Google took an important step by collaborating with the Linux Foundation to further strengthen the open source Chromium infrastructure. In its statement on Thursday, the company announced the “Chromium-Based Browser Supporters” fund, which will support Chromium-based browser projects. This new fund will also serve as a neutral platform to enable these projects to develop more independently. This move by Google once again reveals the importance of investment and support for open source projects in the browser ecosystem.
In 2008, Google launched the Chromium project along with its browser Chrome. Since then, Chromium has taken on an important role as an open source infrastructure that supports not only Google Chrome but also the infrastructure of popular browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Opera and Brave. Chromium’s open source nature has enabled its development to be sustained by the wider community, contributing to a more free and open development of the internet. Now, the fund initiated by Google and the Linux Foundation aims to secure the future of these projects.
Purpose of the Chromium-Based Browser Supporters fund
The newly established “Chromium-Based Browser Supporters” fund will provide financial support to Chromium projects as a completely neutral platform. This fund will grow not only with contributions from Google, but also with the support of other major players in the industry such as Meta, Microsoft and Opera. Microsoft considers this collaboration as an important step to better respond to the community-oriented needs of browser projects with an open and transparent management approach.
Google’s history of contributing to open source projects is quite remarkable. The company has made more than 100,000 contributions in the past year and has made major investments to strengthen its open source infrastructure. Google not only developed software, but also made infrastructure investments, managing servers where billions of tests were carried out and systems that resolved hundreds of errors. All these studies are of great importance to ensure the sustainability of open source projects.
In addition, Google stated in its statement that its contributions to open source projects are not limited to only software development. The company undertakes major infrastructure investments to ensure the sustainability of millions of software testing and error resolution processes. In addition, by creating an ecosystem that ensures the continuity of open source projects, it allows these projects to continue their existence stronger in the long term.
All these developments concretely demonstrate Google’s support for Chromium projects. It can be said that by making such investments, the company is not only pursuing its own interests, but also trying to support a worldwide open source movement. In this process, Google aims to ensure that the internet has a freer and more accessible structure, in addition to its own interests.
However, this fund will not exist only with the support of Google. In addition to the Linux Foundation, companies such as Meta and Microsoft will also contribute to the growth of this fund and the support of broader projects. Microsoft will play an important role in meeting community-oriented needs thanks to the opportunities offered by the fund. This collaboration will enable open source projects to grow and appeal to a wider user base.
This fund, which Google initiated to highlight its contributions to the Chromium project, can, in a way, be considered as a response to the US Department of Justice. As you know, the US Department of Justice sued Google on antitrust charges last year and demanded that the company sell its Chrome browser. Regarding this request, Google offered to terminate its status as the default search engine in browsers for three years.
As a result, Google’s investments in open source projects and the support it provides through this fund may encourage other players in the industry to take similar steps. In particular, the fact that this fund can continue to exist without Google’s contributions stands out as a very important development for the strengthening of the open source ecosystem.