The change was necessitated, according to Google, as a result of third-party Chromium based browsers integrating Google Chrome features, such as Chrome sync and Click to Call, which are intended only for Google’s services.
And it has such security implications that users could easily sign into their Google Account and store their personal data via Chrome sync, with just any third-party Chromium based browsers.
How the Change would impact other Chromium-based browsers
Google's plan to limit some of the Chrome APIs features that it includes inside Chromium will impact not only Chrome Sync, but also some other features such as the Chrome Translate Element, Chrome Spelling API, the Contacts API, and many more.
These APIs implemented within Chromium source code, with the open-source shell which is the base of Chrome browser, are usually removed or modified by other companies that build browsers based on the Chromium code to their own systems, over which they have control.
With the coming changes, Google has given third-party companies two months to remove every Chrome-specific APIs from their code before access is cut off. And Chromium browsers ranging from Microsoft Edge, Brave and Opera, will have to develop and implement their own to retain the specific-features.
What's the impact on Programmers and End-users?
The change will definitely affect Linux developers at multiple facet, especially, for Linux Chromium browser users to discover that the latest versions of their browsers can't perform some basic tasks.
Albeit, there is a growing mistrust between Google and Linux vendors, with the later edging closer to dumping Chromium. This latest development will leave several others with a bad taste over how Google has failed the open-source community, as it will make all Linux Chromium builds significantly less functional.
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