Firefox: Millions and millions of downloads...sitting on the shelf

It was a bit distressing to read that despite tens of millions of Mozilla Firefox downloads, 75 percent of all Firefox downloads never get used, according to Mozilla. Mozilla has therefore launched a contest to get input on how to solve this problem.

It's a good move, but I'm frankly dumbfounded by why millions of people would bother to download Firefox...and then do nothing with it. A majority of existing Firefox users upgrade to new versions, or did so with 3.0. So, existing users seem to like Firefox and want to stay with it, helping Firefox grow to roughly 20 percent of the global browser market.

But why are so many downloads - presumably from newbies - left to sit on the shelf?

It would be one thing if millions of people made it to the Firefox download page and then decided to stick with a previous version of Firefox (or Internet Explorer), but why go through the bother of sucking up your bandwidth with a download and then not clicking on the icon to install it?

Any ideas? Or, rather I should say in the spirit of Mozilla's contest, any solutions?

UPDATE: I heard back from John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla, who offered the following explanation:

It's probably not really three-quarters of the downloads that don't get used -- that's what our numbers show, but some of it is due to downloads not finishing, double downloads, people moving from one machine to a new one (where we gain a new user and lose one, but add a download). But it's hard to find actual information in the wild about usage rates of downloaded software a month after download -- we're sharing ours because we can -- but we can't really find any comparable data -- have you seen any?

I haven't, but how about anyone else out there?

[2castlerock]

What happens is the firefox user/evangelist downloads and installs it for some less computer literate friends and family. Then the friends and family "forget" to use it as IE is entrenched on their desktop and start menu.

So solving that issue is the crux. How do you get the IE shortcuts off the desktop?

[Kev_Orng]

Well, when I did that to all of my family's computers, I just set Firefox as the default browser. Then I removed the IE shortcut from the desktop, but being that I'm not really a Windows guy anymore, I can't remember how I did that exactly. The IE icon is most certainly gone. WinXP btw. I haven't yet made any browser adjustments to my sister's new Vista laptop.

[Michichael]

You remove it by right clicking on the desktop, going to properties, desktop, customize. Uncheck the Internet Explorer box. There ya go!

(Note, some domain policies remove that option, in which case you should be able to just delete the icon).

[Dalkorian]

Removing the shortcut is easy, just drag it to the trash - uh, recycle bin, sorry. It's removing IE itself that's basically impossible (winblows exploder shares many components with IE, so removing IE would effectively remove WE as well).

[softwaredesignengineer]

haha, IE still beats 'em. I'm not a fan of IE but the truth is, IE is more accessable to common users. FireFox is just meant for the geeky types (developers in particular).

MS knows where the bacon is - laymen users. That's where Linux and everything anti-Microsoft sucks at - reaching out to the common man.

[goodspeed8701]

yeah just like apple users who sux for using a goodlooking os but they can get real job out as it lacks the basic performance needed for real job. e.g vista or xp can outperform os 10.5 anyday any time. macs can play games but the os cant play. macs can run windows but i know a friend who run mac better on a hp pavilion

[gsmiller88]

What has Mac OS X got to do with Firefox? Quit hating.

[Dylan_Wisor]

What are you talking about?

[TheTechKid]

I personally think that a lot of the downloads are done may be done by non-administer privilege users who after downloading realize that it is impossible to get to install correctly. That is just a guess though.

[nickrich]

I love firefox as it is so much more versatile than Safari. HOWEVER, I find the latest versions crash repeatedly on my iMac and eMac. At least once or twice every time I sit down to use them. It reminds me of hte old days with Mac OS8 or 9!! While I am willing to accept there are always gremlins in all operating systems, after a couple of boot outs on any given day I say "EF" it and go back to Safari.

I would LOVE for Firefox to be fault free and maybe someday it will be; in hte short term, however I use it when it's behaving and resort to Safari when it's not. and gulp, gulp, on the few times when Safari craps out on me I use Internet Explorer for Mac from the Evil Empire :(

[techman21]

Maybe they should change the Firefox desktop icon caption to read "Browse the Web" or "Teh Internets" or something more obvious to the average noob. How about "This way to the internet"?
Hiding the IE icon is usually trivial.

[dru168]

"MS knows where the bacon is - laymen users. "

Not just MS, look at Apple, their whole empire is based on laymen users.

[myles taylor]

I agree that Apple knows that that's where the market is but I don't think Microsoft does and that's why they are currently losing market share. The same thing will happen with Firefox. As more and more users use it at home, they will start to download it at work.

