OK, so how does Firefox make money?

[trof]

I mean, what's in it for them?

Just got a pop-up asking me if I wanted to download version 3.6.
Doesn't say what the newer version will do for me.
It's just super-good and way-cool.
:eyes:
Sure, I guess so.
I want all the cool things the other kids have.
:shrug:

So techies, how do they make money?
Thank you.

[trotsky]

1. The Mozilla Foundation

Here ya go, trof:

http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/

[trof]

5. Hunh. So there's no profit motive?

How unique.

[blogslut]

2. Google mostly

In 2006 the Mozilla Corporation generated 66.8 million dollars in revenue and 19.8 million in expenses, with 85% of that revenue coming from Google for "assigning as the browser's default search engine, and for click-throughs on ads placed on the ensuing search results pages."<6>
Notable events

In March 2006, Weblogs, Inc. founder Jason Calacanis reported a rumor on his blog that Mozilla Corporation gained $72M during the previous year, mainly thanks to the Google search box in the Firefox browser.<7> The rumor was later addressed by Christopher Blizzard, a member of the Mozilla board, who wrote on his blog that "it’s not correct, though not off by an order of magnitude".<8> "In return for setting Google as the default search engine on Firefox, Google pays Mozilla a substantial sum - in 2006 the total amounted to around $57 million, or 85% of the company’s total revenue. The deal was originally going to expire in 2006, but was later extended to 2008 and will now run through 2011." <9>

link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Corporation

[trof]

6. AHA! I KNEW it! There IS money involved.

Thanks.

[targetpractice]

3. Google pays for queries from the standard search bar...

That's probably the bulk of their revenue.

[onehandle]

4. They make millions through the search engine you choose.

You can pull down and pick a search engine default. They make a lot through your choice.

[DavidDvorkin]

7. Every time you do any kind of financial transaction online using FireFox

A fraction of a penny is deducted from your account and passed to Mozilla, the people who own FireFox. It's not enough for you to notice, but since there are millions of such transactions being done with FireFox every day, the Mozilla folks end up making incredible amounts of money.

I made that up.

It could work, though.

[Sebastian Doyle]

10. Richard Pryor did something like that in Superman IV

It led to him working for Lex Luthor, and eventually to prison.

[DavidDvorkin]

11. Someone did it for real

Long ago, before online transactions. I can't remember the story, though.

[On the Road]

12. Well These Guys Almost Pulled Off Something Similar

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. They are rewarded with dark money, it can't be seen and it can't

be measured but they know it's there cuz their checks don't bounce, could be the gravity.... or the magnetic ropes that connect the sun to the earth.

[Generic Other]

9. How much does Internet Explorer make for infecting us with malware?

Just wondering.

[monmouth]

13. I just downloaded also, chose the unset/mountains thingy. Very cool..n/t