Well, it seems we’ve got a better understanding now of why Andreas Kling decided to leave the SerenityOS project to focus entirely on Ladybird, the web browser that grew out of his hobby operating system. They’ve got some big plans for where to take Ladybird, and I’m saying “they” because it’s being backed by a big name. They’ve set up a fancy new website for the project, which makes it all look a bit more presentable to a general audience. The project is aiming for a first alpha release for Linux and macOS in 2026, and Windows or mobile versions are not something they’re currently interested in – they want to get the desktop version to be presentable first. It also seems we’re not in Kansas anymore – they’ve got four full-time paid engineers working on Ladybird at the moment, with three more starting soon. Sure, they’ve got some sponsors, but that seems like a lot of people, so where’s the cash coming from? Well, the project also announced its first two board members, and it won’t surprise you Andreas Kling himself is one of them. The other name is none other than Chris Wanstrath, and if that name doesn’t ring a bell – he’s the co-founder and former CEO of GitHub, which he sold to Microsoft in 2018. He also created the Atom text editor and led several other projects. Oh, he also happens to be a billionaire who apparently has donated 1 million dollars to Ladybird. In other words, the Ladybird project is a lot more of a serious, grown-up effort than it may have seemed when Kling first announced his departure from SerenityOS. This means the project has some serious money behind it, an influential name with probably some great networking skills, and, of course, Kling’s unique experience working on browser engines for Nokia and Apple in the past. All in all, this is great news.
