Google Chrome’s Simpler Version

Chromium is a free and open-source web browser developed by Google, which happens to be Google Chrome’s base. It is a fully functional browser on its own and supplies most of Chrome’s source code, hence its name referring to the metal used to make chrome plating. However, as an open-source project, Chromium can be used by other people to study and develop their own browsers—as Chromium aims to build a safer, faster, and more stable way for all internet users to experience the world wide web. 

Chrome’s Origins

Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows and was later ported to Linux, macOS, and even iOS and Android. The browser is also the main component of Chrome OS, where it serves as the platform for web apps. Google Chrome is considered the most-used web browser in the world and is a major competitor in this industry. Because of this success, Google has expanded the “Chrome” brand name to other products: Chrome OS, Chromecast, Chromebook, Chromebit, Chromebox, and Chromebase. Before all of this, however, Google Chrome depended on the Chromium Project in order to fine-tune its features before being released.

Free For All

As an open-source project, Chromium is available to everyone and not restricted by any private licenses. Its purpose is to continually improve its performance and offer people a much lighter and faster browser that can stand on its own. It has lesser features compared to Chrome, but it does have the essentials—such as an auto-update capability, an integrated Adobe Flash Player, API keys for some Google services, the Widevine digital rights management module, some licensed codecs for the popular H.264 video and AAC audio formats, and tracking mechanisms for usage and crash reports. Since Chromium is free to be used to build independent browsers, this project has given birth to several well-known web browsers such as Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, and even Microsoft Edge.

A Simple Tool

Compared to Chrome, you might be hard-pressed to find Chromium a convenient web browser for daily use. However, Chromium’s whole point is that you get to use a browser that has little to no additional baggage that you won’t be using anyway. So if you’re the type of user who values fast speeds and stability over tons of cool knick-knacks, Chromium is a good step back from Google Chrome’s usual ways.