Firefox 3 downloads clear 8 million mark

Take this statistic with a grain of salt, but Mozilla said more than 8 million copies of Firefox 3 were downloaded in its first 24 hours online.

Mozilla, which is behind the open-source Web browser, was trying to set a download record for the software. The 24-hour period lasted from 11:16 a.m. PDT Tuesday to the same time Wednesday, and Mozilla said it's waiting for the Guinness Book of World Records to review the results.

Mozilla showed more than 8 million copies of Firefox 3 were downloaded in its first 24 hours online.

(Credit: Mozilla)

The download rate, which peaked at 14,000 per minute Tuesday, was still going strong at more than 6,000 per minute Wednesday morning.

Next question: will it make a difference?

Mozilla fanned the fanboy flames with its download record attempt, but it's likely the majority of those who downloaded Firefox 3 at this stage will just use it to replace Firefox 2, not a competitor such as Microsoft's still-dominant Internet Explorer or Apple's third-place Safari.

There's also a big difference between downloading Firefox, installing it, using it, and switching to it as the primary browser. One early sign shows at a minimum, though, that Firefox 3 usage is significant at more than 4 percent share, according to Net Applications.

And don't forget the error bars: it's impossible to say how many of the Firefox 3 copies were installed by enthusiasts trying to goose the number.

And while 8.3 million might well become an audited record, Adobe blogger and evangelist Ryan Stewart pointed out that Adobe gets 8 million installations of the Flash plug-in on an average day.

Don't let my note of skepticism detract from the occasion, though. This might have been just a PR stunt, but the fact that Mozilla's Download Day drew as much attention as it did indicates that Firefox is more than just a piece of software. It's a movement people want to belong to.

For full coverage, including reviews and videos, see CNET's Firefox 3 resource center.

[lewac]

if you've been using ubuntu more than likely you won't be on this list (firefox out of ubuntu has been at vers 3.0 for awhile now). but for those of you still stuck on windoze migrating to firefox 3 is at least a step in the correct direction (away from IE).

[iertry]

Ubuntu Hardy has been using BETA and RC versions of Firefox 3. I think it shipped with RC2. If you are using Ubuntu you still need to download this release as it is the final build of Firefox 3 and the downloads they count are for Firefox 3 final build not Betas or RC's.

I'm really liking firefox 3 though. Awesome bar is...awesome and the mac look is really good. Ajax is superfast as well.

[thelemurking]

I had to do a manual install of Firefox 3 on Ubuntu as it was not listed in the repository. If you search for it, it's all RC1. I was surprised that the final was no in there. I suspect it will pop in there today or perhaps by the end of the week.

I love it though, both on Windows and Linux

[Kev Orng]

If it helps your rampant speculation, installed it on 7 computers. FF3 is now the default browser on 7 machines, 5 of which see regular web browsing.
Mac version is great, Win2000 version is perfect, I haven't had a chance to take the XP version out for a spin yet, but my wife likes it.

Am I trying to do my tiny bit to jack up the numbers? You bet. Not for Firefox, though, but for the greater cause of making people aware of alternative browsers.

I don't care in the least whether they set a record or whether Joe Noob makes FF his default browser. My everyday browsers are Safari and Flock (which is built on FireFox).

But just like with operating systems and email clients, browser diversity is vital to security, innovation, and for inhibiting virus propagation. I support any campaign that brings attention to the viable alternatives.

You can be one of those children who throws around schoolyard insults like "Fanboy" (I hate that) but the fact is that my browser, your browser, this OS, that OS, it doesn't matter as long as there is more diversity. That will do more for secure computing than Mcafee and Norton combined.

[jture]

I don't use IE :-p unless I absolutely HAVE to. Firefox all the way, baby!

[sting7k]

I'm liking ff3 so far. Although I have been using ff for a pretty long time now, had ff1 soon after it was released. Always used ff2 and converted many friends. Yesterday I downloaded ff3 on all 6 computers in my house. Both my parents even use it now and I know lots of my friends got it too. So far I had zero issues, it installed fast, no restart needed, all my settings and customized buttons remained intact. It seems like it actually is faster, there were a few pages I go to often that were kind of quirky with ff2 but now they are flawless. Nice job mozilla.

[sting7k]

I'm liking ff3 so far. Although I have been using ff for a pretty long time now, had ff1 soon after it was released. Always used ff2 and converted many friends. Yesterday I downloaded ff3 on all 6 computers in my house. Both my parents even use it now and I know lots of my friends got it too. So far I had zero issues, it installed fast, no restart needed, all my settings and customized buttons remained intact. It seems like it actually is faster, there were a few pages I go to often that were kind of quirky with ff2 but now they are flawless. Nice job mozilla.

[jackintucson]

What Ryan Stewart (Adobe blogger??) was that the Flash plug-in is usually necessary to view some video file and a message pops up saying so with the link to download Flash. I'd say that's a little different comparison then someone "seeking" out the download site for FF3. Anyways, I'm proud to have been one of the 8.4 million or so who had the privilege of DLing FF3. And I'm using it as we speak!!!

Jack

[dbmrn]

I too have used Firefox since it came out. I was one of the 8 million who downloaded FF3 yesterday. Using it now, in fact. It is faster than FF2. I disabled the Awsome bar though. i have things bookmarked that I don't was advertised to anyone who used my computer. Other than that I love it. Not sure where my Norton Toolbar went too, though. It no longer shows up. But I will stick with FF3 and only use IE if I have too.

[glal14]

...Obviously there will be flaws with the exact number. And Mozilla never claimed it was the number of people who switched to Firefox. It's just Firefox 3 downloads. And you can't compare Firefox downloads to Flash downloads, because the Flash plugin is required regardless of the browser you use. That Adobe guy shows all the professionalism of an eight-year-old child in his "we already did it, nyah" post.

It was a marketing tactic to get people to download more copies of Firefox. Don't tack your own strange ideas onto it. It was just a count of downloads, nothing more, nothing less.

[ding2112]

you're right glal14. i just cannot see why they have to raise some fuzz when mozilla said it is only the number of downloads they are counting. the point is more than eight million people downloaded it and nobody is claiming that who downloaded FF3 is using it as a primary browser although that is only logical. only a moron will download something and not use it.
to make a hint that people who downloaded ff3 are fanboys is unfair and an uneducated allegation. it negates the fact that people downloaded ff3 because of its functionality, security, speed, and being far better than IE7 which by now I consider as crapware in my system.
the author seems to be a loser. grow up.

[chip902]

Ugh, downloaded it right out of the box for Mac and it stalled... Gotta Love Safari!

[theantibush]

hmmm... the install on Windows is immediate and trouble free.

On Linux you get a directory of files to wade through, a readme pointing to a
URL thats not there, and, after searching the Mozilla site, and install procedure
sure to fail due to missing libraries.

And waiting for ff3 to pop up on a distros yum repository is like having to wait for new software from automatic update.

Novice Linux users are unlikely to put up with any of this, and not just from ff3.

Its a general but difficult problem, of dependencies multiplied by distros.
Windows has it easy in that department...being only one 'distro'.