Chromium is an open-source browser project that forms the basis for the Chrome web browser. But let’s take a little deeper look at what that means.
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When Google first introduced Chrome back in 2008, they also released the Chromium source code on which Chrome was based as an open-source project. That open-source code is maintained by the, while Chrome itself is maintained by Google. RELATED: The biggest difference between the two browsers is that, while Chrome is based on Chromium, Google also adds a number of proprietary features to Chrome like automatic updates and support for additional video formats. Google also took a similar approach with the Chromium OS, which is an open-source project that forms the basis for their own Chrome OS—the operating system that runs on. What Chrome Has That Chromium Doesn’t Chrome is based on Chromium, but Google adds a number of proprietary, closed-source bits to their Chrome browser that Chromium lacks. Specifically, Google takes Chromium and then adds the following:. AAC, H.264, and MP3 Support. Chrome includes licensed codecs for these proprietary media formats, giving you acess to a wider variety of media content—particularly sites using HTML5 video to stream H.264 videos.
Both browsers include the basic, free codecs: Opus, Theora, Vorbis, VP8, VP9, and WAV. RELATED:.
Adobe Flash (PPAPI). Chrome includes a sandboxed Pepper API (PPAPI) Flash plug-in that Google automatically updates along with Chrome. Even on Windows and Mac, you’re better off with the sandboxed PPAPI Flash plugin from Chrome rather than the older NPAPI Flash plug-in available from Adobe’s website. (You can actually get a Pepper Flash plug-in from Chrome and then install it and use it in Chromium, if you like.). Google Update. Windows and Mac users of Chrome get an extra background app that automatically keeps Chrome up-to-date. Linux users use their standard software management tools.
Extension Restrictions. For Chrome, Google disables extensions that are not hosted in the Chrome Web Store. Crash and Error Reporting. User of Chrome can opt to send statistics on crashes and errors to Google for analysis. Security Sandbox (?). Google also notes that some Linux distributions may disable Chromium’s security sandbox, so you’ll want to navigate to about:sandbox in Chromium to ensure the sandbox is enabled and functioning by default. This is one of Chromium (and Chrome’s) best features.
You should note that while it’s not Google-branded, Chromium is still very Google-centric. For example, Chromium contains the same sync features found in Chrome, allowing you to log in with a Google account and sync your data. Getting Chromium Getting Google Chrome on pretty much any platform just involves visiting the, so let’s just take a look at how you can get your hands on Chromium if you want it. RELATED: On Linux, you can often install Chromium directly from your Linux distribution’s software repositories. On Ubuntu Linux, for example, you can install it by opening the Ubuntu Software Center, searching for Chromium, and then clicking Install. Chromium gets updated with security updates through. On Windows and Mac, using Chromium is a little tougher.
You can get, but they’re bleeding-edge-only and won’t automatically update. The updater is a closed-source part of Google Chrome.
You could get third-party builds from someone, but they wouldn’t automatically update either and you’d have to trust the third-party distributor. You could also compile Chromium from the source code yourself, but would you really want to do that every time an update is available? Probably not. What About the “Spyware?” (It’s Not Actually Spyware) Google Chrome includes crash reporting features not found in Chromium. If you choose to enable crash reporting in Chrome, information about crashes will be sent to Google. If you use Chromium, this crash reporter isn’t present and you’ll have to get a bug trace the old-fashioned way.
Linux distributions may also modify Chromium’s code before giving it to you. If you’re trying to pin down some Chrome bug, you’re probably better off using Chrome instead of Chromium. RELATED: Chromium also lacks the usage-tracking or “user metrics” feature found in Chrome. This is an optional feature that sends information about how you use the different parts of the browser to Google, giving them data they can use to base decisions on. (This was the sort of data Microsoft claimed they used when they said they removed the Start menu because no one used it, so.) In the past, users were worried that each Chrome browser shipped with a unique “client ID” and noted that Chromium did not. However, Chromium does include many features that depend on Google’s servers, and those features are enabled by default.
You’ll see these features listed on the Chromium Settings page. They include a web service that helps fix mistyped web addresses, a prediction service, Google’s anti-phishing feature, and more. So, Which Should You Use? RELATED: Chromium is nice because it allows Linux distributions that require open-source software to package up a web browser that’s almost identical to Chrome and ship it to their users. Such Linux distributions could even use Chromium as their default web browser instead of Firefox—and some do. If you’re into and try to avoid any closed-source bits, Chromium is a good option for you. However, many Linux users who aren’t so passionate about open-source software might want to install Chrome rather than Chromium.
