Google NaCl and Possible SDK for Chrome OS?

Today Google introduced Nacl SDK, Google's native client is baked into SDK. I think its going to serve as SDK for Chrome OS. In the surface it may sounds like another Flash or Silverlight like thingy but how can otherwise Google can empower Chrome OS? Important point is, it can run any languages -- it may be python, Lua or Google Go(There should be integration point - Ports). I am looking for Nacl SDK for Android and how it can be useful for web development. One point in future Native client app can be bundled with Google Chrome and can be run on any platform which eliminates the need for crapy browser dependency, so write html + CSS +JS and heavy lift using NaCl and bundle it with ChromeOS --- so cloud ready app is just click away.

Thank you Google Chrome, IE9 is your gift to us....

IE9 with its preview release inching forward and compliance with standards like CSS 3.0, HTML5, new javascript engine. Microsoft realized that they can't stop web momentum by not improving the browser but making it better would definitely going to help them in long run. They jumped into the bandwagon of fast JS engine and more HTML5 feature including video/audio support is surely welcome factor for web. This is absolutely due to Google chrome and it is the finest example of turning badie into good one and how one's true potential make others to follow. Thanks Google. I hope same thing going to happen in internet pipeline too once Google rolls out 1Gbps fiber optic internet service.

IS Google Chrome the Next Firefox

I am a fan of Firefox and I have been using since 2004 end, but I have little concern or thought on Firefox and its future.

Firefox is lacking behind Google Chrome in following area

1. Javascript speed
2. Implementation HMTL 5 web form (though opera leads)
3. HTML5 websocket
4. More HTML5 related...

Javascript Speed, this is well known fact that V8 javascript engine is leader in this space but actually Safari is king in javascript handling

HTML5 Webforms :

Actually HTML5 did bring new things in many areas but it is split into web forms, protocol etc what matter is "after effect" of html5. For example, in the text field "watermark" like implementation using most concise JQuery needs around 500 lines of JS code and few lines CSS. So what is the problem? My point may be sounds naive but still valid in the Internet scale application.

1. Bandwidth saving

2. Browser performance -- no need to download and it knows how to handle effectively since it is natively compiled into browser engine

3. Development effort --- it is somehow shifted to browser developer but it is one time cost

4. Webforms makes very semantic browser knows what type of input and for ex. iPhone like touch based device may throw relavant virtual keyboard etc

HTML5 Websocket:

Firefox has code in its trunk and waiting to be blessed by reviewer. It is more than an year (I guess) here is the bug ref. So what is happening?

Obviously firefox is lacking for the reason and it is clearly good thing for Google Chrome.

Hm... I started using Google chrome when google debuted its chrome browser. And firefox moved to my second most used browser list and conceding its pole post to Google chrome. But change is necessary to keep things evolve...

Erlang Websocket on Mochiweb

After long sleepless night and past two days of continuous work, able to run Websocket on Mochiweb. This is going to be checked into Erlwebsockserver. I really welcome folks to try out on Google Chrome which is the only Browser, apart from Firefox --- which has Websocket in its trunk waiting for review borads blessing.

Adhoc Browser Performance Testing (IE, Google Chrome, Firefox)

I came across complex requirement. Here is that,

It is huge grid table with context menu, filter, sorting etc, no of rows goes beyond 1000 and column is more than 16. I found Ext JS’s Grid is used. It is taking almost a while to load completely. It is really slow and it feels as if CPU 100% utilized and no memory is available. I wanted to picture the problem; here is the test something similar to my requirement http://ideamill.synaptrixgroup.com/jquery/tablefilter/largetabletest.htm

	Chrome2	IE6	Firefox3.5
Loading the above link button – iteration 1	1.6 sec	2.3 Sec	1.8 Sec
Loading the above link– iteration 2 (Close the browser, reload it again)	1.5 sec	1.8 Sec	1.9 Sec
Clicking GO button – iteration 1	3.1 Sec	25.5 Sec	6 Sec
Clicking GO button – iteration 2	3 sec	25.2 Sec	6.1 Sec

Note: I used iPhone stop watch to test it. Though it is not fair to compare when IE 8 is out, but I have to work with IE6. I am interested in last 2 rows. Even with the margin of 0.5 sec error, Google chrome and to some extend the firefox3.0 gouged the IE.

System used:

Pentium D 3.0 GHz, 2 GB of RAM

All the test ran on the same system.

There are 2 things should happen,

IE should die including IE8 or it should reinvent itself for betterment of community. Microsoft should not punish the community and enterprise. Please do Microsoft....

Google Chrome OS

My 2 Cents on Google OS (Chrome OS)

It definetly going to game changer and how? Google started experimenting offline web through Google Gears. It then become standard as part of the HTML5. Standardization of Offline capabilities tells that it is very important feature everybody needs. MySpace utilized Google Gears and it is able to offload 20-30% of the load to the browser (read Offline sync).

So what is my Windows usage normally,

1. I check news - especially Tech News, politics and world news
2. I check emails
3. I blog
4. I document (I mean I create documents for official or personal)
5. I watch video and listen to music
6. Connect to TV or secondary monitor
7. Instant messenger
8. Video/Photo editing

Items 1 - 4, can be easily done, most of the time, in web. Without web all the above doesn't make sense. And 99.9% of the time people buy computer to connect to web. As Sun optly put "Network is computer".

