Firefox market share bounces back 668 plus 14

You are deviating from the COLA party line, thad! The more useful definition is that Microsoft makes IE a part of Windows and can thus use the billion dollar per month profits from Windows to pay for the the IE future development, creating a high barrier to market entry for any compebreastor that does not have such a huge revenue stream. They said that was monopoly maintenance, but even Jackson didn't agree with that theory. You have to understand that the money that MSFT puts into Windows, which includes the money spent on IE development, is for keeping Windows in the lead for personal computer desktop OS products. So far, they have been doing OK, wouldn't you agree?

I don't think you have ever been to a business school, thad! Which one teaches that?

It is not a marketing strategy at all. Rather, the clbuttic idea of a loss leader is a sales gimmick to get people into a store, like a supermarket where they can get eggs for 10 cents a dozen (limit 2 dozen or so) and thus build some floor traffic.

MS strategy is to provide Windows as a one-stop product that provides some useful functionality for ALL computing needs that the personal computer user might have. If you are that kind of customer, you do not need anything but Windows to suit all your needs. IE has become a significant part of that strategy since internet access has become a significant element for the average consumer.

Well, thad, keep on being a dilletante! But at least ask yourself why anyone bothers with market statistics at all. Is it just some way of keeping score or would you use the information for some strategic purpose? If the latter, what good is a count of units vs a measure of the money? But do you understand any of it?

You are claiming that you own a business wherein you sell a branded software product that you offer as a "loss leader" to chum up "consulting work"? Would anyone recognize the brand? Or does it need more promotion?

The conventional wisdom is that selling the product package is much more profitable if the product becomes popular, thad. You want to avoid "consulting" since that is just selling your time, regardless of how high a price you obtain. Bill Gates makes billions per year and none of it from consulting. He would have to collect millions per hour to match his product-based income!

What does that matter, thad? I can say that I do own one company and part of another, both involved in software products and services, and I currently manage neither, preferring to do software development for an industry leading product at a large software company. Of course there are some people who say that I am being paid by Microsoft to just be audacious.