The rekindled web browser battle will crank up a notch this week with the release of Firefox 3.0, but I just can’t muster any excitement I’m afraid.

To me, web browsers are like operating systems – the sooner we don’t have to care about them the better. The day they just sit in the background and let us do what we need to do, quickly and efficiently, will be a happy day indeed.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying a good web browser is unimportant. I just believe it should do its job invisibly - acting as a window to the online content and services I want. And that’s about it.

Just as I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the version of firmware that runs my car engine’s management systems, I don’t want to invest a lot of brain power pondering browsers. They should just be slick, reliable and secure.

Of course, the reason Firefox is getting such attention is because its primary rival, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, is none of these things. It’s bloated, prone to unexpected crashes, and has security holes you could put your fist through.

As a result Firefox is enjoying rapidly growing popularity. According to some industry estimates it’s already captured a worldwide market share of some 17 per cent and the new version should push this even higher.

This is great news as any market benefits from competition and it might cause Microsoft to lift its game and create a browser that’s actually up to the task. We can but hope.

Meantime, if you’re yet to give Firefox a try, let the release of version 3.0 be a reason you do. According to preliminary reports, it’s faster and more user friendly than IE, and less likely to suddenly shut down just as you’re checking a bank balance or entering data into a corporate database.

But, like me, also look forward to the day when you won’t have to think or care what browser you’re using. It will just work, so you can get on and do whatever it is you need to do. Hopefully that day is not too far away.