Installing Chrome gets you a better Flash player if you’re using Flash and unlocks a larger amount of media content online. For example, Google Chrome on Linux can now stream Netflix videos. This requires H.264 support for, something Chromium doesn’t include. So, Chrome or Chromium?
If you’re using Windows and Mac, the choice is pretty clear. Chromium is just too finicky to actually use—mostly because you can’t get official stable builds that will update automatically. The real choice here is should be made by Linux users.
One of the most important pieces of software you will use on your computer is going to be the web browser. There are really three main browser brand names, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer/Edge, and Google Chrome/Chromium. There’s also dozens of smaller third party browsers around to try out. Although Firefox and Chromium are both open source, the majority of third party browsers are based around Chromium and the Blink engine.
That Chrome is based around. The two are very similar but Chrome is more like the public version as Chromium is never officially released as a standalone browser. Chrome has extras like a, auto updater and multimedia codecs.
Each third party browser developer has its own ideas and either takes things out of Chromium or adds new functions and features in. There are several functions built into Chromium and Chrome already but today’s internet user often needs more, which has to be taken care of with extensions. A number of third party Chromium based browsers are really pretty similar to standard and offer a few security or privacy tweaks such as removing communication with Google servers. We’re more interested in looking at a browser that enhances the features and functions over and above the standard Chromium, such as, better tab/download/ or even something unique like a built in VPN or DNS encryption. Here we list seven browsers based on Chromium and the Blink engine that have a bigger feature set and more options than the browser they are developed around. Importantly, the browsers can still directly or indirectly install extensions from the Chrome store, any that can’t were not included.
Vivaldi Vivaldi is the newest big player in the browser market with the stable version released in April 2016. It was created by a former founder and CEO of the original Opera. Unhappy with the direction Opera took after moving from its own Presto engine to Chromium’s Blink, they decided to create a new browser that reintroduces many of the features and functions removed from Opera. As a result, Vivaldi is currently popular among advanced users and geeks.
Perhaps the most striking difference Vivaldi has over other browsers is the color changing theme which alters the UI color to match the general color of the current web page. A very useful space saving feature is the tab stacking which allows you to drop one tab on top of another to group them together. What Vivaldi has in abundance is tons of options to tweak things like appearance, tabs and the address bar to your preference. As it’s still pretty new, Vivaldi should improve further and pick up more options and features as time goes on. I just cant believe that chromium tab management is not an issue for You. That problem is known for years.
When asked about limited number of tabs you can open and have a meaningful view of them, Google geniuses replied to users to buy bigger monitors. They are unable/uninterested to add scroll bar/arrows so tabs can fill more than screen width. VIVALDI is THE ONLY Chromium based browser on planet Earth that solved the issue by offering vertical tab position (which is logical solution for wide screen monitors).
When filled it offers scroll bar. You can achieve this in new Firefox via hack.
Tab management is essential requirement for me and browsers without it, in my opinion, don’t have any usable value. Thanks a lot I was struggling with firefox.And because i wanted to sync my android chrome browser with my pc browser i had to seek an alternate chromium based browser.And after reading this post and all comments,I decided to give SLIMJET and CENT a try and just wow I like both.
SLIMJET is my default browser now.it syncs my pc tabs to my android so well and it also installs chrome extensions with ease.And the best part.It starts instantly right after clicking on my slow 2GB ram pc and works fine even with 15-20 tabs open at which point firefox and chrome freeze for me. I suggest you make a new list with 2018 updates to above browsers and anything new if you find. Hii,Thanks for reply.I was thinking.that i like the Multifunctionality of Vivaldi browser and extra but useful features of UC browser.(Like cricket score and virtual wifi) But the problem is.these two are just so resource heavy that my old PC cannot handle them.Do you know is there any way to make them work on a slow pc (may be a lite version of these) or any tweaks? I aslo gave Comodo Dragon a try but there is no new tab page. By the way ay present Cent and Slimjet are working pretty good for me. I also heard of Iridium browser (its paid) is it any good? Raymond, any suggestion for lightweight Chromium based browser that is able to use extensions?
Currently, I’m using Yandex browser. It’s working fine, but i dislike the UNREMOVABLE/Unable to uninstall extensions that come bundled into the browser and i barely use it. Plus, what make it bad is Yandex browser is silently auto update it ( Including silently download “Adobe Flash” into the browser, despite i always deny browser request to download “Adobe Flash” ). I dislike to use “Adobe Flash” for security reason. Sorry for bad English, since English is not my native language. I just installed an Open Source Iridium Browser after browsing and googling several website and doing my own search.
