14 DAY TRIAL // It took five years, three major versions and the contribution of thousands of volunteers, but Firefox has reached one billion downloads. Not so much a technical milestone, the number has a greater importance in reminding what it took to get here and how the browser market, and the Internet as a whole, have evolved. As you can imagine, the celebrations at Mozilla are already underway, but there's no time to rest on its laurels, and the team has already launched a new site to help spread the word even more.
“We’re awed and amazed to be celebrating one billion Firefox downloads. That’s one billion times in the last five years that you and the rest of the Mozilla community have made the choice to make the Web better,” the one-billion-plus-one site reads. “But it’s not just about Firefox. We are the world. We are the billions. We are the ones who make the Web a better place to be. As we all start towards the second billion, let’s take a moment to reflect on the wonders of the Web that you’ve helped nurture and grow.”
Just to be sure, the one billion downloads are the ones initiated by the users (i.e. not automatic updates) and, while the actual number of unique individuals that have downloaded the browser may be a lot smaller, it's still an impressive number.
But that doesn't mean the job is done and now, more than ever, Mozilla wants to get the message across even more. Already a great number of people has submitted photos with them sporting Firefox apparel next to a famous landmark or an interesting location, as part of a contest the foundation held in anticipation of the one billionth download. The winners are now featured on the onebillionplusyou.com site and they have even received a free copy of Firefox 3.5.
No, actually, there aren't any prizes involved, but getting your photo featured on the Mozilla site will do wonders for your geek cred. However, it doesn't all stop here, as you too can spread the love and celebrate the milestone on your blog or Facebook page with the nice banners Mozilla has kindly provided (below).
And, of course, Twitter can't be left out, and the site sports some quotes to brag about on the microblogging service. It may have taken five years, but the real struggle may be ahead, as the competition in the browser market is heating up.
