Easy and safe browsing

Despite intensifying competition among browsers, Maxthon has gained market share. Industry analysts attribute Maxthon's remarkable performance to its professional R&D team who think outside the box. They have added many appealing features to the browser, such as tabbed browsing, anti-freezing, mouse gestures, AD Hunter and an online favorite service.

The company also strives to give its users peace of mind. "In the future, browsers will take on some responsibilities of operating systems. So browser security is of the ultimate importance," Maxthon CEO Chen Mingjie said.

A serious threat on the Internet is spyware, which can cause losses to victims. Computer viruses and spyware can spread through Web pages. Studies showed that as many as 75 percent of all malware were caused and spread because of Web browser vulnerabilities, said Chen. He added that browser security research would be the focus for Maxthon's new R&D center.

Maxthon also launched filters to block annoying Internet pop-ups before IE and many other browsers.

Maxthon has partnered with Beijing Rising International Software Co. Ltd., a major Chinese anti-virus software development company, to transplant several core security technologies to Maxthon's browser. Through the Internet, Maxthon users can also report suspicious malignant websites to company engineers, who will analyze the information and alert other users of security hazards.

In the first half of 2009, Maxthon partnered with Paypal to improve the safety of making online payments. In November, Maxthon also announced its partnership with Kingsoft Corporation Ltd., a leading Chinese Internet safety software developer.

Super browser user

"We are super browser users. If one does not use browsers intensively, how can one design a product that meets others' needs?" Chen told company product managers.

Details can make a difference for users, Chen said. He believes that a company should use all its resources to solve the problems that most concern users. He said China does not lack software developers, but it is missing excellent product developers. Some developers pay too much attention to technology while neglecting what a product could bring to users, Chen said, so his company does what it can to understand and serve users.

The 34-year-old Chen graduated from the Beijing Institute of Technology 11 years ago. He worked in Singapore, but not developing browsers. He surfed the Web for about a dozen hours each day. He was not happy with the browsers he used so he developed one on his own in 2002. He shared it with other users online and got positive feedback, which encouraged him to continue. Six years ago, he founded a technology firm in Hong Kong and named it Mysoft. One year later, Chen took the advice of an Internet user who told him to change the company's name to Maxthon, which means maximum.

In Maxthon's early days, Chen wrote much of the code himself, especially for the browser's plug-ins. Although he still enjoys writing code, he now spends more time running the company.

"Due to increasingly intense competition, especially after the entrance of some big companies into the browser development sector, the industry will inevitably move in an accelerated pace with a new influx of resources, personnel and technologies," he said. "It is necessary to always plan ahead for the next few years."

Chen believes that the browser could replace the operating system and become a computer's most important application platform. He is preparing his company for this trend by developing a new generation of browsers.