Chromium and Ungoogled Chromium DNF Repository

[MauryG5]

I understand, then we are waiting for you to bring the latest patches and thus be able to have the new sources to compile ... Come on, we are with you!

[MauryG5]

Guys, you have abandoned the development of Chromium on Power from what I see ... unfortunately everything has stopped for months ... If there were the sources I would have compiled it myself but unfortunately there is nothing beyond the version 87, a real shame because it is the browser that is best of all damn ...

[SiteAdmin]

Raptor may be willing to pick this up but since Google has refused to upstream the POWER support, and Chromium is not exactly a "typical" free software product, in the current economy this would have to be under some type of bounty system.  Frankly, on our side if we're going to invest in a browser development project we'd probably pick Firefox over Chromium given Google's apparent public stance on owner control / individual data rights.

Our question is: is this something that would be palatable?  It's a lot of work, so it'd have to be probably in the several thousand USD range (or, worse, significantly more depending on just how Google managed to break the builds in the interim), but if there are (say) a hundred or more Chromium users here that would come down to $100 or less a person.  If it worked, we could even make it a subscription type development service; assuming the user numbers are even close to accurate, something like $50 annually and you all always have an up-to-date Chromium browser with builds for Debian / Fedora.

Thoughts welcome!

[MPC7500]

I wouldn't spend much effort into Chromium development. First, Google sucks. Second, Chromium is just fine, it works. I'm on version 93 or 94. But if you're on 70, 80 or 90 doesn't play a role.

But I'm willing to donate for Firefox improvements. To make it on par or surpass Chromium.
And I assume Mozilla is accepting upstream POWER support?

I'm pretty sure, in the long run it's better/ easier to support Firefox.

[SiteAdmin]

I wouldn't spend much effort into Chromium development. First, Google sucks.

That was never in any doubt.

Second, Chromium is just fine, it works. I'm on version 93 or 94. But if you're on 70, 80 or 90 doesn't play a role.

But I'm willing to donate for Firefox improvements. To make it on par or surpass Chromium.

That would be most welcome.  We'll kick this around a bit on our side and figure out if / how to make that happen, and whether it makes more sense to e.g. try to directly fund Cameron or if it might make more sense to add some of our resources to his efforts (i.e. determine if he's time or cash limited right now on the Firefox port).

And I assume Mozilla is accepting upstream POWER support?

Yes.  Firefox's issues stem purely from performance problems in regard to the lack of JIT etc., and they are willing to accept patches.

I'm pretty sure, in the long run it's better/ easier to support Firefox.

There is a bit of a marketshare (IE6-type) problem here, Chromium is all that many developers write for these days (right or wrong, this is just the way things are) and as a result it is still important to have Chromium support on POWER if it is to remain a viable desktop platform.  That said, if Firefox works better and we can really hammer home the privacy aspects (e.g. get Mozilla to start changing some stances on e.g. DRM in the browser) there might be a way back from the brink.

[MauryG5]

Guys sorry, I understand what you are saying but the fact remains that to date, Chromium is the only browser that works without problems on Power there is little to do. Firefox still lacks the strength of Chromium and whether we want it or not, that's the way it is. In my opinion we must have Chromium on Power and it also seems strange to me that you Raptor tell me about Firefox when you were the first to support Chromium on Power ... What should you do to get the new sources after version 87? If there is a pod, let's use it and continue to carry on what is currently the only complete and totally usable browser on Power ... In my opinion at the moment there is nothing else we can do ... new sources ...

[Borley]

I would also be willing to donate for Firefox improvements. The web has coalesced around chrome/blink only because there is so much inertia on its side and I'd rather help against that inertia. For perspective, is it not the same as with x86 vs POWER?

[MauryG5]

But then excuse me, using the wiki procedure that Raptor published last year, are you still unable to get the sources for the new version of Chromium today? I wanted to understand if by doing that procedure I can get the latest version or not ...

https://wiki.raptorcs.com/wiki/Porting/Chromium_(New)

[MauryG5]

I just tried to carry out this procedure but it can no longer be used because some parts are now missing, I had to imagine it in reality ... I would like to understand at this point what procedure uses for example @TLE, to obtain now as now the Chromium code to be able to then fill in ... Now you have to get the unofficial one of course ...
As for the development of Firefox or Chromium, from what I currently see is that Firefox continues not to be at the height of the situation, some sites do not load them, for that famous lack of jit, while instead Chromium still loads everything and well, so to date unfortunately, Chromium is the only really good browser on Power whether we like it or not! We must therefore do something so that there is a development or one or the other but real, otherwise we risk no longer having a decent browser for our systems ... I don't understand why Google has made this move, Chromium is an open source project therefore free and developable if I'm not mistaken so why suddenly boycott our version? What have we done to Google? It seems absurd to me ... We still need a browser that is up to par and today Firefox is still not, there is little to do!

[ClassicHasClass]

It's pretty much time dependence. My day job is ... different.

[MauryG5]

Classic obviously no one says that Forefox's problem depends on you indeed, we just have to thank you for the great work you do and we know that your job is not to develop it. I'm just saying that at the moment Chromium is the only good and well-functioning browser on Power and I think we have to do everything to carry it forward, even unofficially as we did from version 85 to version 87. Only now we are stopped because the friend TLE doesn't even have time to get down to getting the source code. When he finds the time I hope he will show me too how he does it so I can see if I can learn the procedure and thus contribute to the development of Chromium on Power ...

[MauryG5]

Ei TLE, we are in the Christmas period, now we hope you can get back to work on the Chromium code that we have been waiting for for a long time ... Give us some good news so please ...

[MauryG5]

Guys, I inform you that given the stalemate that has arisen on Chromium, I wrote directly to Raptor to point out what is becoming a problem for our Power systems or the lack of a well-functioning browser for our architecture.  Unfortunately Firefox, you all know that despite the efforts to be praised by his friend Classic Has, he still cannot browse all sites, there are sites he cannot even enter.  So it is clear that something needs to be done to solve this problem otherwise we will be out of global navigation which in 2022 is unthinkable for a modern computer.  Evidently TLE is no longer able to develop versions after 87 and we have been stuck for some time now.  Raptor is meeting to decide what to do and I hope they find a solution soon.  If anyone needs Chromium continuity support let me know I'm happy to help.

[MPC7500]

Which site does not work with Chromium 87?

[MauryG5]

I was talking about Firefox not working on some sites, not Chromium ... Firefox is not working on some sites today.