The Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit behind Firefox, just released its 2006 financial statement. It turns out Moz's for-profit arm is making millions from a deal with Google. 85 percent of its revenue — some $56 million — came from the Google search box that is the default on every Firefox install. Google also provides users for Firefox via a pay-to-download program with Google's AdSense program and the Google Pack — a collection of apps including Google Earth, Adobe Reader, Skype and Firefox. Firefox is generally posited as David against Goliath — Microsoft's Internet Explorer. But really, Firefox is more of the slingshot, wielded by the David of Mountain View as Google and Microsoft fight Browser Wars 2.0. The latest data marks Firefox at 14.9 percent market share against IE's still-dominant 77.9 percent.

Do we need email software anymore? That's the question raised by the turmoil at the Thunderbird project, an open-source effort run by the Mozilla Foundation, also the backers of the popular Firefox Web browser. The foundation runs the Mozilla Corporation as a separate, for-profit business, and spun off a similar company three weeks ago to house Thunderbird. But no sooner than Thunderbird gained its wings did it go into a swan dive. Scott McGregor and David Bienvenu, Thunderbird's only paid developers, are leaving David Ascher to head up a company of none. Neither developer gave a reason for departing the company that Mozilla set up, but Ascher tips his hand that the pair will be starting their own venture. Perhaps a wise move. Why, after all, do we need Thunderbird?

Mike Shaver, an executive at Mozilla, maker of the popular Firefox browser, promises a ten-day turnaround on bugs, and then backpedals furiously. [ha.ckers.org]

If Facebook is the Brangelina of tech, then Silicon Valley's it company just adopted an Ethiopian baby. So to speak. The baby is Parakey, a startup cofounded by Blake Ross, the Firefox programmer profiled in Wired, and fellow Firefox developer Joe Hewitt. Ross has been promising more details on Parakey since last November, but they haven't been forthcoming. Parakey's website just tells you to "give your computer the bird." Here's what that means — and what the acquisition means for Facebook.

With all those newfangled Economy 3.1 jobs attracting rich rubes from the hinterlands, there's soon to be be a great increase in the need for Manhattan butlers, reports today's Post. And yes, they make much more money than you do. How much? If you're "well-groomed" (and, one presumes, clean and articulate), expect $200,000 a year, plus a 401(K) and, of course, free housing. Acquire a British accent, and that figure jumps by $10 to $20K. So, all you Ivy Leagued publishing drones and M.F.A.'d copy editors out there, hold off on those enticing subway trade-school ads: The Dutch-based International Butler Academy is planning to open a New York branch soon.

Microsoft's IE7 team sent this cake to the Mozilla Foundation.

The open-source browser Firefox version 2 was officially released today. As my hometurf blog, Supr.c.ilio.us noted yesterday, there are yet to be any Firefox release parties in San Francisco of note.

Microsoft, in a move bound to inspire every geek forum in the world to make "It's a trap!" jokes, invited the makers of Internet Explorer alternative Firefox to MS HQ.

Our favorite correction of the day comes from WebProNews:

• Lloyd Braun comes out swinging today with what the NY Times calls "the most extensive of his initiatives to get final approval:" Yahoo Tech. The top-story panel is sometimes overlaid with an interstitial ad. Should've stuck with puppet-anchored news, Lloyd. [Yahoo Tech and NYT]

• The Mozilla Foundation shows the best Firefox Flicks at San Fran's Kabuki Theater at 2 PM. The best grassroots ads for the indie Firefox browser will be shown — and the best of the best get prizes, including a massive three-screen monitor. [Spread Firefox]

Femfox: sexy women advertising Firefox. Possibly the strangest browser-inspired furry fetish ever. [Femfox]
Even if Verisign's shopping its mobile biz, maaaaaybe mobile phone content isn't dead. India's Mauj Telecom gets $10 mil in first-round funding. Bollywood should hold the mobile content market over til American teens get back into ringtones — but this time, all ironically. [alarm:clock]
Hm. Basically, no one knows what Apple will announce next week. Most likely, it's more Intel-based Macs (yawn). Whatever happens, I'll be on the scene, unfairly belittling it. [Macworld UK]
Classic! Jonathan Grubb of Rubyred Labs: "When the Linux Enthusiast asks you if you use Linux try saying 'no, our company makes pretty good profits so we can afford Windows.'" [Jonathan Grubb]
Today was Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. So, uh, hope you did. And when Google hired her, I hope you sent me her photo for the Google Gals contest. [Unofficial Google Blog]