Today is the day. You can download Firefox 3.0, and at the same time help set a world record. The funny thing about a world record attempt is that most people will need to actually get the file in order to set a record. Something easier said than done currently. Most of the normal publicized sites are down as of 2:30 PM EST. (This is 90 minutes after the record attempt and downloading frenzy started.) Below is more information on the newest browser three years in the making.
Quick everyone download the browser! Oh wait...apparently everyone is..... (IMG:J.Anderson)
First the good stuff:
Most of the main channels are swamped. If you wanted to follow the record attempt the link is here: http://www.spreadfirefox.com/worldrecord/
However, you can only follow the record attempt if the site loads. Presently it is still returning connection reset or timeout messages. This is also the “official” download site for the record attempt. However, all downloads on June 17 from 10 AM PST (1PM EST) will count towards the record attempt for the next twenty four hours. (According to several news items and blogs.)
(labnol.org has a map. http://tinyurl.com/65atrv)
To download the software, ISO Hunt has an official mirror in place.
Win32http://mozilla.isohunt.com/firefox/releases/3.0/win32/
MAChttp://mozilla.isohunt.com/firefox/releases/3.0/mac/
Linuxhttp://mozilla.isohunt.com/firefox/releases/3.0/linux-i686/
You can also use the Mozilla download areas, if you can reach them.http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/3.0/http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/?from=getfirefox
According to something I got on Twitter, they are taking about 8,000 downloads a minute.
With over 1,687,000 people (tracking with Google cache, as the current record numbers are still offline) pledged to download the new browser, Mozilla will likely get their wish and a Guinness World Record for the most downloads of an application in a single day. To be fair, there is currently no record in place for this, so it’s likely a lock for them.
Firefox 3.0 has more than 15,000 bug fixes, spent three years in development, and garnered a slew of press coverage. This 7.1 MB file is claimed to be the best and fastest browser to date. While the speed is a proven fact (just try GMail), only user opinion counts when you talk about best.
When you download the new version there are some things to keep in mind, for example, most of your add-ons might have issues. Most, if not all, of the popular ones will work on 3.0 however, so you are covered if you use NoScript or AddBlock Plus. There will be some bugs, remember RC3 was just released last week. So don't lose your mind if there are some issues, and backup everything you can from version 2.0.x and leave it installed until you are sure you want to use 3.0 full time.
You would think that the release of 3.0 would allow the development team at Mozilla time to take a break. Not true, as there is already work starting on version 3.1. “A very early draft of planned features reveals that as expected, this release will be mainly about landing stuff that didn’t make it on time for the Firefox 3, along with the usual performance, stability and security bug fixes,” Mozilla Links reports. Visual tab switching is expected to make a return for version 3.1.
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