Firefox Downloads Reach 75 Million

WindozeSux writes "Today Mozilla Firefox has reached its 75 millionth download. The Mozilla staff find this a morale booster since recent security vulnerabilities have slightly lowered the browser's growth rate. 'We're beefing up the management on the project. The project is still very healthy. We're seeing continued corporate interest and have a lot of large organizations that want to do deployments,' said Chris Hoffman."

Comments

Can Firefox be marketed?

[ReformedExCon]

What I mean is, is there some valuable component or application of Firefox that can be used by product or service companies beyond the basic browser application? IE, for example, is a modular browser component that can be reused in private applications. Linux is useful in a broad range of products/services that aren't simply desktop and server operating systems.

Is Firefox modular enough to break out valuable, reusable parts and implement something new out of them?

I use Firefox on most of my computers, so I'm responsible for about 5 of those 75 million downloads. 30, if they are counting each patch too.

Security is so backwards sometimes

[WindBourne]

Where I am currently working at, they tried to get rid of all the firefox on all the systems. Even if you upgraded to current, they did not want anybody on it, unless you had a business reason. So what was the browser of choice? MSIE.


Funny thing is that in 6 months that I have worked here is the only time since 1993-94 that I have been on Windows. I have seen no less than 5 system be massively infected because of MSIE (in a group of 20). Huge amounts of work had to be discarded (can not have virus/spyware getting into this software), which probably cost this company no less than 100K (and that is just what I am aware of. I have heard that it happens here constantly).


Yet, they discard Firefox, which I heard that they can not prove infected even one system (but they can prove that those 5 system were through MSIE, and the sys ads think all the others were as well).

Insane.

Re:relevance

[SimilarityEngine]

What is the relevance of the number of downloads?

Well, that's a valid point but short of requiring every Firefox user to register, how do you reliably gather usage statistics?

It also looks like users not only install

[jurt1235]

but also seem to use it more often. Downloading installing and then decide to not use it (IE is simpler/used to/plays my favourite spyware better) happens a lot too. However in januari about 10% of the pages was views with firefox on my webserver (mix of restaurants, IT, realestate, blogs ea companies use it), The last two months that has risen to about 15%. See http://totalweb.edusupport.nl/usage_200507.html for the stats (near bottom for browser stats).

Firefox Download Counters

[webslash]

The Spread firefox community has helped to develop firefox download counters which can track the exact number of downloads in real time.

Fascinating

[ZeroExistenZ]

All the people who I've showed FF are superhappy as they feel their PCs perform better now they understand IE brings in most of their nastyware and they tell about it to their friends, or customers. (A friend at the Blackberry / 3G helpdesk of VodaPhone redirects now everyone having some sortof browsing probs to FF's website to get a copy as she herself feels FF has solved alot of her frustrations.)

I find it a fascinating statement, as were people ACTIVELY go out to find a browser even when there's one preinstalled.

It's a very strong statement...

Same here/

[aug24]

At my last contract we were not permitted FF, and had to use IE on the grounds that the IS team had not done a security review of FF, but they had of IE. The policy was simply 'better the devil you know'.

I could see their point, up till I asked when they were going to do a review of FF - and they said they weren't.

I think some people just like banging their head on the wall at work, for the feeling of pleasure they get when they stop and go home.

Justin.