The launch of the open source Firefox 3 web browser has set the new Guinness World Record for the largest number of software downloads in 24 hours. Mozilla's mirrors served 8,002,530 complete, individual downloads during the download day event following the official release of Firefox 3 last month.
The download day grassroots marketing campaign was orchestrated by Mozilla's global marketing team. When the idea was first announced to the public in May, Mozilla encouraged enthusiasts to pledge in advance. Over 1.7 million users from all over the world visited the SpreadFirefox web site to affirm their support prior to the day of the launch, and many Firefox enthusiasts planned special parties and download-fests for the day of the release.
I attended Mozilla's official Firefox release party at the organization's headquarters in Mountain View, California. Despite some initial technical problems that prevented some users from being able to access Mozilla's servers, over 1 million downloads were recorded in only the first four hours.
Within 24 hours after the initial release, Mozilla's counter showed over 8 million downloads. The server logs and download information then had to be subjected to an independent audit so that duplicates and incomplete downloads could be removed from the final count. The documentation was then submitted to Guinness and has now received final approval.
"As the arbiter and recorder of the world's amazing facts, Guinness World Records is pleased to add Mozilla's achievement to our archives," said Guinness records manager Gareth Deaves in a statement. "Mobilizing over 8 million internet users within 24 hours is an extremely impressive accomplishment and we would like to congratulate the Mozilla community for their hard work and dedication."
The download day event reflects Mozilla's approach of using inclusive grassroots marketing campaigns that give users a way to contribute and be part of the Firefox community. The success of the event demonstrates the commitment of the Firefox user base and represents one of the greatest open source success stories in recent history. Mozilla credits its users as the architects of this victory.
"The enthusiasm and creativity of Firefox fans was instrumental in achieving this record," said Mozilla marketing vice president Paul Kim in a statement. "Our community members came together and not only spread the word, but also took the initiative to help mobilize millions of people to demonstrate their belief that Firefox gives people the best possible online experience."
Firefox 3 has proven extremely popular with our readers here at Ars. Our statistics show that nearly 45 percent of Ars Technica readers are using Firefox, and uptake of the new version has been very swift. Approximately 65 percent of Ars Firefox users are already running Firefox 3.
Although the Firefox 3 launch has been a major success, Mozilla isn't slowing down. Planning and development has already begun on Firefox 3.1, an incremental update that will likely include user interface enhancements, security improvements, and new HTML features. The first alpha release of Firefox 3.1 is tentatively planned for next month.
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