So, Download Day is go? Or should that be stopped?

[matgb]

Did I call it or what?

Mozilla has decided to try to set a world record for most software downloads in 24 hours when they release Fx3. Can their download network handle it? Anyone got any odds?

Well done guys, your servers can't handle the load. Nice well planned marketing stunt annoying your most committed users. Have some screenshots:

firefox downloadday Screenshot from the download site—note it's Fx2 and the link to 'sneak preview' allows me to DL RC3	firefox worldrecord The spreadfirefox worldrecord news page. Completely dead.

Isn't that nice? I can't get to the site. Or, if I get there, I go to an old version that won't let me DL. Lovely. Is it just me?
[Poll #1206456]

Comments

[foxfirefey]

I did manage to get it, although I noticed mucho problems getting to the site.

[matgb]

Apparently they'd got massive capacity on the DL network and mirrors, but not on the website itself. Cunning plan.

[maddock-ist-rad.livejournal.com]

It downloaded in about 20 seconds with the Linux updater. However all the official servers hosting the Windows version seem to be completely dead (meh, I'll install it later on this partition) - it's on the major bit torrent sites though.

It doesn't seem worth rushing to get. At least.. it doesn't really constitute having a complete new version number. The only really noticeable new features are that the autocomplete on the URL bar now includes page titles and nice icons, which is just an Opera feature, and some minor things like the "remember password?" prompt being moved to a nice pop-up bar that doesn't interrupt your browsing (so you can, like, see if your password actually works before saving it).

Speaking of which, I was going to try Opera 9.5. The earlier versions of Opera were complete trash, but by all accounts the newest version is rather splendid.

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

Opera was great on small/slow systems (it *rocked* on my Psion Series 7) but I find the current PC/*ix versions too profligate in their use of screen real estate and too feature-rich.

[0ct0pus.livejournal.com]

Yes, I can confirm that Opera 9.5 is LOVELY, and is well worth a look. Downloaded last week, which coincidentally was the last time I used Firefox OR Thunderbird, as it tramples the pair of them.

Haven't tried FF3 yet, but what I would really have liked is a proper new version of Thunderbird, with non-hangy IMAP support.

[matgb]

I keep meaning to reinstall Opera, I've always liked it, and on a vanilla install think it's better than Fx, but really like the extendability of Fx.

I've been running the betas and RCs for a bit now, and like them—the auto complete is great, and goes through both history and bookmarks, very good for when you can't remember something and want to link someone to it, etc.

The biggest fix is behind the scenes—the old memory leak seems to have completely gone, I used to have to kill it and reboot every day or so, no longer the case, which is nice.

(for some reason I thought you'd stopped using LJ—added you back again, not that I ever really post privately)

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Been running FF3 for weeks now :)

[matgb]

Well yes, I've got RC2 running right now, but the official legit "your extensions might now get updated" version might be useful, and winding up M$ by getting the record might be better.

[harlotqueen.livejournal.com]

The OSX version downloaded in a few seconds, its just getting to the link to download

[matgb]

Aye—apparently their site died but the DL service was more than was needed. Silly peeps

[eccles.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I tried http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/ but got a server error!

[matgb]

Aye, and I really must remember to bookmark that site for this sort of thing.

[andrewducker]

It _wasn't_ working for me - I got that too.

But now it is!

[matgb]

Got mine at 2am before turning in, running fine now.

[freddiefraggles.livejournal.com]

It's taken a few goes, but yes, I have managed it. Doesn't mean I'll install it yet though.

/edit I found the setup instructions using screenshots from IE amusing.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Downloaded it, installed it, removed it again and backed up. Surprisingly hard to do. The main problem is that some of the interface changes are stupid, annoying, and can't be turned off.

[matgb]

I've only found a few things I didn't like, and about:config solved everything. Biggest plus is the meory leak issue doesn't seem to be causing a problem any more, been running betas and RCs and have got used to or killed everything I didn't like.

But then I've still got Fx2 in a different folder.

What specifically didn't you like?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Tabs are too wide (I've got them set to a minimum of 30 pixels on FF2, they're much wider when the bar is full on 3), tab bar is set only for a single row that scrolls and not multi-rowing, no progress bar on tabs or font/colour changes on unread tabs.

No proper selection of "open X, Y, and Z in new tabs, varying front/background/whatever".

Basically, I want Tab Mix Plus to update.

Also, the clincher was the address bar and it's annoying "previews" instead of a standard list.

I'm sure I could have fixed *some* of this with About:config - but when *all* of it has no controls from the GUI? Fuck that. I'll worry about upgrading once the program is finished and ready to release.

[matgb]

Aye, I had to fix that, but it seems lots of people like the new(ish) scrolling thing. It's
browser.tabs.tabMinWidth I've got it set to 0 but that's my pref. I also don't have it scroll at all, let alone multi rowing.