Offline document editing, needs little bit of OS support. Office documnets should be opened through web browser and it has muscle to understand it (Java Script code). So if google is able to come up with simple idea of opening documents stored in the local file system, they can easily replace native word document editor. Or, in the open source world, open office already very capable, If google is able to bring more efficient version of open office, thats it. 90% of the problem solved. It also stongly ring the death knell to Microsoft's cash cow, office suite.

Google indeed has good photo editing (glorified picasa) and drawing tool (Sketchpad). So they just needs to spin the threads to make all this available.

Why Google needs OS?

Yes Google needs it. Because, Microsoft instigated it. It is trying hard past couple of years to invade Google's Search business. Its Bing and its forefathers taught Google that, if Microsoft is able to capture 20-30% seach engine market, what would be left for Google? It is obvious for Google that it would go into OS business. They got a great momentum from Android. Yea, smart phone is kind of fledgling market but Netbook is also kind of very much in the early stage. So targetting Netbooks and Smarbooks (Microsoft doesn't have product for ARM) , it will make a good enough dent in Microsoft OS market. So, I bet even 1% market share is 1% loss to Microsoft. Google knows OS, they very much successful in server class Linux machines. So, they will bake Linux into very much palatable format. I am eagerly awainting to see its coming.

I also able to see fumes and smokes all over the net.

1. Eric Schmidt should step down from Apple Board or
2. Microsoft will not allow Google to make Chrome OS Survive blah blah.

I am thinking half glass full in Google's case. Here is why,

For Eric Schmidt Step down fumes, here is my thoughts...

1. It is that Google released Android which competes against Apple
2. Google is going to release Chrome OS to compete against Mac OS

I am not thinking it is not really a good reason, because, It is same as Google has gmail and Apple has MobileMe; Google has Chrome and Apple has Safari etc etc. So, in theory, if you work on computers, you will find multiple applications/Components which is manufactored by varous companies. So whats wrong with it? It is good for Consumer and competition is good for ecosystem. More over, the space/people with which Apple address is ultimately different. But if they fail to innovate, they will perish. I guess, Android, in few years, going to make iPhone what Microsoft's Windows made Max OS in 90s (It is not because of best OS but because of strategy- seperating harware and OS apart and making harware partner to grow). But I don't think Apple will let this happening this time. Current market trend is Mac is gaining on Windows due to failure of Vista. So if you look at the space which Google Chrome OS addresses is Netbook and above (may be Notebook and Desktop) is different and Apple is not into that. But I want Google to go against Apple territory. It is good because, Apple will open up its iPhone OS because of Android or innovate more which will make on par or more with Andriod( I am thinking few years down the line) I still believe, they are holding the Google to stop releasing muti-touch feature in Android. I like Eric should step down from Apple and up Google's throttle to innovate more.

Microsoft should be having big troubles. It can't be give it Windows 7 free after all it is one of the cash cow for Microsoft. So whatever way it goes, it affects Microsoft as Google has gained lots of loyal user and customer and they ready to jumb in if Google release Chrome OS.

If Google executes well like how Firefox did with Browser, Microsoft surely will be in big trouble.

But it is very well possible with Google. The big advantage already with Google is 1) ARM - Chrome OS will run on ARM 2) Partners - Since it is always best to use free and best OS to make Netbook/Notebook so they will gain % benefit. Android also did the same. Who will hesitate to buy a computer which is $$ less and which has all the functionality they want?.

HTML 5 Application Shortcuts

Google chrome has options to create web application as shortcuts. Google chrome calls it "Application Shortcuts". Why can't enhance the functionality of application shortcuts? Why can't we make it as standard somehow?

There are security issues.... It should be tackled. Assume that I am creating the shortcut for my email (live/yahoo/gmail) page. If I get a new message, It should be able to notify user. It may be somthing simple like how iPhone batch notification does or Windows outlook alerts does. There are multiple things associated with it. Browser should ever run in the background or there should be an os level hook or somthing simple. It should have a way to get updates from the source application on the internet etc. So source web application can provide this capabilites. So if the browser is able to some how get the notification from the source server, it can display alerts. It may be web service (REST/JSON/SOAP what not)

It also sounds like there is some similarity(ies) with Html5 websockets or Server Sent Events but not exactly how those are desinged/indented for. These provisions will make browser grow little bit beyond what actually it does now. It will eliminate one day the purpose of native client applications. So create an application shortcut, and tell the browser what to alert/notify. It opens up lots of possibilities.

I just posted this idea to WHATWG. Let me see the feedback....

My experience using Google's Chrome

Today I downloaded google's chrome browser. It is natively integrated with google gear tightly. Address bar is now have dual role and serve as search bar too and its start of end of address bar and search is going to prevail (look at URL is dead ). Short cuts are cute and powered with Google gear - makes its awesome. "Most visited" page when I open the browser is good and resembles googly.

Featurtes

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1. Open link in a new tab : (Right Click on link - context menu) The order of Open link in a new tab is changed from both IE (Internet Explorer and Firefox) it is placed first ahead of "open in new window" it is heavily used features and causing litle bit of experience realignment issue. I did not change any setting as I used out of the box installation, though.
2. Awesome bar/ Omnibar : It looks good and simplifies the job of using 2 different boxes for achieving the same thingy (though, it seems overstated by saying address bar and search bar are doing same job but my real world experience is saying it is singular activity, look at URL is dead....
   

Hm I am not covering everything in it in a single shot but describe about it frequently as and when I find it and to say something about it.