WebProNews

The ongoing growth of the open source Firefox browser has eased a bit, with Internet Explorer expanding its reach.

With mounting security concerns about Microsoft's default browser frequently in the news, the Mozilla Project's Firefox browser has seen its market share rise month after month. According to an Inquirer report, the numbers have shown a bit of a dip for the first time this year.

Previous months had seen Firefox's reported share grow to as high as 8.71 percent, per figures from Net Applications. That figure has fallen slightly to 8.07 percent for July.

Meanwhile, Internet Explorer increased from 86.56 to 87.2 percent. And the native Mac browser, Safari, placed third in market share with 2.13 percent.

It's too early to tell whether this drop is a summer lull or a harbinger of future declines. August has traditionally been a vacation month in many places, and it would not be surprising to see Firefox and other browsers stay flat in market share until September.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.