this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
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Google's "just so we can claim there's competition in the marketplace" payment to Mozilla to stay the default search engine is what funds most of Firefox, even without the executive pay and unrelated nonprofit work. Building and maintaining a browser engine is not cheap, I don't think mere individual donations are going to help here.
Without the reputation and contacts of Mozilla, those devs also wouldn't have much of a say in the social side of browser development, like web standards and certificate authority programs.
I'd love a first party Firefox fork that's not limited by Mozilla's desperate attempts to stay afloat when Google decides not to keep them around anymore, but I don't think a few developers are going to be enough to get it done. The current situation, "Firefox but with very minor tweaks", is probably the best we can expect for now.
EU should donate to firefox for a free world without enshitification. I mean give the money and force no ad tracking.
The EU has the Horizon Europe programme for stuff like that, but I don't think Mozilla will be able to apply with their current setup. As of now, it's impossible to donate to Firefox development, you have to donate to the nonprofit that funds Firefox development, but also does tons of activist work and education funding.
Many people want Mozilla to figure out a way to only fund Firefox, but I don't think Mozilla wants to have money earmarked specifically for Firefox when they have so many projects and programmes going on.