Fedora's Chromium maintainer suggests switching to Firefox as Google yanks features in favour of Chrome
- Reference: 1611575104
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/01/25/use_firefox_fedora_chromium_maintainer/
- Source link:
The comments refer to a low-key statement Google made just before the release of Chrome 88, [1]saying that during an audit it had "discovered that some third-party Chromium-based browsers were able to integrate Google features, such as Chrome sync and Click to Call, that are only intended for Google's use... we are limiting access to our private Chrome APIs starting on March 15, 2021."
[2]
Tom Callaway (aka "spot"), a former Fedora engineering manager at Red Hat (Fedora is Red Hat's bleeding-edge Linux distro), who now works for AWS, [3]remarked when describing the Chromium 88 build that: "Google gave the builders of distribution Chromium packages these access rights back in 2013 via API keys, specifically so that we could have open-source builds of Chromium with (near) feature parity to Chrome. And now they're taking it away.
"The reasoning given for this change? Google does not want users to be able to 'access their personal Chrome Sync data (such as bookmarks)... with a non-Google, Chromium-based browser.' They're not closing a security hole, they're just requiring that everyone use Chrome."
[4]
[5]
Features in Chromium like data sync depend on Google APIs which are soon to be blocked
Callaway predicted that "many (most?) users will be confused/annoyed when API functionality like sync and geolocation stops working for no good reason." Although API access is not yet blocked, he has disabled it immediately to avoid users experiencing features that suddenly stop working for no apparent reason.
He said he is no longer sure of the value of Chromium. "I would say that you might want to reconsider whether you want to use Chromium or not. If you want the full 'Google' experience, you can run the proprietary Chrome. If you want to use a FOSS browser that isn't hobbled, there is a Firefox package in Fedora," he said.
Ahem, just 'discovered' this?
There is more information about these APIs on the [6]Chromium wiki . Access to the APIs is documented and Google's claim that it has only just "discovered" this is an oddity. The APIs cover areas including sync, spelling, translation, Google Maps geolocation, Google Cloud Storage, safe browsing, and more.
The situation has parallels with Android, where the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is hard to use as a mobile phone operating system because important functions are reserved for the proprietary Google Play Services. The [7]microG project exists specifically as an attempt to mitigate the absence of these APIs from AOSP.
Something similar may now be necessary for Chromium if it is to deliver all the features users have come to expect from a web browser. It is not a problem for companies in a position to provide their own alternative services, such as Microsoft with Chromium-based Edge, but more difficult for Linux distros like Fedora.
There are other ways to look at Google's move, though. "Some people might even consider the removal of this Google-specific functionality an improvement," [8]commented a Fedora user. Microsoft [9]reportedly removed more than 50 Google-specific services from Chromium as used in Edge, including data sync, safe browsing, maps geolocation, the Google Drive API, and more.
[10]
Users who choose Chromium over Chrome to avoid Google dependency may not realise the extent of this integration, which is likely now to reduce. The [11]Ungoogled Chromium project not only removes Google APIs but also "blocks internal requests to Google at runtime" as a failsafe measure. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://blog.chromium.org/2021/01/limiting-private-api-availability-in.html
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YA75JTqdzKDj1GLVHYNoswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2021-48866282e5
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YA75JTqdzKDj1GLVHYNoswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/01/25/chromium.png
[6] https://www.chromium.org/developers/how-tos/api-keys
[7] https://microg.org/
[8] https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2021-48866282e5#comment-1835458
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/09/open_source_unbranded/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YA75JTqdzKDj1GLVHYNoswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "blocks
Can we get an un-Mozilla'd Firefox that doesn't post data to mozilla.org at runtime?
Re: "blocks
Yes, if you build it yourself that way.
From Google's PoV anything that isn't Chrome is a security hole.
"From Google's PoV anything that isn't Chrome is a security hole."
No, from Google's view anything that is not Chrome is danger to its bottom line.
Money is the be all and end all as far as Google is concerned and it will do anything and everything to prevent the tiniest amounts slipping out of its clammy grasp.
I wonder how much money is too much or is it just a way of keeping score when you have more money than you know what to do with?
@nematoad
Enough... is never enough. - Ferengi rule of acquisition #97
Who the hell would add Google crap back to a (relatively) clean Chromium.
People use Chromium to get away from as much of Google's shiteware as possible so users will not add it, package maintainers will not add it. Google is basically lying at this point.
Re: People use Chromium to get away from as much of Google
This SHOULD be true, or else they might as well use Chrome.
I have to admit I have Chromium installed only to deal with the odd website - usually official or purchasing sites - that won't work with Firefox/uBlock Origin/NoScript, though I have found one huge google advantage: I'm looking at an awful lot of German estate agent sites at the moment, and the ability to flip between the original German and an English translation is very handy.
Firefox's approach via translate.google... is somewhat more inconvenient. But it still works, so I won't miss it too much if it disappears from Chromium.
Chromium is doomed.
But Mozilla needs to go back to a distinctly separate desktop GUI and a Mobile GUI, stop dumbing down GUI and settings and stop copying Google.
Waterfox Classic with Classic theme restorer is what Firefox should be like on the desktop. It should have the like of NoScript, uMatrix or UBlock Origin built in. The mobile version should look somewhat like Brave, but with all the traditional settings.
