Rich Fiscus
3 Jul 2008 15:24
Mozilla has officially announced the results of their world record attempt for the most softoware downloads in a 24 hour period and not surprisingly they've succeeded. Technically this only means at least 1 person downloaded Firefox 3 on its launch date, but the official tally is a slightly higher 8,002,530.
"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 Gareth Deaves, Records Manager for Guinness World Records. "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 real win for Mozilla has been the buzz generated over a new browser release. They still have a long way to go if they want to catch Microsoft in browser market share. Due in no small part to the world record promotion, Firefox 3 was downloaded around 5 times more on launch day than the previous release. It also beat Mozilla's stated goal of 5 million downloads by more than 50%.
"The enthusiasm and creativity of Firefox fans was instrumental in achieving this record," said Paul Kim, VP of Marketing at Mozilla. "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."