ARCHIVED: What is Mozilla?

Mozilla is an open-source software project that uses a community-based approach to develop and provide the Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email client. For more information about these and other Mozilla products, see Featured Projects.

The Mozilla Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the public good by creating and promoting the Internet as an open platform that supports the principles set out in the Mozilla Manifesto.

Mozilla was originally the code name Netscape Communications used for its web browser. Mozilla is also the name of Netscape's mascot, and when the company released the source code for its successor to Netscape Communicator 4.x, it named its effort to coordinate the further development of the program Mozilla.org. Though Mozilla.org was founded by Netscape, it is a nonprofit and independent organization.

The information here is adapted from Mozilla's web site. For more, see About Mozilla.