Firefox passes 50 million download mark

I saw this news yesterday, but didn't have a good story to link to. Here it is today for the few of you who don't already know.

So what does this number mean? It does mean the people are downloading Firefox. It does not mean that Firefox is on 50 million computers. For example, here at the Grass Valley OC blogging bureau, I have 2 computers and have downloaded it from a link (not through the upgrade mechanism which they don't count as a download) about 5 times. The number is still significant because for whatever reason, each time Firefox is downloaded, we can make a presumption that someone wants it. Also, some of the extra downloads are cancelled out the other way when one copy is installed on multiple computers.

How many folks are actually using Firefox as their primary browser and how does it relate to the 50 million number? I don't know. No matter what, it still is the "little browser that could". It is the browser I use for everything except a few online services, like Windows Update and PC Pitstop. It is my daily workhorse.