Firefox Fail: Download Day Derailed By Servers

For a company focused on innovation, user input and superior Web browsing, it's unfortunate that eager users are being locked out of downloading Firefox 3. Mozilla had been drumming up support for the upcoming release by ratcheting up its marketing machine with a simple message: On the day Firefox 3 is released, help us set a world record for downloads.

Unfortunately for Mozilla, it appears as if its marketing strategy worked too well. At the appointed time users began piling onto the site to download the browser, the servers crashed.

The open-source Web browser was scheduled to be released to the general public at 1 p.m. EST, June 17. Potential downloaders could find the download at GetFirefox, but the site is now unavailable.

An e-mail to Mozilla was answered promptly by Mike Schroepfer, vice president of engineers, at Mozilla. When asked about the problems with GetFirefox, Schroepfer wrote:

"Two things. One: We were planning on only offering full downloads today from GetFirefox.com, so "check for updates" will continue to return nothing (or an error if the systems are overloaded). Second, we've had a huge influx of requests so the systems are in fact overloaded—the ops team is working right now to bring up more capacity."

A check of DownForEveryoneOrJustMe confirms with the message: "It's not just you! GetFirefox.com looks down from here." Trying to access Mozilla's home page yields a Service Unavailable error as well.

Meanwhile, a survey of TweetScan shows that the Twitter community is also feeling the effects.

Comments run the gamut, from sympathy for the company all the way to anger.

"Trying to download Firefox 3.0. Not getting in" one user tweeted.

Another may have summed the situation up accurately and succinctly: "Note to Firefox, if you are wanting people to download your software and break the world record today, make sure your site can handle it."

For those truly desperate to upgrade from their beta version of Firefox, there is at least one option that can be investigated. A Wordpress blog written by Andrew Mager offers a link to potential Web browser redemption.

On a post titled "Download Firefox 3 From Me," Mager writes, "If you can't get into mozilla.org, you can get my copy here. I will report the download stats to Asa at Mozilla, so if you download from me, it will be counted in the world record!"

Mager offers a link that offers an executable file. Proceed at your own risk.

In fact, Mager's site may be another Firefox 3-related hoax. Some people with a wry sense of humor have taken another dubious online tack. Rick Astley videos.

Users who do decide to attempt downloading Firefox 3 from a site other than GetFireFox.com now have another worry: They could get Rickrolled.