You almost don't need AV, if you block all 3rd party and all bad domain by default. Drive by malware via adverts and stupid web design is the big issue. Also block default scripts of ALL SM site buttons and replace them with a simple HTML link.
Chromium is doomed and can it really be a good idea that MS is basing Edge on Chrome/Chromium. Chrome is really intended to be spyware for Google and allow their adverts to run smoothly. Google are an Advert Agency. As such they should be forced to divest of Chrome, Chromebook and Android at the least. They have proven that they are not trustworthy.
People should also stop using remote Google APIs, captcha, fonts and Analytics. Install scripts, fonts and images on your own servers!
Google are the worst sort of parasite.
Re: Chromium is doomed.
" But Mozilla needs to go back to "
They need to do more than that. I got a new tablet, put on the latest Firefox for Android and was horrified (horrified, I tell you) to see that the official list of add-ons amounted to a party eleven things. The older stuff? Didn't want to work because long complicated internal changes.
Since the latest didn't do what I wanted it to do, I pulled an earlier (pre-broken) version from my phone and installed all the add-ons I use (noting that the official site told me repeatedly, incorrectly, that they wouldn't work).
So, what (Android) browser has a decent set of anti tracking, content blocking, and cookie munching options that isn't broken?
Re: Chromium is doomed.
The Firefox Nightly app, with an annoying workaround, will allow you to install add-ons. You have to create a collection of your preferred add-ons on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/collections/ and then select it in the app. Then, Mozilla will graciously allow you to do what should be possible without all this bother.
It's my ball, and I'm taking it home
"There are numerous references to the "It's my ball, and I'm taking it home" huffy idiom, including a charming panda. Just don't search for them using my browser APIs. They are mine, and I'm taking them home. " ~ Sundar Pichai
The browser-as-the-platform endgame
Over the years, browsers have changed from document viewers to full-blown development targets for applications (JavaScript, WASM, Canvas & other HTML 5 APIs). Not only that, but especially Google seems to be adamant to shuffle as many new features into Chrome as possible to presumably further their own web-based goals. Don't forget that Google also is the force behind ChromeOS, which literally is the very definition of Chrome-as-your-OS.
Currently, it's a complete pain to make Google's services operate with regular desktop applications, e.g. GMail and the hoops one has to jump through in order to use your own email client (via IMAP) instead of their web-based monstrosity. Not only does one have to explicitly enable IMAP support, one then also has to enable 'allow less secure access' (i.e. IMAP) and retoggle that option every time one uses e.g. K9 on Android to access a GMail account after a barrage of 'security warnings'. How long until even IMAP access is disabled? What recourse would one have but to settle for the GMail Web UI?
Note that this doesn't just apply for free GMail accounts either: paid 'G Suite' accounts have the same problem.
For those of us who remember when Microsoft was getting slammed with anti-trust lawsuits, this may feel like we hit the 'Déjà vu' point a couple of years ago and we're now barreling into new & exciting unexplored monopolistic behaviour.
Re: The browser-as-the-platform endgame
>Currently, it's a complete pain to make Google's services operate with regular desktop applications
Noted how the major web browsers now prefer you to be signed with their account.
Google has taken this a step further and every attempt to use Google search from within a Chrome incognito window results in a pointless pop-up, that will only go away if you sign in...
Heh, I was going to cut and paste a bad joke about AWS becoming the new Microsoft (with suitable s/AWS/Google/g of course), but it's so common these days I can't be arsed.
It's a good job no-one's looking at any of these big cloud companies too hard for things like anti competative behaviour!
If they were then actions like this could be seen as hubris, perhaps even arrogence! That wouldn't look good, would it?
Another reason to use Firefox, run your own sync server
Firefox makes it easy to use your own sync server (https://github.com/mozilla-services/syncserver) so you are not reliant on a third party. Simply change the config item identity.sync.tokenserver.uri to https://example.com/token/1.0/sync/1.5. OK it might not be *easy* easy but it's a lot easier than doing so for Chrome for which AFAIK there is no public sync server implementation available, nor can you easily change the sync service in Chrome.
My Grandson's primary school has started to use Google Classrooms to set and collect remote classwork during locdown. I don't know if it costs the school anything but users need to have a Google account or similar to log in. It also needs at least Chromium to function in anything like a useable way. Once in, there is a labyrinth of extra Google services that can be signed up for to make usage more convenient.
I've had a couple of remote hospital consultations recently which will also only function on Chromium.
In a few months my family have changed from dedicated Googlephobes to apparently enthusiastic regular users.
Services provided to the community by Google during lockdown have grown Chromium to the point where it has now become big enough to harvest/cull/shaft, pick your own metaphor.
Well, they're suggesting a browser that performs worse that Chromium on ever aspects(HTML5 supported features, performance as can be seen on any benchmark site, especially on BaseMark where it scores only half of any Chrom/Chromium built) as an alternative???
Why not suggesting a Chromium built browser, Brave for example. It would be a lot better as an alternative than Firefox.
Good riddance
I switched from Firefox to Chromium due to speed and memory concerns (that computer's pretty old). Looking at the list of removed features in the article - "sync, spelling, translation, Google Maps geolocation, Google Cloud Storage, safe browsing, and more" - good riddance. Ok, spelling might be nice. As for the rest, no thanks, I don't use or want them anyway.
Got any good tips on running Netflix through Chromium?
"blocks
internal requests to Google at runtime" as a failsafe measure.
Nice !!