

Last week we told you about Mozilla reaching a monumentus milestone, 1 billion total downloads. In celebration of the achievement they’ve launched a new site, One Billion + You.

Update: Firefox has now passed 1 billion total downloads.

Original Article: Lookout Microsoft! Mozilla’s Firefox is closing the gap a bit, as they’re about to pass 1 billion total downloads, and some think they might even pass the mark as early as Friday.

Firefox 3.5 has only been around for about a month now, but Mozilla is currently working on version 3.7

What do you think about the new design changes? Tell us.

Mozilla has launched a new directory with the goal of providing a one-stop shop for open web tools and resources for developers. It is called the Open Web tools Directory.

The reason Mozilla says it decided to start this directory is simply because there isn’t one like it. "There’s no central index of these tools," the company says in a blog post.

Update: Mozilla is showing the real-time downloads of the new Firefox. It should approach a million downloads (worldwide) very soon:

The developers at Mozilla Labs have introduced their new Application Programming Interface known as "Jetpack." Jetpack enables ordinary users who know basic web development languages, such as HTML, Javascript, and/or CSS, to write and distribute their own custom made Firefox add-ons using these languages.

Google is obligated to support Mozilla’s Firefox browser through a search contract until 2011. But rumors suggest that may be the end of the Google-Firefox alliance.

People were relatively stunned when Google launched its own web browser, Chrome, and they wondered allowed what that would mean for Google’s relationship with the browser that quickly rose to the second most used browser in the world.

There has been a lot of talk recently about browsers and the maneuvering that is occurring in that space due to new releases and expiring agreements and more.

Google has highlighted a few Firefox add-ons that could be of great use to AdSense publishers. These include:

Mozilla has a new project called Test Pilot, which it uses to test usability of its products. It collects data from users on a strictly voluntary basis, and shares that data with the public anonymously so others can use it too. In fact, the testing platform itself will be available to the public as well.

Compared to a lot of businesses out there, Mozilla’s got nothing to worry about; a search partnership with Google has guaranteed it revenue through 2011.  But with Chrome becoming more and more of a threat to Firefox, it’s hard not to view the link between the parent companies as being a bit strained.