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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.

26 of 392 comments (clear)

  1. Interview with Bill Gates by Walkiry · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Problem is, he doesn't really say much other than "we have competition in many places, we'll keep working to be the best". Typical marketdroid stuff. The funny thing is that one of the things he mentions is that they'll be trying to be #1 in "Security". Heh. One can only hope...

    --
    ---- Take the Space Quiz!
  2. Power of open source? by suso · · Score: 5, Interesting

    has since exploded into a phenomenal demonstration of the power of open source.

    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. I mean, I know that it is, but thats not the first thing I think of. When I think of something like Gnome, I think of it as open source. Mozilla and friends just have a different feeling. Does anyone else think that too?

  3. Nice of Bill to take all the credit by grandmofftarkin · · Score: 4, Interesting
    "There's a new technology that is an industry standard we created called Sender ID"

    No mention of SFP or the guys behind it.

  4. Re:The difference is simple :) by suso · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hmmmm, this is interesting. You might think that the parent comment is flamebait or a troll, but I think this person has a point. As an open source community, I think we can learn a lot from how firefox has succeeded so well and so quickly, analyze it and apply it to a lot of other projects. Much like how the FSF originally redid all the unix applications before rewriting the kernel, maybe the goal could be to redo all windows applications and then subplant the underlying OS.

  5. Serious Question... by phunhippy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I like Firefox.. however its not my browser of choice and here's why..

    I am constantly switching with ctrl-tab between using IE for web based crap and going throough my file system.. ctrl-tab type c:\ and bam.. you get the idea?

    I like the interface explorer gives me for browsing my files. I don't like the interface FIREFOX or any other browser gives me.. Is there any way I can get that interface inside firefox? some plugin maybe?

    Any thoughts?

  6. Re:What bill says by confusion · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They have to dust-off the old 'anti-netscape' playbook now. FF has risen to a level where MS is very concerned about losing momentum and support for their proprietary IE extensions. I know many software vendors have it on their near term road maps to inter-operate with Firefox (they don't now, due to the use of proprietary extensions in IE). MS really hasn't had to deal with any competing products taking up market/mind share so quickly in the past.

    Jerry
    http://www.syslog.org/

  7. What would make it better by MyLongNickName · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The only reason I use IE is because when I am in Windows Explorer, I like to just type in the URL, and go. Otherwise, I use Firefox. You don't know how many times in the day, I hit Ctrl+T to get a new tab, and realize I am in IE (or worse, go to do a search and see the clunky dialog box come up). I then have to switch over.

    Anyone know of a way to integrate firefox without adverse effects? I'd love to ditch ie 100%, but old habits die hard, plus I'd hate to lose the efficiencies...

    --
    See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
  8. Re:In other news by RangerRick98 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The fix is coming in the next Firefox version. In the meantime, try this.

    --
    "You're older than you've ever been, and now you're even older."
  9. Err go Ego by canuck57 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    GATES: We're responsible for the creation of the PC industry.

    With a statement like that, what about TRS-80, Apple II, Commodore PET and others. Steve Jobs would be the man if he wasn't so closed up with his architecture and IBM was not. All Microsoft and Bill did was be in the right place when IBM had 100,000 PCs without an OS. After that they screwed their way to the top of the heap with questionable business practices to ride the wave. It was well under way long before Bill had DOS.

    Microsoft even had interest in SCO to get code and make sure they didn't rival their Windows NT. Oh yes, these two companies have a long relationship more than most know.

    In fact, we just announced that we'll have a new version of the browser so we're innovating very rapidly there and it's our commitment to have the best.

    I guess this hints of a new browser. I wonder how much open source code and ideas it will contain. Most people, including Microsoft seem to forget that Microsoft really hasn't invented anything new. They just use other's ideas.

    In a few years when the biggest market in the world runs Linux (China) we will see Microsoft in second place. It will be a glorious day when Microsoft gets a long needed lesson in humility.

    1. Re:Err go Ego by Deacon+Jones · · Score: 2, Interesting
      further on in the multi-page interview, he states:

      "Well, my success is creating great software... And I think my most important work was the early work -- conceiving of the idea of the PC and how important that would be, and the role software would play, having standards there."

      Amazing, he really does believe he created not only the PC, but even the very idea of the PC.

      --
      I pulled a jack move to cop this sig
    2. Re:Err go Ego by marhar · · Score: 2, Interesting
      what about TRS-80, Apple II, Commodore PET and others.



      Well, Microsoft wrote Level 2 BASIC which came with the TRS-80 and built the Softcard, which added a Z-80 to the Apple II and ran CP/M. picture

      Microsoft even had interest in SCO to get code and make sure they didn't rival their Windows NT.



      Erm, your history is a bit off. Microsoft was a pretty substantial contributor to Xenix for the TRS-80 Model 16, which had a 68000 processor.

      It seemed that Microsoft's strategy at the time was to travel the Xenix route to higher end computing, but AT&T insisted on a $400/CPU royalty payment. This was of course untenable for "cheap" microcomputers, so Microsoft eventually went the route of developing NT.

      It is interesting to think of how things would be if the licensing arrangement had worked out, and Xenix would have been the base for mass computing.

  10. Friends by cyberfunk2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A lot of my non-technical friends have recently become wise to the 'Fox.

