Chromium web browser
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Chromium 56 running on Windows 10
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| Developer(s) | The Chromium Project, consisting of Google developers and community volunteers |
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| Initial release | September 2, 2008 |
| Development status | Active |
| Written in | C, C++, Java, JavaScript and Python |
| Operating system | Windows 7 and later,OS X 10.9 and later, Linux, BSD, Android 4.0 and later |
| Engines | Blink, V8 |
| Platform | IA-32, x64, ARM |
| Size | |
| Type | Web browser |
| License | BSD license, MIT License, LGPL, MS-PL and MPL/GPL/LGPL tri-licensed code, plus unlicensed files. |
| Website | www |
Chromium is an open-source web browser project started by Google, to provide the source code for the proprietary Google Chrome browser. The two browsers share the majority of code and features, though there are some minor differences in features, logos and they have different licensing.
The Chromium Project takes its name from the element chromium, the metal from which chrome plating is made. Google's intention, as expressed in the developer documentation, was that Chromium would be the name of the open-source development project and that the final product's name would be Chrome; however, other developers have taken the Chromium code and released versions under the Chromium name. These are listed under community packages.
One of the major aims of the project is for Chromium to be a tabbed window manager, or shell for the web, as opposed to it being a traditional browser application. The application is designed to have a minimalist user interface. The developers state that it "should feel lightweight (cognitively and physically) and fast".
Chromium is the name given to the open-source project and the browser source code released and maintained by the Chromium Project, which is headed by Google developers, with input from community developers. It is possible to download the source code and build it manually on many platforms.
To create Chrome from Chromium, Google takes this source code and adds:
By default, Chromium only supports Vorbis, MP3, Theora and WebM formats for the HTML5 audio and video tags. Google Chrome supports these as well as the patent-encumbered AAC format. On 11 January 2011, the Chrome Product manager, Mike Jazayeri, announced that Chrome would no longer support the H.264 video format for its HTML5 player. In October 2013 Cisco announced that it was open-sourcing its H.264 codecs and will cover all fees required. As of November 2015, Chrome still supports H.264. Linux distributions that distribute Chromium may add support for other codecs to their customized versions of Chromium.
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