Google creates a "neutral" fund for Chromium development: what does it mean for browsers?
What do we know?
Google, in collaboration with The Linux Foundation, has announced the launch of the Gromium Browser Support Initiative. This fund will fund open source development and improve projects in the Chromium ecosystem by providing an independent platform to support various Chromium-based projects.
Context.
Chromium is a free and open source browser. The main beneficiary of this development is Google, which launched it in 2008 and has been actively funding and moderating it since then. Google develops its Chrome browser on the basis of Chromium. Gradually, it was also used as a basis by the developers of Opera, Edge, Brave, and many others.
Nowadays, there are accusations in the US that Google has a dominant position in the online advertising market. This comes amid demands from the US Department of Justice, which has called on Google to sell Chrome as a means of addressing the company's monopoly. In response, Google has offered to cancel exclusive agreements that make its search engine the default in other browsers within three years.
Google is likely trying to distance itself from the development of Chromium code, stepping back to the role of a sponsor that does not influence the development of the code. The company is trying to demonstrate support for fair competition and make the development of the core code as independent as possible. In this case, if the US government does force the sale of Chrome, Google will be able to easily and quickly create a new browser based on Chromium.
Source: StatCounter Global Stats - Browser Market Share
Statistics of all browsers for 2024. Please note that Edge, Opera, UC Browser, and the standard Android browser are based on Chromium. Apple Safari also ran on a common engine for a long time, but since 2013, browsers have been developing separately.
Source: www.theverge.com
