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What's the Deal with Chromium on Linux? Google at Odds with Package Maintainers

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday January 27 2021, @03:21PM   Printer-friendly
from the browser-non-grata dept.

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Linux users are more likely than most to be familiar with Chromium, Google's the free and open source web project that serves as the basis for their wildly popular Chrome. Since the project's inception over a decade ago, users have been able to compile the BSD licensed code into a browser that's almost the same as the closed-source Chrome. As such, most distributions offer their own package for the browser and some even include it in the base install. Unfortunately, that may be changing soon.

[...] To the average Chromium user, this doesn't sound like much of a problem. In fact, you might even assume it doesn't apply to you. The language used in the post makes it sound like Google is referring to browsers which are spun off of the Chromium codebase, and at least in part, they are. But the search giant is also using this opportunity to codify their belief that the only official Chromium builds are the ones that they provide themselves. With that simple change, anyone using a distribution-specific build of Chromium just became persona non grata.

Source: https://hackaday.com/2021/01/26/whats-the-deal-with-chromium-on-linux-google-at-odds-with-package-maintainers/

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday January 27 2021, @07:30PM (1 child)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday January 27 2021, @07:30PM (#1105619) Homepage Journal

    Access to Google's sync APIs should only have ever been a stopgap while other syncing solutions were developed.

    I have a vague memory of an addon for Firefox, that did syncing, years ago. The memory is vague, I believe it was even before Chrome existed. It was something I glanced at, played with for a day or six, then trashed it from my system. The ability to run a synching system certainly doesn't depend on Google's API. The problem is, the two rival giants in the browser market have taken the idea and run with it, and drowned out the early developer(s).

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  • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday January 27 2021, @07:49PM

    by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday January 27 2021, @07:49PM (#1105635)

    I have a vague memory of an addon for Firefox, that did syncing, years ago. The memory is vague, I believe it was even before Chrome existed. It was something I glanced at, played with for a day or six, then trashed it from my system.

    Then good news, they implemented it into the browser as a core feature! #hahaonlyserious

    Because it's not like Firefox is supposed to be a stripped-down version of the Mozilla Suite or anything.

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