Firefox gains 30million users in eight weeks

[DKT27]

Firefox gains 30million users in eight weeks

Mozilla's open-source Firefox browser has gained 30 million users over the past eight weeks, as it continues to gain on Internet Explorer.

Chief executive John Lilly revealed the increase in user adoption in a Twitter post on Monday, and Tristan Nitot, president of Mozilla Europe, confirmed it to ZDNet UK on Tuesday.

"We've seen a significant increase in the number of users for Firefox," said Nitot. "Firefox checks for new versions every 24 hours, when it's running, and when it checks, it pings the Mozilla server. We count the number of pings."

Nitot explained that counting the requests gives Mozilla the number of active daily users. To calculate the number of monthly users, the organisation multiplies the number of active daily users by three, to adjust for days when people are not browsing.

Over the past eight weeks, Mozilla has seen an average increase of 10 million daily users, from approximately 103 million to 113 million. That translates to a total of approximately 330 million monthly users .

"It's amazing to have 330 million users," said Nitot. "That's the size of the population of the USA."

In terms of global rankings, Firefox has steadily gained market share since its launch, while the dominant browser, Internet Explorer, has gradually lost user numbers.

According to US-based web-analytics company Net Applications, Internet Explorer held 65 percent of browser market share worldwide at the end of September this year, a drop from 70 percent in November 2008. By contrast, Firefox gained almost three percent, rising from 21.21 percent share to 23.75 percent.

Firefox usually sees a seasonal jump in user numbers in the autumn, according to Nitot, who added that people going back to work after northern hemisphere summer breaks could be contributing to the tally.

"Usually it's a mixture of back-to-school, and people getting new computers and installing the latest version," said Nitot. "This boosts our numbers every year."

In 17 countries in Europe, Firefox is now the dominant browser, he said, and the browser is particularly popular in Eastern Europe. Polish web-analytics company Gemius Ramking puts Firefox consistently at the top of its browser rankings chart for the region. For example, Firefox has over 48 percent of market share in Poland.

In addition, the mass adoption of information technology over the past four years in Eastern Europe has helped uptake of Firefox, Nitot said. "Internet adoption came while Firefox was becoming popular," said Nitot. "In Eastern Europe, they were not used to Internet Explorer 6. There was not the muscle memory of clicking on the blue E."

However, Nitot added that Firefox was also popular in Western Europe, particularly in Germany, as people there place an emphasis on privacy. In Europe in general, the ethos and enthusiasm of the local Firefox development communities tends to encourage new users, he said.

Source

[Marik]

This isn't the least surprising, since it's the best browser on the net

others may say opera/chrome is the better one, but stats don't lie....the net just prefers this browser over all...just accept it!

and unlike microsoft, mozzila doesn't pay for fake stats/news about it's browser

[shought]

I hate to disagree with you(nah, not really :P), but the most liked and/or used browser isn't necessarily the 'best' browser (although I would vote for Firefox as well).

Edit: Sh*t, I f*d up my 6,666 post count with this post, you bastard!

[HX1]

I would like to mention one for for thought.. in many cases.. the most used is not necessarily the best .. for a number of radical factors..and with a changing demographic..its something to keep in mind with more than just an Internet browser...

That being said .. I love my FF.. ( much awaiting the new 3.6 ).. I really have loved the improvements however over the past year from them all.. its good to see the 'bar' raised..

FF will always be my most used...I like the fact that it has no fixed UI... nor is even its operational infrastructure.. makes it one of the best.. really in a class of its own..

[DKT27]

+1. :)

I do feel that Chome and Opera have surpassed it in many ways, but I like FF more(for many reasons). :D

[Night Owl]

I really like Firefox, but I find I'm using Google Chrome 4.0 more and more.

[Bizarre™]

I like Firefox... it suits my surfing habits the best ^_^

[ESET Freak]

I love Firefox too, but I think Internet Explorer is also a good browser, Microsoft should make it open-source and make it more lightweight, that should do the trick.

[RadioActive]

I disagree with the statement "Firefox is the best browser".

Firefox is the most convenient browser because of the huge number of available addons, but that doesn't necessarily make it "the best".

As a matter of fact, the only reason I use that memory hog is a couple of addons I can't live without, if not I would've switched (probably to Opera) already.

[HX1]

I disagree with the statement "Firefox is the best browser".

Firefox is the most convenient browser because of the huge number of available addons, but that doesn't necessarily make it "the best".

As a matter of fact, the only reason I use that memory hog is a couple of addons I can't live without, if not I would've switched (probably to Opera) already.

You know I back FF quite a bit because of several factors.. but I will have to agree very much so on this point.. While FF retains the ability to be the most customizable browser created..and gets a lot of backing from people like myself who have endeavored to make it what it is to them.. through lots of research and time consuming effort, the browser at defaults is not technically that much of an Internet tool and is slower that several other available..It can however be made to do many things including be faster, safer..( which is a good aspect and makes it in some ways harder to target ) ..the UI can be changed to liking not only through themes but also through the accessibility provided by its developers, to many of the inner workings and internals of the browser itself..Which can be partly if not major-ly contributed by its OpenSource nature in development..These areas are combed through to allow the browser to be easily manipulated to be taken to the next era in the internet experience.. in many ways.. Its an idea which is quite forward thinking.. and plans for the future changes to take place on the web..

