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Google can keep its Chrome browser but will be barred from exclusive contracts

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858 points colesantiago | 8 comments | 02 Sep 25 20:26 UTC | HN request time: 0.938s | source | bottom
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colesantiago ◴[02 Sep 25 20:31 UTC] No.45108621[source]▶
What does this mean for Mozilla?

Where would Mozilla get their 80% of revenue from if Google now has to probably sever and end their search deal for Firefox? [0].

[0] https://www.theverge.com/news/660548/firefox-google-search-r...

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1. solardev ◴[02 Sep 25 21:09 UTC] No.45109095[source]▶
Ideally Mozilla would go bankrupt and a better-managed org could fork Firefox and pick up from there.
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2. majewsky ◴[02 Sep 25 21:34 UTC] No.45109370[source]▶
If forking Firefox was a viable route, would someone not already have done it?
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3. thayne ◴[02 Sep 25 21:45 UTC] No.45109497[source]▶
Who would this better managed org be?

And how would they get the necessary funding?

replies(1): >>45109699 #
4. solardev ◴[02 Sep 25 21:46 UTC] No.45109522[source]▶
There's not really a strong incentive to while Mozilla is still around (and despite that, there are still a few forks... Waterfox, for example). I think it would take a collapse of Mozilla, Oracle-style, to really spur that.

(edit: Oracle didn't collapse, I mean what happened to OpenOffice.org.)

5. solardev ◴[02 Sep 25 22:01 UTC] No.45109699[source]▶
Personally I'd vote for Apache, or a new FOSS group. They don't need all the funding that Mozilla currently gets (most of which isn't spent on Firefox anyway).

I'd rather see that effort than something like Ladybird, personally.

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6. thayne ◴[03 Sep 25 02:08 UTC] No.45111548{3}[source]▶
Looking at the financial statements for Mozilla and Apache, Apache'a total revenue ($2.3 million)for 2023 is less than 1% of Mozilla's software development costs ($260 million).

Yes, Mozilla is mismanaged, but I'm very doubtful Apache has the resources to continue Firefox development and stay competitive.

7. tfsh ◴[03 Sep 25 03:05 UTC] No.45111867[source]▶
What a statement. Mozilla going bankrupt would be disastrous, I don't think you appreciate how much effort goes into maintaining and evolving browsers, there are very few entities well funded enough with the expertise to maintain a fork, and that's without making assertions on their altruism. Mozilla's is in the right place, even if far too often they miss the mark.
8. nolist_policy ◴[03 Sep 25 10:37 UTC] No.45114202{3}[source]▶
Seriously, Apache? Go install Apache OpenOffice and then tell me again how Apache is a better stewardship.

I would like to see the OpenOffice equivalent of a web browser just for the fun of it.