Google, Microsoft, and others team up for Chromium browser alliance under Linux Foundation

[DragonSlayer101]

TL;DR: The Linux Foundation has announced the formation of a new group, the "Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers," aimed at funding and advancing the development of browsers built on the open-source Chromium codebase. Founding members of the alliance include Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Opera.

The Linux Foundation said the new group will provide a "neutral space" for developers, software vendors, and the broader open-source community to better contribute to the Chromium ecosystem and collaborate on Chromium-based projects.

The foundation emphasized that existing Chromium projects will remain under their respective developers' control and will not be absorbed by the new alliance. Instead, the new group will operate under the Linux Foundation to "remove barriers to innovation, expand adoption, and ensure that projects within the Chromium ecosystem receive the resources they need to thrive."

Google explained that the Linux Foundation was selected to manage the alliance and its funding due to its proven track record of "open governance, prioritizing transparency, inclusivity, and community-driven development." The company also expressed its enthusiasm for the initiative, noting that it was "thrilled" to have garnered support from Meta, Microsoft, and Opera.

Google's contributions to Chromium

Google claimed to have contributed more than 100,000 commits to the Chromium codebase in 2024, representing approximately 94 percent of total contributions. The company assured the community that it has no plans to scale back its efforts and intends to continue investing in the Chromium project to drive further development. Additionally, Google called on its partners to "step up" and increase their own contributions to the project.

Microsoft and Opera also released statements praising the new initiative and reaffirming their commitment to the Chromium ecosystem. Microsoft stated that it would continue contributing to the Chromium codebase "to improve Edge and other Chromium-based browsers." Opera expressed optimism that the alliance would allow it "to take an even more active role in Chromium's development and future direction."

Many popular modern browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, and Vivaldi, are built on the open-source Chromium codebase. In contrast, the two most widely-used non-Chromium browsers are Mozilla Firefox and Apple's Safari. Firefox relies on Mozilla's proprietary Quantum/Gecko engine, while Safari is powered by Apple's WebKit.

The implications of the new alliance for non-Chromium browsers remain unclear. For browsers such as Firefox, which lack the backing of tech giants like Apple, the alliance could pose significant challenges. If the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers initiative enables Chromium-based browsers to capture even more market share, Mozilla may face increasing pressure. This is particularly concerning given Mozilla's heavy reliance on funding from Google to sustain the development of its open-source browser.

Permalink to story:

Google, Microsoft, and others team up for Chromium browser alliance under Linux Foundation

 

[yRaz]

What they really mean is the support of MV3 and the death of adblockers. If net neutrality is no longer a thing and not all traffic has to be treated equally, does that mean I can tell my ISP that I don't want to pay for ads that hog my connection?

Technically, it does. Since not all traffic has to be treated equally, that works both ways. Even if it means nothing to me, I wish ISPs would charge advertisers more to send their traffic to customers. Maybe youtube would go back to having 1, 5 second ad before videos and websites might actually be usable again.

I wonder if I setup my internet account as a business if I could charge advertisers for using bandwidth on my network.

 

[arrowflash]

This is actually pretty disappointing.

I actually was hoping companies like Microsoft, Opera, Vivaldi, Brave and others with Chromium-based browsers, could team up and join forces to create their own Chromium fork, intent on preserving MV2 support alongside their own extension store that would keep supporting MV2 extensions. I'm sure it's doable and would be a significant blow to Google.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Keep that garbage away from Linux thanks. I would be supporting Brave and Vivaldi maybe even Opera only like Arrowflash said.

 

[NumberNine]

The only thing that bothers me about this is the Linux Foundation's willingness to bend over for tech giants and babysit their cash cow browser. Must be a pretty sweet deal.

 

[toooooot]

If that includes enforced ads that cannot be avoided, f their alliance.

 

[Axiarus]

Ill keep FireFox and my PiHole.

 

[GoldenGoat]

If Chromium is going to be a truly neutral platform and not just the part of Chome that Google is willing to share, then they need to remove all the Google stuff and have a neutral maintainer. Brave, for example, is removing a lot of Google stuff in their build https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/...at-does-Brave-remove-from-the-Chromium-engine, but they wouldn't have to remove stuff if it wasn't a browser that is basically the open source part of Chrome in the first place. Chromium is currently the part of Google Chrome that Google is willing to let you see, which is totally fine since they made it and are sharing it. But if someone like Linux foundation is going to be involved then that needs to change.

 

[Joeg1484]

The only thing that bothers me about this is the Linux Foundation's willingness to bend over for tech giants and babysit their cash cow browser. Must be a pretty sweet deal.

Yeah, agreed! And to not support a TRUE open source organization like Mozilla. This is a true slap in the face for Open Source in general and opens the door for MORE corporations to step in and make policy... Ive not been impressed by the Linux Foundation since its inception, actually.

Sounds like government deep state crap, but in the computing ecosystem. Needs to stop!

 

[Mr Majestyk]

It sounds like come June 2025 Vivaldi will just become another Chromium waste of space browser as they move to manifest V3 and their inbuilt adblocker is a third rate cut down ubo called uboL.

 

[Win7user]

Linux, is opening the door to corruption, teaming up with the likes of Microsoft, and Google.