“Firefox is one of the most important software applications in the world because it can play a big part in determining the future of the web,” an open letter from the four activists said. “It is crucial that an open-source, standards-based web browser becomes the most popular browser, and Firefox has a shot at being that.”
The group has launched two websites, ExplorerDestroyer.com and KillBillsBrowser.com. The first site contains scripts to detect what browser the surfer is using, and if it’s IE, a splash page or banner will pop up trying to convince them to switch.
The site displays three levels of encouragement depending on how forcefully the web publisher wants to push the surfer towards downloading Firefox. The levels are labeled “Gentle encouragement,” “Semi-serious” and “Dead serious,” respectively.
The activists’ announcement comes on the heels of an unrelated Google program, proclaiming this week that it will pay $1 for each user referred to Firefox from the Google Toolbar.
Web publishers using the group’s script must be signed up to Google’s AdSense program to receive their referral fee. AdSense tracks the clicks made to the anti-IE splash pages, buttons or banners the web publisher uses.
“We've spent days fixing computers of our family members that have been hobbled by spyware that Internet Explorer allowed in,” the group said. “These annoyances alone more than justify an aggressive campaign to switch people to Firefox. But what really matters is putting the Internet back in the hands of the public and ensuring that the technology that will remake so much of our world in the next 30 years is a public resource not a corporate one.”