It's official: Mozilla (SAI 25 #5) says it now holds the Guinness World Record for "largest number of software downloads in 24 hours," recorded after the release of Firefox 3. Mozilla counted 8,002,530 downloads of the latest version of its Firefox Web browser during that period. Impressive, given their servers were crushed under the weight of the demand -- which means they spent significant time turning away visitors.
The record itself is a nifty publicity stunt, though not near as impressive as other Guinness achievements, such as "Most Rattlesnakes Sat In Bathtub With" (87).
But the bigger point here is that Firefox is gaining share: 19% vs. 14.5% a year ago, while Microsoft's (MSFT) Internet Explorer's share slipped to 73% from 79% a year ago, according to research firm Net Applications.
See Also:
Firefox 3 First Take: Worth The Wait, But Not Perfect
Firefox 3 Launches, Servers Crash
Why Firefox Is Thinking Small: Mobile Browser Market To Explode
