Mozilla was officially launched on 31 March 1998.

This is the date that the first Mozilla code became publicly available under the terms of an official open source license.

Mitchell Baker, chairman of the Mozilla Foundation explains in her blog: "The idea was that an open source community could create choice and innovation in key Internet technologies where large, commercial vendors could not. This idea took shape as the Mozilla project".

Mozilla followed the work of the GNU/Linux and the BSD operating systems at the server-side operating system level; and the Apache web server.

The Mozilla team worked to create a new browser that is now known as Firefox, among other projects including Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Camino, Bugzilla, Calendar – most, and possibly all of which have millions of users.

In fact, Mozilla claims to have become the "software provider of choice" for over 170 million people.

Baker continues that the next decade will require more input from the public: "Mozilla is about opportunity and participation. Mozilla is people getting involved, 'doing' things, creating the Internet experience we want to live with".

"We want the Internet to be an open environment, where it’s easy to innovate, and where individuals, small groups and newcomers all have rich opportunities to create and lead. So, we’ll build technologies and products that make this happen."

Baker also pointed to possible developments in mobile technologies; and "evolving" Mozilla's browser.

She concluded: "The challenges before us are great. But the opportunity is many times larger. We have the ability to affect aspects of Internet architecture and user experience".

"We have the organisation, we have the frameworks we need to work in, we have the voice. And most important of all, we have the Mozilla community. The many thousands of people actively engaged, and the multiples of that who support Mozilla goals and offerings."

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