According to the Net Applications' release of updated global browser market share numbers, Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) web browser is losing users with accelerated rapidity - it lost nearly 8 points in the last year, resulting in its lowest amount of market share since 1999.

The December figures show the open-source browser Firefox seizing 21 percent of the market share, thereby sustaining its over 20 percent share for the second month. In comparison, IE's fall from 70 percent to 68 percent during the holiday period, indicates that it is used more in offices; whereas Firefox is more popular at home.

In fact, the 8 percent share that IE lost was picked mostly by its closest rivals - Firefox gained 4.5 points; and Safari nearly 2.4 points. The market share of the others during the year was thus: Chrome had 1.04%; Google crossed the 1% mark for the first time; while Opera remained stable 0.71%.

It has been oft-reported in the past that the main reason for IE's market share loss is the installed base of corporate IE6 users where the Microsoft browser is most vulnerable. Even though the market share of IE7 has not declined much, and additionally IE8 Beta 1 and 2 have grown to 0.96% share, the rapid decline of IE6 is problematic - it falls faster than IE7 and IE8 are able to gain!

Commenting on the steady decrease of Microsoft's market share, Henry Blodget, at Silicon Alley Insider, said that the drop should "alert those who regard Microsoft's Internet domination as a foregone conclusion that they might want to rethink things."