Google’s Chrome for Android development team has announced the mobile version of the Chrome browser is now “almost entirely open source.” The parts not open sourced include some media codecs, plugins, and Google service features that are restricted due to licensing issues. The team open sourced over 100,000 lines of code, including the entire user interface layer. For developers, this move means they can built their own versions of the browser for Android devices.
The mobile Android version of the browser now mirrors the desktop version in having the bulk of the code being open sourced. On the desktop, this has resulted in a variety of third-party web browsers being built. They range from the popular and relatively well-known Opera browser to lesser known variants like Vivaldi which targets developers.
Based on the ecosystem of browsers built for the desktop, users can expect to see a similar pattern develop for mobile platforms running Android, so keep an eye on the Play Store for new browsers.
source: OMG! Chrome!
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