Hello friends! Today I want to share with you our plans for the next chapter of Ladybird, the truly independent, open source web browser we've been developing from scratch for the past few years.
Ladybird uses a brand new engine based on web standards, without borrowing any code from other browsers. It started as a humble HTML viewer for the SerenityOS hobby project, but since then it's grown into a full cross-platform browser project supporting Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like systems.
We can already do some of our daily browsing with Ladybird, like managing GitHub issues and pull requests, and commenting on Hacker News. The browser is improving every day, as our community of contributors are actively fixing bugs and adding features.
But it's still very far from finished. We want to turn Ladybird into a browser that you can use every day for all your web-related tasks. It should be fast, stable, support web standards, and protect your privacy. A browser for you.
In order to help us achieve this goal, we've created the Ladybird Browser Initiative, a US 501(c)(3) non-profit (tax-exempt status pending) to drive work on the browser and make it easier for supporters of all shapes & sizes to sponsor development.
Unlike traditional business models that rely on monetizing the user, Ladybird is funded entirely by sponsorships and donations from companies and individuals who care about the open web. Our non-profit will not pursue corporate deals or revenue outside of unrestricted donations. The software and its source code will be available for free, forever.
Our board will consist of experts from a diverse range of world-views and skillsets, not donors. We are starting small and we'll be adding more directors this year.
The inaugural board of directors:
- Andreas Kling (President): Project founder and lead developer. Past: Apple Safari, Nokia (WebKit), KHTML.
- Chris Wanstrath (Secretary & Treasurer): Current: Unannounced Game Engine, Null Games, Computer History Museum. Past: GitHub co-founder & CEO.
Our goal is not an easy one: a useful browser for the contemporary web, in the hands of users. It's going to take some time, but we're well on our way already!
For more information and to support us on our mission, please visit ladybird.org.