Kinda ironic [LWN.net]

Kinda ironic

Posted Jun 4, 2009 19:44 UTC (Thu) by khim (subscriber, #9252)
In reply to: Paradigm has run it's course by tstover
Parent article: Google's Native Client

Browser tech no longer provides a solid hyper linked document system, nor a client-server application framework.

What other alternative is there? Requirement is "simple": I want to run random programs from different (often hostile) sources and still have all my documents alive and well and system under my control. Browser is not a good solution for that, but... it's still the best solution available.

All for what? - kids don't want to learn native programming anymore?

Hmm... If you actually read the articly you'll find out that NaCl tries to bring the ability to program browser in "native code". And this is not about kids - this is about distribution. Browser offered one thing to the users: ability to safely run programs written by anyone without installation and dangers. Sure, security holes exist but if you'll compare result of installation of 100 random "native programs" (downloaded from hostile sites) and 100 random "hostile sites" opened in browser... it's not even a contest.

Browser is becoming an OS - like Netscape Communications promised. Only decase later from initial plans :-)

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Kinda ironic

Posted Jun 5, 2009 4:37 UTC (Fri) by tstover (subscriber, #56283) [Link]

No there is not a real alternative, things sure could have gone better though. I was being somewhat facetious. I'm obviously using a browser for lwn.net. I've actually been following NaCl for sometime, and anxiously await some means to achieve some of its goals.

Being a little silly yes, but I was alluding to the under discussed culture clash between the ideas of the web generation and the system & application programming generation that has nothing to do with age (I'm 29 for instance, while some of biggest web advocates I know are in their late 50s). There is no way a browser will ever replace multiuser, protected memory OS. Even if that were - windows. I may be in a dying breed, but I'm here to the end. I'll turn out the light on the last copy of *nix just before I retire, and let you kids with your browser in bios, iphone, or whatever wonder what it was like when computers were fun.

Why not?

Posted Jun 5, 2009 6:13 UTC (Fri) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

There is no way a browser will ever replace multiuser, protected memory OS.

What exactly is lacking and why this can not be added to browser?

I can name two programs I can not see embedded in browser which I use regularly:
1. DVD burner app (the exact kind is unimportant)
2. USB Gecko toolset.

The was majority of applications I use can be embedded in browser. If it's good idea or not is debatable, but I see the trend goes this way... because it's convenient. I can work with the same doucments on my desktop, my laptop and even my phone! And important things like regular backups are done by professionals.

So while I can not see situation where all applications are embedded in browser, I can easily see situation where most applications are embedded in browser...

Why not?

Posted Jun 5, 2009 17:21 UTC (Fri) by yokem_55 (subscriber, #10498) [Link]

Actually an embedded CD/DVD burner would be a cool app to help people burn ISO's. I don't know how many times I seen people download a linux ISO, and end up with CD containing the ISO file. Sigh.

This is not even the worst outcome!

Posted Jun 6, 2009 7:52 UTC (Sat) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

If they have installed something like WinRAR then said ISO is shown as archive and can be opened as one - thus they end up with files extracted from "archive" and then saved on CD. Of course the resulting CD is unbootable, but it looks genuine enough on first glance...