    And I quote "My internet explorer just stopped working about a month ago.. it wasnt worth the trouble, and those damn popup windows are annoying too.."

    I think average Joe is starting to understand. (Incidentially, one of my friend's names is Joe)

  11. alternatives by john_uy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    i think other open source applications should be promoted together with firefox. people now find out that there is a better alternative. more promotion should be made to applications such as open office, and of course, linux. i hope this is a start of something better for everyone.

    --
    Live your life each day as if it was your last.
  12. It's fantastic by Electric+Eye · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've downloaded it for my work PC, many of my freelance clients and several family members as well. Since then (at least for me) there has not been ONE case of spyware infecting my computer. Viva la Firefox, baby.

  13. Sounds familiar... by oldosadmin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That's exactly what OpenOffice.org has been advocating for months, but nobody seems to listen.

    --
    Jay | http://oldos.org
  14. Firefox and Open Source by Inkieminstrel · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I wonder how many of those users were actually made aware of open source by Firefox, and how many still remain in the dark about open source. My fiancee was using it for months before she finally got around asking about how it was free and where it came from.

  15. Re:Count me out of the FireFox craze.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    1) type about:config in URL bar
    2) search on IDN
    3) double-click on network.enableIDN
    4) set to false
    5) hit OK
    6) Problem solved!

  16. Re:More = Better? by podmf · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Who really cares if it competes with IE?"

    Anyone who is interested in improving the web or merely keeping the web open.

    So long as 90 percent of users see the web through IE, it will remain crippled and vulnerable to desktop client-based lock-in.

    All of Microsoft's published plans and statements about IE and Longhorn confirm their intention to engineer the maximum tie-in between the web and .Net.

    The Apache webserver enables the technical possibility of an open web, but dominance of the desktop client is required to guarrantee it's practical likelihood.

    Only by taking share off IE is it possible to build sites which demonstrate the practical benefits of standards-based web design to non-technical users.

    Right now, up to 90 percent of the effort in standards-based design goes into accomodating IE's crippled CSS ... which is why many web designers can't be bothered.

  17. Re:More = Better? by sepluv · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Not to mention all the people who:
    1. get it from a friend
    2. use the official bittorrent (or another P2P system)
    3. download it from another FTP or WWW site (or from within a LAN)
    4. download a different build (optimised, more free, different options, added features, &c)
    5. get it with their OS distro (or through their distro's installation FTP/rsync/WWW/jigdo site)
    6. order the CD
    7. have a copy on a software compilation CD (e.g.: from the front of a magazine)

    The you have to consider, that most people download it to try it. Some might actually decide they prefer their current WWW browser (especially if they don't use IE) and stop using it.

    Basically these statistics, if anything, only give an indication of trends (i.e.: acceleration/deceleration) in use as opposed to the actual number of users.

    --
    Joe Llywelyn Griffith Blakesley
    [This post is in the public domain (copyright-free) unless otherwise stated]
  18. WRONG by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    It doesn't make 30 concurrent connections to the server, so it DOESN'T put any strain on the server.

    (It can even reduce the load on the server, on some browsers, not sure how firefox handles this when pipelining is off.)

    http://www.mozilla.org/projects/netlib/http/pipeli ning-faq.html

  19. Re:More = Better? by Phisbut · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Perhaps 25 million can imply - 25 million computers.

    Almost... I, for one, have 3 of them on my home machine... one in English, one in French and one in German. I'm developping extensions, and using the different languages to test the localization.

    But then, there might not be a lot of people in my situation... we'd have way too many extensions if there were ;-)

    --
    After 3 days without programming, life becomes meaningless
    - The Tao of Programming
  20. Re:More = Better? by Reignking · · Score: 2, Interesting

    25 million and my company it is still barely -- or not -- registering on my company's logs. It's a shame, too, because until it does, I'll be the only one that cares that our site looks like ass in Firefox.

    --
    One man's Funny is another man's Offtopic.
  21. Re:You forgot an important one by glpierce · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "honestly I think Adblock slows page rendering down anyway"

    If you set Adblock to "Remove ads" rather than "Hide ads", you should notice a significant speed increase on pages that contain ads. Pages that do not contain ads will load slightly slower, but not noticeably so. If you create a very long list of rules or block entire URLs (neither of which should be done), you will notice a larger speed loss.

    --
    G
  22. Re:what makes it better are the plugins, my top 5 by Spunk · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sadly, this extension doesn't work for me.

  23. Re:More = Better? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I wanna know what your site is to see what the difference is, post it plz.

    I've hit very few sites that are professionally done, that look like ass in Firefox. Most of the time, it's IE that screws up the CSS that is used to display the page. If it looks like ass in Firefox, it probably looks like ass in Konqueror and Opera.

    If you make your site look good in those three browsers, then IE should load "ok" for the most part.

  24. Re:More = Better? by Eraser_ · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Of course, I downloaded it once, put it on a fileserver, and put it on about 300+ work computers (and growing). I also downloaded it once at home and loaded it on 4 seperate computers, who have four seperate users. It is included as the default browser on any lab cloning images I make for students, along with hiding IE as much as possible. Shockingly, between that and restricting executables, these computers are spyware free now. If only we had Group Policy.

    Even people who know nothing about computers want that mozilla thing!