Updated Firefox eyes record
2008-06-18 07:28
San Francisco - Mozilla on Tuesday released an improved version of its Firefox web browser that has gained popularity as a free alternative to Microsoft's ubiquitous Internet Explorer.
Mozilla said Firefox 3 promises internet surfing that is fast, secure, and easy to customise because it is designed to adapt to people's online activities.
The company claimed the new Firefox version, available in 50 languages, is at least twice as fast as its predecessor and boasts "15 000 improvements" including malware protection.
"We're really proud of Firefox 3 and it just shows what a committed, energised global community can do when they work together," Mozilla chief executive John Lilly said.
The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit organisation that builds and refines public, open-source software in a collaborative manner with input from engineers around the world.
Mozilla is rallying devotees to help it set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of software downloads in 24 hours.
But interest in the Mountain View, California, organisation's new-generation browser was so intense before its release on Tuesday that traffic to the Mozilla website caused it to crash.
Free downloads of Firefox 3 commenced at www.getfirefox.com after the problem was fixed.
Firefox 3 is available free for computers using Windows, Linux, and Macintosh OSX operating systems.
Since its initial launch in 2004, Firefox has spread to more than 175 million users and 230 countries, according to Mozilla.
Mozilla was originally a web navigator code name at defunct internet firm Netscape when it dominated the internet browser world more than a decade ago.
Netscape eventually was eclipsed by Internet Explorer, and the company was bought in 1998 by America Online and reduced to brand status.
The Mozilla Organisation was established in 1998 to complete the free, open-source software project and it registered as a non-profit foundation in July of 2003.
The project was so lucrative that the foundation established a for-profit arm, Mozilla Corporation, two years later to handle distribution and sponsorship of the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird e-mail application.
Firefox 1.0 was launched in November of 2004 and gained popularity with companies and young computer users.