pouët.net

Go to bottom

Google Native Client (= run x86 native code in a browser)

category: general [glöplog]
Gee, everybody talks about this Google crap now, that was done by Microsoft with ActiveX Controls a long time ago. Only diffrence is, they want the code to run on Mac & Linux (x86) as well. Can anybody tell me how they want to make this running on eg. Sparc or PowerPC without a performance lost thru emu?
added on the 2008-12-10 17:03:57 by samurai samurai
what emulator? did you read the thread?
added on the 2008-12-10 17:07:21 by psonice psonice
psonice, I think he's referring to the fact that Sparc and PPC don't implement x86.
i'd be pretty worried if a "native code" plugin that's supposed to use GCC to compile "native code" actually just ran x86 :D
added on the 2008-12-10 17:13:35 by psonice psonice
google is (for good reason, looking at the consumer marketshare) preferring x86. given some proper architecture the same idea could work and be implemented for other archs as well of course. their chrome js engine will prolly have proper ppc support as well over time.
added on the 2008-12-10 17:14:43 by superplek superplek
DEAR FC: SECOND REALITY PORT NOW!!111
Yeah, what are actually the differences between this and ActiveX?
wait, they're making it totally x86 only?? Why? I mean yeah, I can understand targeting x86 because of the slight market advantage, but considering the way the market for internet enabled stuff is shifting I think that could become a major handicap down the line. It's the cheap smartphones and stuff that would gain the most from this, and most of them have arm cpus.

That's just removed a big plus point for the project for me :(
added on the 2008-12-10 17:23:40 by psonice psonice
Quote:
Yeah, what are actually the differences between this and ActiveX?


activex is very platform-centric (read: windows), i guess Google's approach is cross-OS? (a lot of unix, osx *and* windows users run on x86s today, as i said earlier)

and psonice, i'm guessing that x86 just gives them a head start now (looking at the state of chrome, their js engine et cetera) -- the market advantage for home computers isnt just slight, its huge

as for mobiles, i guess they're clever enough to port the idea to other archs / mobile stuff (android?) in due time
added on the 2008-12-10 17:38:54 by superplek superplek
Quote:
that was done by Microsoft with ActiveX Controls a long time ago. Only diffrence is, they want the code to run on Mac & Linux (x86) as well.

Some people might say that's a quite significant difference.
added on the 2008-12-10 18:34:00 by gloom gloom
I like x86 coding and I am curious what this will lead too. But I really don't see the advantage of this. Why would you want to use precompiled code on the web. What's wrong with Java, Flash or even better, Silverlight. Isn't the whole concept of the web that it is hardware and OS independent? The performance of C#/.Net is really good. Why wouldn't you just offer things that are really performance/hardware depended as an downloadable executable?

I have to admit I didn't really read the documentation so I might miss some points :)
Please remove 'pre' from precompiled ;)

1. run a regular exe, set it's window to "always on top".
2. start your favourite browser and maximize

same effect.

Google are becoming redundant

added on the 2008-12-10 20:17:53 by button button

login

Go to top