The official launch (Firefox 3)

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The official date for the launch of Firefox 3 is June 17, 2008. Download Day includes a chance to participate ina World Record attempt.

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For a good guide to the changes in Firefox 3, see Field Guide to Firefox 3

For those of you using the Bookmark Backup extension, you will need to update to the latest version of this extension since Firefox 3 uses new files to store most of the user data such as bookmarks, passwords, cookies, browsing history etc. To update Bookmark Backup you need to install the latest version from Pike’s Mozilla Firefox Extensions – Bookmark Backup

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Just to help them set a record, I will participate in the Download Day, but I’m not too sure I’ll install right away. Since you and Joe Perez gave me some guidance when I was in the midst of aclimating to Vista ( thread post 709,925 ) I’m now gonna be a little nervous about upsetting what I’ve already got working quite nicely and without problems. I run Firefox and Thunderbird from BOTH Vista and XP, using the same, single profile and that’s quite a convenience for me, since I hop from one OS to the other each day.

If you happen to come across the subject of dual boot for Fx 3 or such, please let me know. Meanwhile, I’m off to read what the version 3 brings…

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If you want to test a minor update first in your new dual boot system, Firefox 2.0.0.15 is due for release on June 24th, as with anything from Mozilla, date subject to change.

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> as with anything from Mozilla, date subject to change…

Has “Mozilla” morphed into a generic term for “any software developer”?

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Since IT IS already “The” day in a good part of the world, I just clipped this from Firefox 3 World Record | Spread Firefox:[indent]

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The Official Download Day Time
Posted June 16th, 2008 by mary
Hi all: Download Day starts on June 17th at 10 a.m. PDT.

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[/indent]

Added later (not worth another post): There’s a fair amount of “grumbling” going on in the Mozillazine forums and elsewhere due to the fact that the powers that be failed to say that this grand download day STARTS at 10 AM today, San Francisco time!

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This time corresponds to 18:00 in Noble British Summer Time… How much chance to we get to contribute to a meaningless record attempt, eh? [Mozillazine grumble]

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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At least you get some chance. The poor people in Australia and East Asia don’t get a chance at all to download it on the 17th because it’s already the 18th for them!

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I don’t know whether anything I was reading this morning contains any comments from actual members of “Mozilla management” but the implication from more than one poster is that this “download day” really consists of a 24 hour period commencing at 10 AM Pacific Daylight Time (USA). Truth is, who cares? I will try to download this afternoon when I come home but I ain’t gonna lose a minute of sleep over it…

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A whole day – i.e. 24 world-wide hours – just like everyone else I should imagine.

If you consider it meaningless, you don’t have to participate!

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[indent]

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If you consider it meaningless, you don’t have to participate!

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[/indent]So in what way do you consider the stunt to be meaningful? Seems just a good way of clogging up the internet with data traffic – that’s presuming anyone can get through to the servers AND/OR the manual update begins to offer FX3 rather than FX2…

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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You can not currently use the built in update system to get Firefox 3, you will need to download the installer available from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all.html%5B/url%5D

The auto-update system for Firefox 2 to Firefox 3 will not be made available for a while.

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I suppose we could “argue” this one until we’re all OLD MEN and I’m sure we don’t want to do that! Although I don’t consider their attempt to get in the world record book a stunt or meaningless, I can confirm that they didn’t do a good job of preparing for it. The “Download Day” URL from the original post has been inaccessible for over an hour that I’ve been home and I was able to go to the normal Firefox web page and download something that calls itself Version 3. I plan to check that out carefully before installing.

Such is life fellas. Let’s all have a pint and go on with it, huh?

Firefox web browser | Faster, more secure, & customizable (Link for USA English for Windows)

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For what it is worth, had to wait until ~11:15 PM CDT USA to be able to download the browser. Tried several times ~6:00PM CDT and 8:00PM and kept getting download error. To many people accessing the server

I to am going to wait to install the new browser.

