How Can We Harness the Firefox Effect?

Jun 28, 2008, 20:00 (5 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Glyn Mody)

"Three things are striking about the recent launch of Firefox 3. First, the unanimity about the quality of the code: practically everyone thinks it's better in practically every respect. Secondly, the way in which the mainstream media covered its launch: it was treated as a normal, important tech story--gone are the days of supercilious anecdotes about those wacky, sandal-wearing free software anoraks. And finally--and perhaps most importantly--the scale and intensity of participation by the millions of people who have downloaded the software in the last week.

"But the question has to be: what now? How can we harness that amazing spirit, to make the Firefox Effect permanent, not just a media event that comes around once every few years...?"

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• Microsoft Free--One Year Later(Jun 17, 2008)
• Version Labeling is Out of Control(Jun 10, 2008)
• Are Your Firefox Extensions Proprietary Software?(Jun 05, 2008)
• Ubuntu's Pipe Dream: True Free Software Syncronicity(May 17, 2008)