What i like most is, this browser is able to install Extension from Chrome Web Store and there is no bloatware bundled and pre-install together. Althought i can’t say much about the browser since i just use it. They claimed that this browser is “to enhance the privacy of the user and make sure that the latest and best secure technologies are used”, thought i feel it’s just same as using normal Chrome.
I use Maxthon for many years already. But 4, 4.9 not their 5, 5 newest version which I really don`t like and is completely different looking – a kind of heavy X-mas tree without air and with too much useless functions.
I noticed they press now to switch to 5 and the older 4 starting sometimes to freeze But it`s really fast, customizable, cloud syncronization too etc. Even if based on older chrome version – I think there are antiviruses for protection too Of course, I read many will avoid it keeping their private data on it since it`s based in China (although is not the only one, there are a lot used and based there!). In general these Chromium browsers, from some mentioned here I use sometimes yandex, used vivaldi too (but noticed has not any mail option there like in old Opera presto), I noticed they spend too much CPU.
Citrio, by the way, is treated like spam – you can find on internet about. The same about web UC Browser, installation is blocked by Eset Nod antivirus.
Sleipnir is really too heavy for me – I like their old version when was half Trident, half Mozilla and had a valid RSS ticker! Slimjet crashes often and Opera became really bad, is not anymore what was before – without to announce, they even deleted my account on their forum I used to login in Opera Link, syncronize bookmarks and had it from the time of their web operamail!
Instead, I prefer and liked a lot presto based Opera, even now many pages may look incompatible with newest standards. I agree on Maxthon. After a year or two of growing increasingly frustrated with Firefox and Chrome (as well as my usual AV) I realized I’d been married to certain programs for no real reason other than my hatred of IE, Mcafee, Norton, etc. And I would just kinda put up with them because they were better by comparison. Every few months or so I reset my laptop to factory so I decided I would take that state as an opportunity to try something different. My intent was to download nothing but new browsers, av, utilities, etc.
Each time and keep them for the entire few months, never repeating programs until I’d tested everything that wasn’t straight-up scamware. Maxthon ruined that pretty fast.
I loved it during the cycle I had it and didn’t care for any of the 3 browsers I had downloaded on the next one. After I couple weeks I decided I needed Maxthon back. It never crashed (nor did Shockwave, a daily occurence on Chrome at the time) never ate up memory and the “resource sniffer” was indispensable. Plus, certain flash games that chugged along with literally EVERY browser I tried (and we’re talking around 30) ran so fast on Maxthon I felt like I was playing them on fast forward! Unfortunately it has gone waaaaay downhill the past year or 2, with constant crashes and really bizarre lockups.
I don’t even bother installing it anymore but it never occurred to me to go back to an older build. I think I will try that now as this current lineup (Chromium, Citrio and Waterfox) isn’t cutting it. @HAL9000 Thanks very much for your informative article. Before I read this, I had just switched to Slimjet and couldn’t be happier. For me Chrome had become a hog despite their recent efforts to minimize memory. It;s interesting that you showed the screenshots of Taskmanager comparing Vivaldi and Slimjet, because I compared most of them that way and Slimjet came out as using the least amount of memeory. In fact – for me -almost 1/3 compared to Chrome.
I’ve tried most browsers listed except for UC and for now – for me- it’s Slimjet all the way. I know, other people will have different requirements, but for me the difference in speed is very noticeable. Vivaldi all the way.
Every single person to whom I have shown it, has gone home, uninstalled the data-stealing, privacy ignoring Chrome and installed Vivaldi instead. These are not ‘power users’ or ‘geeks’, they are ordinary people whom are fed up with companies such as Google from monetising their lives. I do not understand why you (and others) keep referring to Vivaldi as a browser for ‘geeks’ and ‘power-users’.
If having a few extra options available to change your browsing experience is ‘geeky’ then we’re all in trouble as our collective IQ has obviously dropped by several points;-) Also worth noting that it was ‘geeks’ whom first brought Chrome to the general populace’s attention (I was one of those whom was at that time fooled by Google’s declaration of ‘do no evil’), but very few people (including yourselves describe it as a geek’s browser! I’m not claiming that Google doesn’t have a right to fund itself, but as what is basically the largest advertising entity on the planet, it’s not short of a dollar or two. Focused specific advertising is a dangerous thing in my view, more akin to brainwashing than notifying somebody of your product. But I’m old-fashioned – I still believe in an individual’s rights.
As far as I’m aware, Vivaldi has similar privacy settings to Chromium, and Chromium in turn has similar privacy settings to Chrome. I’d be interested to know what you think is so great about Vivaldi’s privacy settings and what is so bad about Chrome’s when they appear to be quite similar Vivaldi is called by myself and many others a browser more for power users and geeks because the average user really doesn’t care that much for customizing things.
