>what is the alternative funding source that could keep a company making a free browser running?<

i wonder how linux does it?

linus and anthony should have a head to head.

> i wonder how linux does it?

they don't? There's no company, or rather - a lot of them, Linux kernel moves forward like 80% by corporate contributors. For some of them it's critical part of their infrastructure, some of them need to get their device drivers mainlined, for some of them it's gpl magic at work. Linux desktop experience, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

Companies aren't interested to contribute to a browser when they can just reskin chromium or build on blink directly and community cannot match the pace.

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worik 6 days ago | parent [-]

> Linux desktop experience, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

No, it does not.

It is a wonderful world fill of variety, choice and diversity

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dabockster 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

> It is a wonderful world fill of variety, choice and diversity

Desktop Linux is a dysfunctional dumpster fire that cyber bullies anyone that even suggests building code to a specific OS.

Remember that Linux is just the kernel, not the whole OS. The fact that a program written for Ubuntu, for example, can even run on another Linux based OS is a happy coincidence and should not be an expectation.

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Seattle3503 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Linux and FF have comparable desktop market share.

	▲	account42 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		Moving in very different directions though.

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rdm_blackhole 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I think you are comparing apples to oranges here. Linux is made of many distros, each one with their own strong points and features. Many different maintainers matain them. There is no single point of funding for them.

Mozilla on the other hand makes basically one semi well-known product (and other even less known stuff) and gives it away for free.

If tomorrow Google pulls the plug, who will pay for the salaries of the engineers who maintain Firefox? The general public does not care if Firefox lives or dies. In my circle of friends and family, I am the only one who uses Firefox. Most people are on Chrome or Brave. That's it.

Someone in the comments above mentioned that Mozilla could release a paid version for Enterprise customers, imitating Red Hat in a way, but I am highly skeptical that Enterprise customers in times such as these will be willing to pay for something that they can get for free from Google or Microsoft.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

	▲	Seattle3503 6 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> I am highly skeptical that Enterprise customers in times such as these will be willing to pay for something that they can get for free from Google or Microsoft. They would have to build a better enterprise offering. Companies like Chrome because can use Google as their IDP, and when their employees log in with their company account the company can push certs and security politicies to their Chrome install. Firefox doesn't have that level of integration with Google security services.
	▲	rolph 6 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		1) Linux is made of many distros, each one with their own strong points and features. Many different maintainers matain them. There is no single point of funding for them. 2) Mozilla on the other hand makes basically one semi well-known product. the way i see it mozilla has one thing to do, and didnt do it very well. the linux GNU gang has a mountain to contend with and has has moved a mountain. so what would be the secret sauce that mozilla doesnt have.