Linux Foundation bands together Chromium browser makers in a “neutral space”

Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers sounds like a very niche local meetup, one with hats and T-shirts that barely fit the name. But it’s really a “neutral space” for funding and support, corralling together some big names with a stake in the future of Chrome’s open source roots, Chromium.

The Linux Foundation, a nonprofit started in 2000 that has grown to support a broader range of open source projects, spurred the initiative. In a press release, the Foundation states that the project will allow “industry leaders, academia, developers, and the broader open source community” to work on Chromium, with “much-needed funding and development support for open development of projects.”

A few names you don’t often see together are already on board: Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Opera. Krystian Kolondra, executive vice president of browsers at Opera, stated in a release that “as one of the major browsers contributing to the Chromium project,” Opera would “look forward to collaborating with members of the project to foster this growth and keep building innovative and compelling products for all users.”

How will this work? Kind of how Chromium has been working already. The group will have an open governance model, according to the Foundation, based on other Foundation initiatives based on “transparency, inclusivity, and community-driven development.” The Linux Foundation’s structure supports Kubernetes, Node.js, RISC-V, ONAP, and, of course, Linux, in such a manner.