Why Do We Love Firefox So Much?

It seems like the last few days have been all about Firefox, all the time. And, in reality (at least my own little reality), they have been. I've been playing with the browser, pushing it's limits, and trying various add-ons, and I wasn't alone.

During yesterday-ish's Download Day, Mozilla logged over 8 million downloads of their new offering, Firefox 3. In a 24-hour period. That's ridiculous.

I suppose the next question is why the big hype, and why do we love Firefox so much. I think setting aside the technical opinions like "it works better than...," it really comes down to the heart of the company behind the browser. Mozilla continues to be the most ambitious open-source company around, and they haven't allowed the success to go to their head. Speaking about what her expectations for the browser are, Chairwoman Mitchell Baker said:

"Mozilla is about keeping and building an Internet that is open and participatory, where individuals have control... We want enough market share to be able to move the Internet toward our goals. There is no exact number. It is not our goal to be a single source that unilaterally determines where the web goes. Mozilla is about having fun and building a better Internet."

That's an attitude that is refreshing and we can all get behind it. There's no corporate BS in there, making claims of how much of a market share they dominate and what kind of fiscal position that puts them in (although a market share of over 3% in one day is not too shabby at all), it's just about making good, accessible software.

If you still haven't grabbed your copy of Firefox 3, swing over and grab it!

Firefox 3 launch a success: 8 million downloads in 24 hours [Ars Technica]