Who should buy Chrome/ium?

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1

What do you think? Who should buy Chrome/ium? What should the purchaser do with it?

  • Brave
  • Vivaldi
  • Carbon
  • Microsoft
  • Comodo
  • Opera
  • Yandex
  • FUTO
  • Other (please specify)
0 voters
2

Well, I certainly don’t want to see it end up in Microsoft’s hands. It shouldn’t go from one monopoly to another.

I would like to see Brendan Eich have control of it.

3

FUTO. Monetize the browser as a service with the same model as Immich or GrayJay, and kill the data harvesting ad industry.

4

I voted Other because if Chromium is a software project of such significant importance to multiple 3rd parties (commercial and FOSS) then no single entity should ever have control over it nor a majority/controlling share or stake in it.

In this context I also include the Linux Foundation as a commercial entity as they have been leveraged by commercial entities to umbrella their projects under the LF’s remit & protection, with those commercial entities then given controlling positions on the boards of the umbrella organisation setup inside the LF to control their “former” software projects, a move which enables the former owners to sidestep court rulings made against their company and any legal sanctions it may be under while still ultimately having control over the “former” project, a bait and switch for want of a better phrase.

From court filings and other reports I read online that Alphabet/Google is attempting this with Chromium, to umbrella it under the Linux Foundation, I really hope the judge(s) hearing the ongoing trial are alert to this manoeuvre taking place with it even being suggested as a solution in the first place and they firmly reject it.

Chromium needs to be completely detached from Alphabet/Google as well as any other commercial entities and to stand on its own two feet, the monopoly needs to be broken, this in turn will foster more competition.

The reasoning for my stance on this is simple - whichever commercial entity controls the Chromium project will eventually turn it into another monopoly project - even from inside a LF umbrella organisation set up to operate it because in that situation its former owner will still ultimately have significant sway over over it.

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5

When it comes down to it, I dont think it will be who should buy it. It will be who can afford to buy it and provide the kickbacks (influence) to the politicians/courts involved that will get it.

We all know who can afford all of that on that short list.

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6

And that is exactly who should not have it. :rofl:

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7

I am going to echo what @uro wrote here, but go a little farther:

I think Chromium should become defunct and the third parties that use it should be on the hook to maintain their respective forks themselves. It needs to become completely decentralized. Nothing good was being done with Chrome. Google frequently disrespected user privacy or rights and it needs to end.

FOSS was meant to provide people with ownership as well as the ability to modify code to suit their needs or fix something the developer can’t or won’t fix. It needs to get back to that or it will not survive.

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