One interesting side note, there was an article on PC Magazine’s Website by Michael Muchmore with a link for the Full article here that give some additional information. PC Magazine writer Edward Mendelson has been updating his The Next Browser War articles online and compares FireFox 3 Beta 5, IE 8 Beta 1, and Opera 9.5 Beta 1.

Apparently the competition is pushing fro bigger and better things ?!?!??

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With all due respect, it was you who suggested there be any meaning – or lack of it – to the ‘stunt’! It had not occurred to me to quantify any meaning to the exercise, but since you ask, I think it was a brilliant piece of PR. It certainly seems to have got you (trying) to download it!

I’ve downloaded it twice, at home and at work, without any glitch or delay – maybe I’ve been lucky. And yes, a very good way to make use of the internet – but perhaps I should now make amends for clogging it up by downloading something really useful, like streamed video of Big Brother….

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And for those interested in some world record participation I noticed it yesterday evening [GMT+2] said:

“”Please download Firefox 3 by 17:00 UTC on June 18, 2008. That’s 10:00 a.m. in Mountain View …” etc.

Would that indicate that they, somehow, due to problem start counting at 17:00 UTC 18 June (today)? Or was it a recommendation to spread the d/l. But that time is exactly 24 hour after it supposed to start, and thus the end time for counting. Odd. Today/now it says:

“Please download Firefox 3 by 11:16 a.m. PDT (18:16 UTC) on June 18, 2008. That’s 11:16 a.m. in Mountain View …” etc.

Appart from the odd exact minute time , it’s even further in the future, since that would be 20:16 in Europe today, and the initial 24 hours were supposed to end at 19:00 [GMT+2] today.

Whatever. Since I am using Fx since several years and appreciate their software, I thought that I could at least try to download it during the initial 24 hours to help them set some kind of record, if that is what they want, so I downloaded it yesterday.

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Be sure you go back and get your “certificate” (reduced from page-size)

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OK Al, I got my certificate. Over 8 million downloads, not too bad. I’m sure they just all wanted some software with my name in the credits, that’s understandable…

Back to the serious stuff, the smart location bar (aka the awesome bar, I do not like that name) may take a bit of getting used to but I think it is worth it. For a good overview of what it can do check out this Flash presentation.

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Wow, 2.7 million in the USA. Quite a load on those servers.

That Flash presentation was VERY good, interesting and informative Tony. Thanks for posting it. The guy’s “patter” went a little fast for me to keep up, but it’s obvious that the old thing I roughly refer to as the address box is gonna take a whole lot of time to really master. I’m getting nervous about installing and I think I’ll wait until the weekend, right after I do my next image backups. I’ve got to do TWO installs for XP and Vista and HOPE that the Vista one will still recognize my single profile, as it’s doing now!

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What you are forgetting is that the internet is all clogged up, so they are allowing you 1 hour and 16 minutes actual download time

(Just showing 5,941,460 downloads so far as I type this in – that’s 5.941.460 for you foreigners )

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Yes, there has been some grumble. “Oh, now I can’t d/l it before I leave work …”. Yep, as if someone would install it 3 minutes after release in a corporate environment [then leave work].

My only opinion on this is that they should have been clear on the release date AND time, then all this 17/18 June discussion would be moot. When they announced it the 11 June, or some day after, they probably knew at what time they could & would like to release it (having their staff ready etc.).

To wait until now to mention 10:00 AM PDT, only upset some, though nothing to bother about. Every company release their software at some time, mostly their time. But if they wanted to do d/l count and planned for it, then start time would be an important part of that, not? Then everyone would know.

But it was fun to read some comments from around: “Its [sic!] already 10.20 in India when will the download begins???” etc. Yep 10:00.

Fixed time around the world – 10:00 AM PDT for different time zones.

And a count down clock.

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Yes, this time those in the middle of the Pacific are NOT the first to get it as they are almost every other time, including the New Year!

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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