Redcore ( zh, s=红芯浏览器, l=red core browser)Official website: , where it shows that the browser is named "Redcore Browser" ( zh, 红芯浏览器), and the browser engine is "Redcore" ( zh, 红芯内核) is a

web browser A web browser, often shortened to browser, is an application for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's scr ...

developed by Chinese company Redcore Times (Beijing) Technology Ltd. based on

Chromium Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium ...

and uses the

Blink Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral por ...

browser engine A browser engine (also known as a layout engine or rendering engine) is a core software component of every major web browser. The primary job of a browser engine is to transform HTML documents and other resources of a web page into an interacti ...

History

On 15 August 2018, Redcore Times (Beijing) Technology Ltd. announced that it had raised 250 million RMB in its series C funding round from venture capital investors, including Morningside Venture Capital, Fortune Venture Capital, and IDG Capital. At the time of financing, the company marketed Redcore as a "100pc China-developed browser" and claimed that it used the "Redcore"

developed in-house. On 16 August 2018, after Redcore was revealed to be based on

, Redcore Times (Beijing) Technology Ltd. responded that the project did not solicit state funds in its previous round of funding.

Controversies

Chromium plagiarism scandal

On 16 August 2018, Chinese

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

users disclosed that the Redcore

installer Installation (or setup) of a computer program (including device drivers and plugins), is the act of making the program ready for execution. Installation refers to the particular configuration of software or hardware with a view to making it usabl ...

, when fully decompressed, contained similar files and directories as the installer for

Google Chrome Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, an ...

. After the disclosure, media outlets including

Sina Sina may refer to: Relating to China * Chin (China), or Sina (), old Chinese form of the Sanskrit name Cina () ** Shina (word), or Sina (), archaic Japanese word for China ** Sinae, Latin name for China Places * Sina, Albania, or Sinë, a vi ...

accused Redcore of

plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 ''Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close ...

and criticized the company for marketing a " Chrome-shell browser" ( zh, Chrome套壳浏览器) as a domestic product developed completely in-house. Chen Benfeng, the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Redcore Times (Beijing) Technology Ltd., defended the product by describing three additional features of Redcore that were not present in

. By the end of 16 August, Redcore was no longer available for download from the company's website. Company co-founder Gao Jing told the

China News Service China News Service (CNS; ) is the second largest state news agency in China, after Xinhua News Agency. China News Service was formerly run by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, which was absorbed into the United Front Work Department of the ...

that although the web browser is based on the open-source resources from Chrome, "it still uses domestic core technology and has other innovative elements". Gao said the browser was removed from the company's website to conduct "urgent technology checks". On 17 August 2018, Redcore Times (Beijing) Technology Ltd. issued an apology announcement disclosing that Redcore is a browser engine based on

References

{{Web browsers Cross-platform web browsers Discontinued web browsers Windows web browsers Linux web browsers Freeware 2018 software 2018 in China Hoaxes in China Internet hoaxes

History

Controversies

Chromium plagiarism scandal

See also

References