The release of version 3 of the Firefox browser has given Mozilla a significant boost, increasing its share of the browser market to just under twenty per cent, according to web testing and monitoring company Net Applications.

Firefox 3.0 was released on 17 June, and instantly gathered a lot of support. The firm and its supporters pushed the browser, urging people to download it. This strategy worked and the release is being considered by Guinness as the world’s fastest download in 24 hours, with just over 8 million downloads.

Mozilla’s Firefox now has just under a 20 per cent share of the browser market, with version 3 accounting for around five per cent as of today, Net Applications figures show.

The firm breaks down the gains, explaining that most of the gains came from people upgrading their existing Firefox browser, while a lesser amount came at the expense of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.