native

Google building 3D hardware boost into Chrome

Departing significantly from what other browsers offer, Google has begun building its O3D plug-in for hardware-accelerated 3D graphics into its Chrome browser.

"The O3D team is working on getting O3D integrated into the Chromium build, and we're close to being able to complete our first step towards integration," said programmer Greg Spencer in a mailing list announcement Wednesday about Chromium, the open-source project that underlies Chrome itself. "I'll be making the Windows build of Chromium be dependent upon building O3D as part of the build process."

By helping to pave the way for high-powered Web-based games, the move furthers Google's ambition to speed the transformation of the Web from a static medium into a foundation for applications. Another piece of the work is Google Native Client, which is designed to let Web applications take advantage of a computer's native processing power. … Read more

Audio interface inspires lots of jumping

First off, let me say that any DJ caught complaining about the inconvenience of his laptop audio interface deserves to be smacked in the head with a record crate. That said, less gear to carry is always a good thing, and the fine folks at Native Instruments have found a way to shrink their premium USB audio interfaces down to a pocket-size four-channel dynamo, appropriately called the Audio 2 DJ.

This new little bus-powered breakout box is due out in September, runs $119 list, and uses a pair of stereo 1/4-inch jacks (one for cue, one for master) to … Read more

Security expert blesses Google Native Client technology

Two security researchers are splitting a cash prize from Google after winning a bug hunt contest designed to improve the security of Google Native Client technology, Google announced on Tuesday.

Despite the dozen or so bugs they found in the code, which lets Web-based applications run native code and take advantage of a computer's processing power, one of the winners predicted the technology will be secure when it is deployed.

"The quality of the implementation was pretty good," said Mark Dowd, X-Force researcher engineer at IBM Internet Security Systems. "Everyone makes a few mistakes here and … Read more

Google Native Client grows out of research phase

Satisfied that its security underpinnings are solid, Google has promoted its open-source Native Client technology to accelerate Web applications out of its research phase and is taking steps to build it into the Chrome Web browser.

"Based on our experience to date, we believe that the basic architecture of our system is sound and the implementation is supportable. So now we are undertaking a number of tasks to transition Native Client from a research technology to a development platform," said Brad Chen, Google's Native Client engineering manager, in a mailing list announcement Wednesday.

Native Client, called NaCl … Read more

Google shows Native Client built into HTML 5

SAN FRANCISCO--Google wants its Native Client technology to be a little more native.

Google Native Client, still highly experimental, lets browsers run program modules natively on an x86 processor for higher performance than with Web programming technologies such as JavaScript or Flash that involve more software layers to process and execute the code. But to use it, there's a significant barrier: people must install a browser plug-in.

However, Google wants to make the technology more broadly accessible in browsers through new technology coming to HTML, the standard used to build Web pages, and at the Google I/O developer conference … Read more

Google plugs PC power into cloud computing

Even at the cutting edge of cloud computing, Web-based applications can be frustrating to write and to use.

Spreadsheets can't sort data well, there are lags between mouse clicks and the program's response, graphics look Mickey Mouse rather than lavish. But Google, among the most aggressive cloud computing advocates, is trying to address some of those shortcomings.

The company has released experimental but still very much real software that brings in some of the power of the PC, where people often use Web applications. Google Native Client--first released in 2008 but updated with a new version Thursday--is a browser plug-in for securely running computationally intense software downloaded from a Web site. And on Tuesday, Google released O3D, a plug-in that lets Web-based applications tap into a computer's graphics chip, too.

The projects are rough around the edges, to say the least. Native Client--NaCl for short--is more security research project than usable programming foundation right now, and O3D exists in part to try to accelerate the arrival of some future, not necessarily compatible, standard for building 3D abilities into Web applications.

But both fundamentally challenge the idea that Web apps necessarily are stripped-down, feeble counterparts to the software that runs natively on a personal computer, and they come from a company that has engineering skill, a yen for moving activity to the Internet, and search-ad profits that can fund projects that don't immediately or directly make money.

"There are things you can do in desktop apps that you can't do in Web apps. We're working very hard to close that gap, so anything you can do in a desktop application you can do safely and securely from a Web application," said Linus Upson, a Google engineering director. … Read more

Google hopes to find community in security contest

For the last few years, companies have had two primary approaches to security: attempt to plug every security hole themselves, or rely on an open-source community to do so. With its open-source Native Client project, Google actually wants to do both and has launched a contest to attract outside development talent to plug security holes in Native Client's code.

Native Client is a Google-developed technology for running x86 native code in Web applications. Google hopes the code will make it easier for developers to write richer browser-based applications that run across a range of browsers and operating systems.

Google'… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 868: Joogle and the Spindle

We rename Google's boring-sounding Native Client project to let you know what it really is: Java from Google. You know, Joogle. Also, HP unveils flexible paper using e-ink and a roller design that inspires version 3 of the Kindle: the Spindle. In non-funny-word related news, we also engage in a nice long conversation about music piracy and college campuses. Feels just like old times. Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 868

The mouse hits 40-year milestone http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7768481.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7761262.stm http://news.cnet.com/2300-1041_3-6248261.html… Read more

Google's answer to Java, Flash, Windows: Native Client

Rumors have abounded over the years about a Google operating system, perhaps based on the Ubuntu version of Linux widely used within the company, but on Monday the company revealed an open-source project that provides a different answer to the same problem: Native Client.

The reason I've been skeptical about Google releasing an operating system of its own is that the company has such a Web-based view of the world. But Web apps have limits, impressive gains of Google Docs notwithstanding, and Native Client is geared to address those.

"At Google we're always trying to make the … Read more