Mozilla, is an excellent alternative to Internet Explorer. Moreover it can be used on free operating systems such as Linux.

Mozilla is the open-source version of Netscape. Netscape decided to go the open source route because because they realized they had lost the browser war with Microsoft. Netscape started out streets ahead of its Internet Explorer rival. This was for several reasons. Part of it was that Microsoft was working on the "Chicago" project (which later became Windows-95), and partly because Microsoft was trying to defeat the Internet by setting up its own proprietary consumer information networks.

Bill Gates realized his error in time, shifted direction and put massive resources into Internet Explorer. By version 4, it was way better than his Netscape rival.

Just because Microsoft are non-innovative doesn't mean they can't write good software. The people who work for Microsoft are good Borgs. They are smart, and (perhaps more importantly) they are highly disciplined.

Netscape fell behind, and Internet Explorer started getting packaged with the Windows operating system 'for free'.

Netscape was a bunch of dot-com hippies who tried to base their corporate model on workplace love-ins, and just couldn't compete with a battle-hardened Microsoft.

In desperation, Netscape decided to copy the Linux model, and open-source their browser, thinking that the gain from lots of smart Microsoft-hating lefties would outweigh the costs of their lack of discipline. They were right. Firefox is the latest open-source browser based on Mozilla, and it's better than IE is in some ways.

Currently those Microsoft-hating lefties are determined not to let Netscape die or be assimilated by the Microsoft collective.

And good on them. They are helping the cause of capitalism by increasing competition as well as lifting the standards required for Microsoft to maintain their monopoly.