Firefox Easter Egg Reveals Secret Message from Robots to Mankind

Faster eggs in software is a tradition as old as programming so it's no big surprise when a new one is discovered. Firefox actually has a couple of funny and geeky ones. For example, typing about:robots in the Awesome Bar will lead you to a page about, well, robots. This isn't anything new, it's been around since Firefox 3.0 which had a robot as a mascot, but many people many not be aware if it.

Here is what the page titled "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!" says: "Welcome Humans! We have come to visit you in peace and with goodwill!"

"Robots may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Robots have seen things you people wouldn't believe. Robots are Your Plastic Pal Who's Fun To Be With. Robots have shiny metal posteriors which should not be bitten. And they have a plan," it continues.

If you're a sci-fi fan, you may spot quite a few references in there. The title comes from the 1951 sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and is a command used to stop the robot Gort. The first line, "Welcome Humans ..." is from the same movie.

The first item on the list is the one of the famous three laws of robotics of Issac Asimov. "Robots have seen things ..." is from the ending of another sci-fi classic, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

There are a couple of references to yet another all-time favorite, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. "Robots are Your Plastic Pal ..." is how the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation describes robots.

The button at the end of the about:robots page, which mimics the Try Again button in the regular error page in Firefox, is also inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

The first time you click it, it transforms into "Please do not press this button again." It does this a second time, but pressing it a third time will make it disappear.

You can check out all of the references as well as some of the more obscure ones in the source code of the page here as Jon Lee has done a good job explaining them all and even provides the clips from the movies in some cases.