Firefox Launch 'Breaks Record'

Broadband users have rushed to download the new version of the Firefox web browser, new figures show.

According to Mozilla, the developers of Firefox 3, over eight million people have downloaded the internet software on its first day of its worldwide release earlier this week. This breaks the firm's stated aim of attracting five million customers for the browser over the 24 hour period. The release has already had a positive effect on Mozilla's market share, with the Firefox 3 alone counting for 6.2 per cent of US broadband and other web connections within two days of its release.

In the UK, there have been around 300,000 downloads of the software so far, industry source ZDNet.co.uk reports.

The majority of broadband connections currently use Microsoft's Internet Explorer - although browsers such as Firefox and Opera have made inroads in the market over recent years. The success of Firefox 3 is thought to be a particular coup, as it has been the subject of a high-impact marketing campaign from its developers: users were even encouraged to hold special "download parties" to celebrate the software's release.

What's more, Mozilla has claimed that the eight million new customers could set a Guinness world record for the largest-ever number of downloads of a particular piece of software over a 24 hour period. "We’ll need to be patient as our judges and Guinness World Records validate our record attempt," Mozilla noted in a blog post. "We exceeded eight million downloads in our 24 hour period."