At first glance an overall package for package comparison would also put Opera on top in many areas but may also allow Chrome, and many webkit browser at the fore as well..They cover such areas as responsiveness and speed.. configur-ability.. and ease of access.. While I use all of the major browsers in my usage of the Internet and in several areas when considering the development of code/pages... I would still probably stay with supporting of FF for the very sole reason that it so forward thinking and has the most experience doing it..I feel that f they leave this aspect behind.. which is probably not in their mission statement .. that the browser itself may loose appeal to many people...However dropping these areas would as well.. just be another boring lame browser.. that has not endeavored to achieve another level with a look ahead.. but has done nothing more than try to achieve excellent test results and just be something else short-sighted of its goals and only measured by its peers on the market itself..

I personally can only see Opera as the only threat to FF, but it has and long has been a browser which is OpenSource but yet still a step behind.. This is not without considerations for the changes that have taken place within the last year or two with Opera..many of which have been supported since version 1/2 of FF... I see Chrome/WebKit seemingly coming along at the same pace.. Very fast and very good at the basics...and adding its own unique aspects as time progresses..however with only some simple goals in mind which may actually create a divide between types of users...

I guess the real question would not really be which browser is best but what browser do yo use and why? More of a series of question about your needs as an Internet user, and what will best suit your needs individually..Bragging rights or contest of who is pulling in more clientèle is interesting to watch.. and can state several things about a project.. but can any system of measure account for truly significant radical factors in the decision making process which concerns the consumer themselves..Was it word of mouth? An article on the Internet? Did an error prompt you to change your browser/habits/or programs? Lifestyle change.. Changes in areas of your skills as a user?They are all important questions as well as the ones which are not accounted for...

Anyway cutting it right here.. writing another book..LOL

[RadioActive]

I disagree with the statement "Firefox is the best browser".

Firefox is the most convenient browser because of the huge number of available addons, but that doesn't necessarily make it "the best".

As a matter of fact, the only reason I use that memory hog is a couple of addons I can't live without, if not I would've switched (probably to Opera) already.

You know I back FF quite a bit because of several factors.. but I will have to agree very much so on this point.. While FF retains the ability to be the most customizable browser created..and gets a lot of backing from people like myself who have endeavored to make it what it is to them.. through lots of research and time consuming effort, the browser at defaults is not technically that much of an Internet tool and is slower that several other available..It can however be made to do many things including be faster, safer..( which is a good aspect and makes it in some ways harder to target ) ..the UI can be changed to liking not only through themes but also through the accessibility provided by its developers, to many of the inner workings and internals of the browser itself..Which can be partly if not major-ly contributed by its OpenSource nature in development..These areas are combed through to allow the browser to be easily manipulated to be taken to the next era in the internet experience.. in many ways.. Its an idea which is quite forward thinking.. and plans for the future changes to take place on the web..

At first glance an overall package for package comparison would also put Opera on top in many areas but may also allow Chrome, and many webkit browser at the fore as well..They cover such areas as responsiveness and speed.. configur-ability.. and ease of access.. While I use all of the major browsers in my usage of the Internet and in several areas when considering the development of code/pages... I would still probably stay with supporting of FF for the very sole reason that it so forward thinking and has the most experience doing it..I feel that f they leave this aspect behind.. which is probably not in their mission statement .. that the browser itself may loose appeal to many people...However dropping these areas would as well.. just be another boring lame browser.. that has not endeavored to achieve another level with a look ahead.. but has done nothing more than try to achieve excellent test results and just be something else short-sighted of its goals and only measured by its peers on the market itself..

I personally can only see Opera as the only threat to FF, but it has and long has been a browser which is OpenSource but yet still a step behind.. This is not without considerations for the changes that have taken place within the last year or two with Opera..many of which have been supported since version 1/2 of FF... I see Chrome/WebKit seemingly coming along at the same pace.. Very fast and very good at the basics...and adding its own unique aspects as time progresses..however with only some simple goals in mind which may actually create a divide between types of users...

I guess the real question would not really be which browser is best but what browser do yo use and why? More of a series of question about your needs as an Internet user, and what will best suit your needs individually..Bragging rights or contest of who is pulling in more clientèle is interesting to watch.. and can state several things about a project.. but can any system of measure account for truly significant radical factors in the decision making process which concerns the consumer themselves..Was it word of mouth? An article on the Internet? Did an error prompt you to change your browser/habits/or programs? Lifestyle change.. Changes in areas of your skills as a user?They are all important questions as well as the ones which are not accounted for...

Anyway cutting it right here.. writing another book..LOL

You sure have put a lot of thought on that one :D

Anyways, of course you state a good point, but the problem is the entire design or approach of FF is what makes it flawed at the first place. Customizability is great but I think FF sacrifices performance and stability in the process.

FF tends to consume too much memory although I use less than a dozen addons. And what REALLY ticks me off that with every single minor update it often breaks a couple of my favorite addons.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think FF's aproach is wrong, I just believe that they should slow down a lil and consider other aspects besides customizability.

~DSK