Native Client: A Technology for Running Native Code on the Web

http://google-code-updates.blogspot.com/2008/12/native-client-technology-for-running.html

by bdfh42 • 18 years ago

32 27 18 years ago

google-code-updates.blogspot.com

andr2• 18 years ago

I guess metaprogramming is out of the question.

wmf3• 18 years ago

Not necessarily, although you won't be doing any JIT.

frogger• 18 years ago

Yahoo! has already released a very similar "BrowserPlus" ... http://browserplus.yahoo.com/

wmf3• 18 years ago

They don't look that similar, since BrowserPlus doesn't appear to run arbitrary untrusted native code.

tptacek7• 18 years ago

NaCL doesn't run "arbitrary" native code; it runs a strictly controlled subset of x86, with all bblock edges verified, in a per-process environment that uses segment access controls to prevent code from overwriting code, and without access to the full system call table. It is basically a faster version of the Java applet sandbox.

andreyf• 18 years ago

A coworker: "Yay! Google is re-imlementing ActiveX!"

pierrefar2• 18 years ago

I hope it's a bit more stable than that!

stcredzero4• 18 years ago

NaCl is very stable. Just don't get it wet.

tptacek7• 18 years ago

Your coworker doesn't really understand ActiveX; ActiveX controls execute unchecked native x86 code with full access to the system call table. NaCL falls somewhere in between VMWare and the Java Bytecode Verifier.

tlrobinson3• 18 years ago

I like your abbreviation for it, but that's not an official name, right? Are you just hoping it will catch on?

I'll join you in calling it NaCl.

pierrefar2• 18 years ago

It's game over for Microsoft. The OS will become even more irrelvant. Adobe should be really worried too - they both just might disappear into a silvery lit air :)

Let's just hope Google doesn't mess this opportunity up. This is the silver bullet and they get to shoot it only once and they must not miss. No beta tags.

brandonkm• 18 years ago

I wouldn't say game over just yet, there is still much to be determined in this space and with this recent technology.

I first thought the same thing also, but looking at it more objectively we have to see how users adopt native client.

tptacek7• 18 years ago

It was game over long before NaCL, which is why I'm not bullish on this particular browser plugin: very, very few information problems people need solved require native code, and those few problems are already pretty well represented. If this was a killer problem, the JVM applet plugin would have evolved faster.

stcredzero4• 18 years ago

This could be a huge boon to casual multiplayer gaming. You may be able to implement games that are as fast as desktop clients, but which require zero installation. (Once the plugin is installed the first time, of course.)

The same benefits would also be a huge boon to browser office apps.

Actually, this is the architecture that should be used to distribute plugins, period.

tlrobinson3• 18 years ago

It seems like NaCl should be part of Gears, no?

tocomment• 18 years ago

Could you run a Python interpreter in this, or Perl?

tptacek7• 18 years ago

Yes. Of course, you can do that in Javascript, too.

andr2• 18 years ago

Better yet, you can run a JavaScript interpreter in there. Firefox, even.

socksandsandals• 18 years ago

History will judge this to be our day's version of VBA.

Native Client: A Technology for Running Native Code on the Web

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