Vivaldi is advertized as a feature rich and highly customizable browser. I would bet that ordinary people or those you know that have installed it, either don’t go home and fully customize it or don’t even use most of the features available. Sure, anyone can simply install Vivaldi and leave it at default settings and it will work fine, but you and I both know that is not what the browser was designed for.;). FF/PM got their tab functionality ideas from an old version of Opera – the same place where they found most of their ‘innovations’.
(speed-dial, tabbed browsing, address bar search and many, many more.). It would be nice of them to make it clear that very few of Mozilla’s ‘innovations’ actually came from in-house. Regards PM, I haven’t used it in a while, does it still leak memory like a sieve?
And did they fix those security issues they were having surrounding online purchases made through their browser? Apart from that I kind of liked it. You know, until something much, much better came on the scene. I’ve been using Vivaldi ever since:-).
Thanks for trying Ghost. Current pricing is $10/month or $60/year. Free version is not cut down. It’s actually fully featured with limitations – not uncommon for productivity tools. We’ve decided to use a freemium model, like most productivity tools do, rather than monetizing by tracking your every move on line or stuffing ads into your browsing experience, like most free browsers do.
We feel that being beholden to our user-customers, we can build a better product than if we are beholden to our advertiser-customers. Since it saves you 10-15 minutes a few times a day, the productivity gains for anyone charging over $5/hour for their professional services that are performed in a browser, are definitely recouped. We think it’s fair and so do all of our premium users.
Turns out “People are not going to pay any money for a browser” isn’t really trueit’s a challenge changing the mindset for sure. But people are starting to see the value. We’re not the only ones with a premium version so I think this is more of a shift than an impossible. Thanks for the mention @Its-A Me. Thanks for your input Larry, your free version is cut down because it is a restricted version of a full product, that by its very nature means a “cut down” version. Err, which free browsers stuff ads into your browsing experience? While I applaud your efforts to create a different product, by charging a not inconsiderable fee of between $60-$120 per year (your browser itself quoted me $250) rules out 99.999% of users.
There’s also free and much cheaper paid Chrome addons that do a similar thing to your multi login. Your talk of saving professional people xx amount of minutes or money per day is highly subjective and only a small fraction of people will likely find any real value in paying for it. If that is what you are aiming for, then great and good luck to you. But IMO, a paid browser is not going to reach mainstream in this day and age and will remain a niche browser with a small (and possibly loyal) following. @HAL9000, thanks for the review.
Chromium developers had removed the Disable DirectWrite since v53. Therefore, all fonts now renders only by DirectWrite. Existed the “#disable-direct-write” flag’s the last build is 52.0.2718 or before builds. Many based-Chromium browsers did impressed by removing Disable DirectWrite. Just as I guessed, many users has been react to this revert.
If you can take a peek to Google-Opera-Vivaldi forums, you should read out there which it’s negative comments and “bring back to Disable DirectWrite” requests. Neither Chromium developers nor Opera nor Vivaldi care about requests, complaints by users. Why I don’t like DirectWrite rendering. It’s fonts tasterized as anti-aliasing style which it is fuzzy, blurry and hurts my eyes (not only me!).
Therefore, I’d stuck at old version of Chrome. After I discovered Cent Browser. In this browser “added back disabling Direct Write”. Of course, the Browser’s contains many useful features but for me, above all main priorirty is DisableDirectWrite feature. I try to inform everyone about the Cent Browser. I wish, its would be often update but implementing of the features to last stable Chromium engine couldn’t easy. Opera with its latest update (41.0.2353.5) appears to have gone in the crapper.
I had been using it past 2 years no issue, but just last weekend I got a new SSD and did a fresh install of Windows 7 and after all the updates installed Opera. Right away it would crash seconds after loading a page and would constantly ask if I wanted to make it default and checking yes or dont ask again had no effect.
Removing, cleaning the registry and reinstalling fixed nothing. Rolling back to the previous version worked fine and Chrome also worked fine.
Sad because I much prefer it to Chrome. Hopefully they can get back on track. Yes, Torch was intentionally left out because there are some things about it I just don’t like. Firstly it gets flagged by a lot of security software as malicious because it contains an adware extension. Although it can be removed people shouldn’t have to disable their antivirus to be able to download a browser. Secondly I’m just not sure about the music and games add-ons.
The music especially looks a bit iffy on its content. I realise it comes from sites like YouTube but just about all of it looks like copyrighted material to me.