Launched in 2008 alongside Chrome, the open source Chromium project is certainly a browser in its own right, but it is also an infrastructure that serves as the basis for many other browsers such as Edge, Brave, Opera, as well as for Electron or embedded systems in household appliances, and even for SpaceX software. In other words, it is an essential brick for accessing the web for millions of Internet users.
A partnership for the future of Chromium
Google has no intention of abandoning this project of course, for which the company is the main contributor (it represents 94% of the commits, basically modifications made to project files). And of course, Google invests "hundreds of millions of dollars" each year in maintaining the servers needed to develop Chromium.
However, the web and advertising giant is announcing a new initiative, the "Supporters of Chromium-based Browsers", in coordination with the Linux Foundation. It is about "promoting a sustainable environment of open source contributions" that will help maintain and strengthen the health of Chromium. A component on funding the developer community is also part of it.
The fund, which will be managed by the Foundation, will be funded by the Supporters, first and foremost Meta, Microsoft and Opera. Large companies that engage technically and financially in open source is always good news, even if it is not only guided by their good heart: they benefit directly from the work of the community.
As for Google, this initiative may not be so innocent. A trial will take place in April to decide on measures that will break the monopoly abuses that the group has been guilty of in the search sector. The American authorities are demanding a sale of Chrome, which is obviously not in Google’s interests. Showing support for Chromium could be a way to appease the justice system.
Source: Google
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