There really needs to be a "Linux" of browser engines.
Keep an eye on https://servo.org/
Is that not what Chromium is? An open source browser that anyone can adapt to suit their needs.
When that source, open or otherwise, is unilaterally controlled by Google, that doesn’t really mean much
No, it's not. It's open source and can be modified from Google's baseline to be free of their restrictions by anyone who cares to put in the work, like Brave and Vivaldi.
Are people able to make meaningful contributions to the project upstream to steer the direction of the web as an open platform?
Isn't that gecko, Firefox's engine?
No, chromium is the Linux of browsers.
There really needs to be a "Linux" of browser engines.
Keep an eye on https://servo.org/
Is that not what Chromium is? An open source browser that anyone can adapt to suit their needs.
When that source, open or otherwise, is unilaterally controlled by Google, that doesn’t really mean much
No, it's not. It's open source and can be modified from Google's baseline to be free of their restrictions by anyone who cares to put in the work, like Brave and Vivaldi.
Are people able to make meaningful contributions to the project upstream to steer the direction of the web as an open platform?
Isn't that gecko, Firefox's engine?
No, chromium is the Linux of browsers.