On the Verge of Surge
September 27, 2025
Hello everyone,
Surge Browser development is going well, and we’re on track to release a Mac version toward the end of this Fall. In case you missed it: Surge will be free to use and for User Co-op members only. Membership is free and open to anyone.
(Surge Browser app tile for Mac.)
Reminder: why Surge?
So we (people) can start capitalizing on our clicks, like we should:
Here’s some more stuff on member dividends and governance, if you're curious.
Sneak preview images
Here are a some screengrabs of Surge as it stands:
A peek into the development process
AI chat services have made it possible for a non-coder like me to create/modify software.
I’m using ChatGPT5 to modify Chromium. GPT makes recommendations, and I implement them. Those recommendations are drawn from a huge knowledge base generated by people’s online activity, so I know they’re good.
It takes a fair amount of iteration between GPT and me to get the code right. For example, GPT sometimes forgets things we’ve done, it can hallucinate files, and it needs help navigating Chromium’s notoriously large codebase. But at $20 a month, there ain’t a bigger bang for our members’ bucks.
Chromium is an “open source” browser project administered by Google. Chromium is the source code for Chrome, Edge, Brave, and “AI browsers” currently being developed by OpenAI and Perplexity. Chromium is built and maintained by volunteers, and it’s free to use for commercial purposes.
Our tweaks to Chromium
Out of the box, Chromium is pretty much Chrome. So, our modifications to Chromium for the first version of our Mac release will be “tweaks” that enable members to capitalize on their clicks and verify that’s happening:
1. Member sign-in feature so we can attribute clicks/data to our members, which enables us to calculate their dividends (based on clicks) and verify their right to vote in co-op governance, like electing board members.
2. An in-browser “click-counter” page so members can see their click activity.
That’s it.
After we release the first version of Surge for Mac, we’ll get to work right away on Surge for Windows!
Join us
If you haven’t already, become a member, and, if you can, chip in a few bucks to support our effort.
Matt
September 27, 2025
Matt Martensen
Founder/organizer