[bri-man]

It's simple... there were MULTIPLE downloads in wanting Firefox to break the single day download record. I'm sure plenty of people downloaded, re-downloaded, and re-re-downloaded just to help break that record. Marketing...

[majingrim]

Like castlerock said, many people have firefox downloaded by a friend, or are told by someone to get it, but then simply don't think to use it and continue going to IE like they always have. If there was an option during Firefox install to remove Internet Explorer, or at least its icon from the desktop (probably illegal, sadly) it would most likely increase usage 10 fold. At the very least, when Firefox is installed, they could have some form of tutorial on how to remove another browser, without naming IE in particular, but maybe using an example icon that was quite similar to IE's.

[majingrim]

Like castlerock said, many people have firefox downloaded by a friend, or are told by someone to get it, but then simply don't think to use it and continue going to IE like they always have. If there was an option during Firefox install to remove Internet Explorer, or at least its icon from the desktop (probably illegal, sadly) it would most likely increase usage 10 fold. At the very least, when Firefox is installed, they could have some form of tutorial on how to remove another browser, without naming IE in particular, but maybe using an example icon that was quite similar to IE's.

[karpenterskids]

I agree completely with Bri-man.

Hundreds and possibly thousands of Firefox fanboys wanted to "pitch in" and help Mozilla pass the browser download record...so they downloaded the software multiple times on its release day.

And to be completely honest...I'm partially guilty. haha...I admit, I double-clicked on the download button when Firefox 3 came out.

[Kev_Orng]

I downloaded it 7 times on download day. And installed it as the default on 7 machines.

[hmdz105]

So right! I double downloaded Firefox 3 at home and in the office. But I also have used the same copy and installed Firefox on multiple machines without wasting my time downloading it again and again. Does this count?

And the problem is that most people still don't know any other software other than IE for browsing the web; They even don't know what a web browser is and what Internet means.! That goes to.... let's say, more than 60 percent Internet users globally....

[Alan.Shenefield]

I think most basic users just use what comes with the computer or is defaulted and may download Foxfire and forget to use it unless they have a friend that tells them that Foxfire is safer then IE and they should only use it. I know I had to make myself remember to click on FF and not IE and move the Icon in the Task Manager to the first position. The (IE = internet) has a strong link going back to Windows 3.

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I always install Firefox on my computers (Macs) because, for a long time, Safari didn't work everywhere and I wanted a backup. Doesn't seem to be a problem anymore, so now I only use Firefox to test websites I design.

[umbrae]

I think their problems is broken downloads. I do not know anyone that d/l firefox without using it.

[Alan.Shenefield]

I think most basic users just use what comes with the computer or is defaulted and may download Foxfire and forget to use it unless they have a friend that tells them that Foxfire is safer then IE and they should only use it. I know I had to make myself remember to click on FF and not IE and move the Icon in the Task Manager to the first position. The (IE = internet) has a strong link going back to Windows 3.

[CrashPad63]

I speculate that a bit of the "we are going to upset MS" mentality went in gear here. I wonder how many of these open source zealots built bots to automatically download over and over again. Ive seen bots for online voting, downloads, posting and email bombing. So why not?

[alenas]

I am developer - so I download Firefox, install it and the very rarely use it - sometimes I just download new version and do not install it - cause I think I will when I will need to use it.
Mostly I am using IE 8 beta 2, just because with IE I can see every website (even those that work only on IE :) So what is the point using Firefox on one website and then use IE on the other...Just makes sense to use IE all the time...Firefox has many extensions - but I think it is also a problem for Firefox, because some of them slow down browser too much, where it gets slower than IE. On IE i use IE7Pro and do not see any reason why I would use Firefox.
Now I use more of the Chrome than Firefox...Somehow I think Firefox will get hurt by Chrome...

[john55440]

I have Firefox installed on my system, but only use it as an "emergency backup browser". My main browser is IE7.

[chlimouj]

Anyone else think Microsoft may be using Windows Update to download copies of Firefox and delete them just to bog down Mozilla's servers? Diabolical.

[pabloburgos]

In order of preference these are the browsers that I use; K-Meleon and Flock. I have Firefox and Chrome installed but I seldom use either one. Why? There is nothing that I can not do with K-Meleon. Has a small footprint, is consistent, is secure, and has only what I really need to surf or to do anything else. I "uninstalled" IE long time ago and I am not going back. Is funny that my two favorite browsers are also members of the Mozilla family. Go figure.