FireFox 3 enters Guinness World Records

Open source browser FireFox 3 has officially set the Guinness World Record for most software downloads in one day. The officially audited count for number of complete individual downloads in its first 24 hours was a staggering 8,002,530.

The success can be attributed both to the desirability of the product and the extensive marketing efforts of Mozilla as well as the product's loyal legions of supporters. Over 1.7 million users had visited the Firefox 3 page before the day of the launch to signal their unwavering support. Special parties and down-load fests added to the hype.

Despite some initial glitches with the download server, over 1 million downloads were recorded within the first 4 hours. And Mozilla isn't resting on its laurels. Firefox 3.1 is already brewing. Expect an alpha release next month incorporating an improved user interface, security enhancements and additional HTML features.