Firefox Breaks 25 Million Downloads

certron wrote to alert us that earlier this week, Mozilla passed the milestone of 25 million downloads. From the official site: "With a minimal set of tools--an affiliate system, a small donations fundraising system, blogs, galleries, forums, and the good old human larynx--you all are spreading Firefox to a quarter of a million people a day. More than 500,000 sites now link to Firefox according to Google--a fivefold increase from six months ago. What was just a small flame 100 days ago has since exploded into a phenomenal demonstration of the power of open source. Tens of thousands of devoted users and fans are a powerful and capable force of change. We have created a special commemorative image if you would like to mark this milestone on your own site." Reader asa also wrote to mention an interview with Bill Gates from this week where the mogul was asked directly what he thought of Firefox.

Comments

More = Better?

[samtihen]

25 Million Agree - IE SUCKS!

Although, the 25 million downloads doesn't actually equate to 25 million users. How many times have you downloaded Firefox? I'm over 10, that's for sure. And how many people got it from others, rather than downloading it?

I mean, it really doesn't matter, it really shouldn't be a competition anyway. If it is a good product, it will do well. Who really cares if it competes with IE? All more users really do is bring attention (very possibly malicious) to the project.

Re:More = Better?

[Yolegoman]

Who really cares if it competes with IE?

I care. When we finally wipe IEs damned non-standard display of HTML and CSS from the internet, I won't have to spend hours and days attempting to get my websites rendering properly in Microsofts piece of crap they call a browser.

That's the main reason I root for FireFox. Sure, no spyware is nice, but for me it's a bonus. That IE thinks they are so l33t as to rewrite the W3 standards makes me angry to the core.

- Yolego

What bill says

[gowen]

In fact, we just announced that we'll have a new version of the browser so we're innovating very rapidly there

Wow, a new web browser 4 years after the old, and several years after you've declared that there wasn't even going to be another stand-alone version.

Four years of stasis.
Two years of complete disinterest.

That's some really rapid innovation, there, Bill.

The difference is simple :)

[KZigurs]

Firefox thinks about usability.

You wouldn't associate Open Source with usability even if forced to.

Re:This does not mean 25 million users.

[Jason O'Neil]

I see what you mean, I have downloaded firefox a couple of times myself. But on the other hand, I have also downloaded a single install file and then proceeded it to install it on my computer, my brother's computer, and my Dad's laptop.

Schools, universities and businesses that are using firefox will be adding even more users that are not included in the download count on the website. I think the number of users who have not been registered on the download count will balance or even outweigh the number of users who have registered multiple times on the count.

Re:Power of open source?

[Junks Jerzey]

I see what you're trying to say, but I don't know whether you can call this newfound popularity due to open source. When I think of firefox, It doesn't even occur to me at first that its open source.

Yes, same here. Imagine if the Opera people had decided to make their browser free as in beer without any ads and whatnot. Then it very well could have been as popular as Firefox.

"Free as in beer" is a big deal in this case. There's no market for browsers you have to pay for.

They are so far behind, it's funny.

[phaxda]

Bill sez: "Also the idea of how the phone and the PC are coming together. Where you will be able to see the calls that you missed, or even when your phone rings see immediately who that is that's calling, or control how that is forwarded, or even set it up so that the screen is part of your interaction. We are seeing that as increasingly important and are putting a lot of research into that."

I loved this part of the interview. "Will be able to?" Like when, the next time someone calls my Nokia cell phone and their number is displayed on my PowerBook screen via Bluetooth and the Address Book? And then maybe I will even get the option to send the caller to voicemail FROM MY COMPUTER?! WOW!

Hey, maybe Microsoft will even come up with a program that will pause the music on my computer when someone calls me. Or logs missed calls in my phone's calendar? Now that would be cool. Just like Salling Clicker.

Microsoft: yesterday's technology, today. Still.

Really, all I could do is laugh at this one. How do you Windows people deal with it?

Where did you get that????

[heybo]

I'd even venture to say that if Free OS's had the same installed base, the same virus-target-area, as MS today, a new WinXP (SP2) system would be more secure than a new RedHat system. Why? Because if Linux had the same base as MS, it would have the same number of viruses, and RH doesn't come with virus software, and Windows (when you buy from most OEM's) does.

Where did you get that FUD! The one big thing and the simplest security feature that keeps RedHat more secure over Windows is it is built and configured for users NOT to run as Administrator. This is the biggest screw up of MS. 80% of the spyware anf virus out there will not load unless you are running under and Admin or Root account. Try to install something on a RH box. See if you don't get a window asking for the root password. The default set up of Windows makes the default user an Administrator. Hell some MS programs won't even run unless you are an Administrator. You call that secure????

If Microsoft's products where the best I would buy them. Why do I use RedHat? It isn't the cost it is the built in security and realibity.

Did you ever wonder why the NSA used RedHat as its base for SELinux? If Windows is so superior why didn't they use Windows as the base of their in-house secure operation system?