According to the Mozilla Team and the Firefox Twitter account, the spunky orange browser will reach 1 billion downloads at approximately 3:45 a.m. PT tomorrow morning.
Because Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is currently shipped on most Windows machines, IE still maintains its lead as supreme ruler in web browser land. But the very fact that Firefox requires users to recognize the existence of an alternative browser and actively install it, means that 1 billion downloads and 31% market share is a monumental feat.
Born out of frustration with the Netscape/America Online browser, Mozilla Firefox was a resource-light alternative created by developers Blake Ross and Dave Hyatt. While America Online continued to tack bells and whistles onto the duo’s Netscape browser project, they spent their free time producing a more straightforward and speedy experience in Firefox. And they were right to do so. Within a month of its November 2004 launch, Firefox would reach 10 million people, and in less than a year, it would reach 100 million. Today, the leap from 100 million to 1 billion downloads can be directly attributed to Spread Firefox – a grassroots community devoted to the browser.
The creators of Firefox had the sense to realize that their uphill battle against Microsoft’s IE was not going to be fought between equal armies. Internet Explorer was already pre-installed on almost every PC, and the Redmond company had ten times the resources to spend on development and research than their open-source competitor. Spread Firefox began as an effort to harness the collective voices of the programmers, marketers and enthusiasts contributing to the Mozilla project. Rather than positioning themselves as a corporate competitor, Firefox likened itself to a political cause. Externally, the group referred to itself as a “movement”, and internally, the very infrastructure of the community site was powered by CivicSpace (formerly DeanSpace). The site is a modified version of the Drupal content management system created for Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign.
Spread Firefox became a rallying hub for open-source advocates and Microsoft dissenters. Since the very beginning, Firefox was humanized as the eager young candidate with a can-do attitude, while Microsoft’s IE was portrayed as being bloated, corrupt and resting on his laurels.
In this world, the initial political platforms had nothing to do with health care or fiscal responsibility, but rather the impending threats of spyware and Trojan horses. Instead of putting signs on their lawns, volunteers put “Get Firefox” buttons on their personal websites. Instead of holding bake sales, they held hack-a-thons to build new extensions.
It’s not unreasonable to compare the browser’s fans to Howard Dean’s leaflet-touting Deaniacs. While most enthusiasts opt to don t-shirts or work on web development, there are certainly zealots. One group of hardcore Oregon State University fans went so far as to create a 220 ft. Firefox crop circle.
Both Dean’s campaign strategies and Spread Firefox are testament to small contributions and the power of the internet. The race to 1 billion downloads is a huge step in the browser territory struggle; however, as with Dean’s campaign, it’s still a long way from single-handedly toppling the status quo. Nevertheless, the Firefox campaign may be aided by Microsoft’s antitrust case and the company’s recent proposal to include rival web browsers in the Windows OS throughout Europe.
Mozilla’s bid to become commander in chief, at least in Europe, may actually be achieved in the foreseeable future. It will be interesting to see if Opera, Safari and Chrome will step in to split the vote.
For more information on Firefox, visit the Spread Firefox site, or to download the browser, visit the product page.
