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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.
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...
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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?
No mention of SFP or the guys behind it.
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.
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?
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/
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
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.
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)
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.
That's exactly what OpenOffice.org has been advocating for months, but nobody seems to listen.
Jay | http://oldos.org
"Who really cares if it competes with IE?"
.Net.
... which is why many web designers can't be bothered.
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
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