I'm told tabmixplus does many things I'd like, but I had to switch to RC1 as the old laptop was getting a memory problem and I've just got used to it—essentially the memory leak was a major flaw and that forced me to stop using Fx2.

I've also got used to the addressbar and find it fairly useful now. YMMV I guess.

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

I'm curretly running one of the betas with NightlyTesterTools to force compatibility for some extensions. I'll change when I find something that really does need 3.x features. (Feedly might be it; I'm an iGoogle addict and that looks even better!)

[paulatpingu.livejournal.com]

I tried for about ten minutes at sixish, couldn't get there. Eventually got on when I retried about seven.

But then it's no different that I can see from the release candidates, so I don't know what the fuss it about...

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

As I understand it (other people who I trust have told me this)... RC2 included a number of significant bug fixes over RC1. RC3 basically only included one fix for OS X that wasn't in RC2. So on most systems, the release version will be pretty much identical to RC2, except on the Mac where it'll be close to RC3.

[matgb]

Aye, the RCs are supposed to be pretty final, but most will avoid them, so the offical launch day is for "normal" people. Plus there's this record attempt, which is silly but works.

[gaeriwitch.livejournal.com]

It took me a few tries before I actually managed to see the download link for FF3 but I succeeded and have installed it already.
It did link me directly to the Spanish version, which I thought was odd since I am in France, but hey, that's the version I wanted anyway.

[matgb]

It'll likely go off what your default language is set to rather than your location, especially for Spanish, but I'm guessing.

[mooism.livejournal.com]

I was going to wait until Download Day was over, just because I thought it was a bit immature; now I might wait a bit longer.

They were probably going for a “Firefox 3 is the fastest spreading download in history” press release, they’ll just have to do with “Firefox 3 is so popular the download servers have melted” instead.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

As I understand it, the download servers were fine the whole time - there are many, many mirrors. However, the web front end barfed when inbound traffic to Mozilla jumped to roughly 1.65Gbps, or so I'm told. (That's inbound, so basically only page requests and acks, nothing to do with the size of the pages, images etc.)

[js84.livejournal.com]

Currently downloading the OS X version very slowly (25 minutes remaining). All throughout the first hour the page was dead. You'd think someone could have forseen this and provided participating mirrors.

I liked the avoidance attitude Mozilla took after the flop. Their decision is now to count Download Day 24 hours after it worked (http://blog.mozilla.com/blog/2008/06/17/firefox-3-coming-soon/). When pledging and signing to reminder emails, the latest was any time into 18 June until 5pm that would count as a record.

[paulgregory.livejournal.com]

To be fair, the record is "most downloads in a 24 period", much like a record may be "most cakes stuffed in mouth in 1 minute" - the Guinness Book of Records people don't particularly care when things start and stop.

[fearmeforiampink]

OperaOperaOpera.

[matgb]

Yeah yeah yeah. I likes my extensions, and ultimately NotIE is what matters.

[eldar.livejournal.com]

I started my d/l at 7.43am. I am posting this response at 7.45am in Fx3. So I guess, no problems?

[matgb]

Lucky git—I've even had problems today getting to different parts of their site to install addons.

[innerbrat]

When LJ-login is compatible, and not a moment before.

PS have I asked about your icon before? I want to steal it but it's messy and needs cleaning.

[matgb]

It's active_apathy's, she tends to be fairly relaxed but likes credit, I reckon knock yourself out and show her when done.

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

You didn't have a 'Firefox hasn't told me it's up to 3.0 so I didn't know about it' clicky thing...

[matgb]

Bbbut...

Their silly world record attempt has been linked to everywhere. For some reason though versions update to new versions, but not to replacements, so my 1.5 install on an old machine hasn't told me it's at 2.0 yet, no idea why.

[paulgregory.livejournal.com]

I have multiple machines, so really my answers are:
* "My RC version had already become the final version before Download Day"
* "I successfully downloaded Fx3 on the day"
* "I waited until morning" (x2)

The trouble with the tracking methodology is that it required cookies and central control - ordinarily if there was going to be trouble downloading it I would have downloaded Fx3 once before 6pm, made it available on our local network for everyone here and took it home on a USB stick.

But as I liked the idea of being part of a misguided record attempt, I ended up doing it the stupid way in order to be "counted". And thus, I will have installed or encouraged the install on less machines in a 24 hour period than would have been the case otherwise.

Starting it at a peak time for half the world was just silly.

I'd like to know the Fx2 figures - I downloaded Fx2 yesterday and installed it onto our IE6 test station without any problems and I doubt we're the only place to do that.

[matgb]

Aye—we ended up DLing it on each of the 4 machines, even though the ideal would've been one copy on the server machine and installing from there.

Ah well. Numbers'll be interesting when they come out.