Is Google the new Sun? Native Client as case-in-point
With the demise of Sun Microsystems -- the late, lamented high-tech pioneer responsible for groundbreaking technologies like Java and Network File System -- it's looking more like Google has assumed the mantle of chief risk-taker and eye-opener in the software industry. Evidence of this can be seen with projects like the Dart programming language, Google Web Toolkit , and Native Client , which was the subject of a recent evening gathering at Google's Silicon Valley headquarters.
Native Client is for running native compiled code in the browser. It features a sandbox containing native code and Pepper interfaces, letting sandboxed code interact with the browser. The technology, though, remains of limited reach, and its level of security raises eyebrows .
At the event, Google brought onstage a few users of Native Client -- mostly gaming vendors -- to endorse the technology, which runs inside the Chrome browser. Through Native Client , "application developers can use native code safely in Chrome across all popular desktop operating systems, and they have access to a rich and growing set of resources from the browser," says Brad Chen, a Google tech lead. Native Client uses native machine instructions, and Google recognizes that historically has been a problem in terms of security. Google's sandbox approach prevents direct access to the native OS, thus boosting security, Chen says.