Although Google Chrome is easily the most popular computer browser, the major source, Chromium, does not have as many users, but has always had a few followers on Linux computers. But now that love affair is in trouble.
Google claims to have recently found unnamed third-party Chromium-based browsers that integrate Google cloud-based features, such as Chrome sync and Click to Call, which were intended for Google Chrome users only. In other words, “This meant that a small fraction of users could sign in to their Google Account and save their personal Chrome sync data, such as bookmarks, not only with Google Chrome but also with a number other third-party Chromium browsers. ”
Also: Best Linux Foundation Class
Google was not amused.
As of March 15, Google said that from March 15, 2021, it will restrict access to many Chrome application interface (API) interfaces in Chromium. This means that users using the Chromium web browser or any other web browser based on the open source code base they have gained ‘cannot use most Google-specific API-enabled services. These include the ability to sync Chrome bookmarks, check your spelling, find your contacts, translate text, on and off.
Many users are not happy now either. Thom Holwerda, managing editor of OSNews, spoke to many when he wrote: ‘Google does not close a security hole, but they only require everyone to use Chrome. Or to put it bluntly, they do not want you to have access to their Google API functionality. without using proprietary software (Google Chrome). ”
Developers can, once they jump through the necessary hoops to get API keys and an OAuth 2.0 client ID, get keys for these APIs. But, Google emphasizes, “that the keys you have just purchased are not for distribution purposes and should not be shared with other users.”
In theory, a developer could extract the API keys from Chrome’s mainline and maintain their Google functionality from their Chromium. However, this only calls for a lawsuit.
In addition, Jochen Eisinger, Google’s Director of Engineering for Chrome Trust & Safety, commented on the Google Chromium Developer Group: ‘We will not remove the API from your key, but we will limit the quota to the development quota. … this will make the keys unsuitable for production use. “These” APIs are not designed to be used by third party software, so unfortunately no [other] option. “
So where do Linux distributors that bundled Chromium lag behind? Between a rock and a hard place.
Transferring Chromium to Linux is not small. Alan Pope, Canonical’s Community Manager for Ubuntu Linux Engineering Services, explains why Canonical is starting to ship Chromium in an Ubuntu Snap container, rather than in a DEB package:
Maintaining a single version of Chromium is an important time investment for the Ubuntu Desktop Team that works with the Ubuntu Security team to deliver updates to each stable version. As the teams support multiple stable versions of Ubuntu, the amount of work is increased. If you compare this workload to other Linux distributions with a single supported running version, it misses the nuances of supporting multiple long-term support (LTS) and non-LTS releases.
Google releases a new major version of Chromium every six weeks, usually with a few small versions to address security issues in between. Each new stable version must be built for each supported Ubuntu version – 16.04, 18.04, 19.04 and the next 19.10 – and for all supported architectures (amd64, i386, arm, arm64).
Although Snap has made it easier, it’s still not easy. According to sources, Canonical has not yet decided whether it will support Chromium without the end-user support for the Google services specific APIs.
Linux Mint recently started bundling its own Chromium browser. Coin Leader Clement “Clem” Lefebvre clings to Chromium. “We are not going to do anything. We will continue to package Chromium.”
However, Red Hat’s Linux distro Fedora community has considered dumping Chromium. Tom Callaway, the Fedora maintainer of Chromium, explained that this is because Google is cutting off access to the Sync and ‘other Google Exclusive’ APIs from all buildings except Google Chrome. This will make the Fedora Chromium building significantly less functional (along with all other distro-packaged Chromium). ”
After consideration, however, Calloway explained “I never said I was going to remove Chromium from Fedora. I said I was seriously considering it, but after much thought I decided that there are enough users who still want it, even without the functionality provided by the Google API. “Fedora’s version of Chromium therefore no longer immediately supports the deprecated APIs.
Calloway really wants Google to reconsider its position. But he sees little chance of that. “What frustrates me,” Calloway tweeted, “most is how nobody in the Chrome team understands the concept of open source community building. Nothing the Chr maintainers did ever hurt Chrome, but they only made it stronger.
Other Linux distributions are closer to dumping Chromium. Architects from Arch Linux have thought about it, but for now they will continue to keep Chromium even after the March 15 deadline.
Eric Hameleers, who maintains Chromium for Slackware Linux, abandons Chromium. “I will not package and distribute a Chromium for Slackware if the package is paralyzed by the absence of login to Chrome Sync. I will not package a Chromium build with Google’s own ID and secret embedded. I’m doing the right thing: advising people not to use Chrome, but to switch to Firefox. ”
With this move, Google alienated code values and developers at several Linux distributions. When Linux Chromium users discover that the latest versions are not working as before, they too will be unhappy.
This is true, but only a small number. But that leaves many others with a bad taste in their mouths about how Google failed the open source community in this case. Ultimately, it will matter more than the immediate impact of this move on programmers and end users.
Related stories: