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.
The overall effort has taken on new importance with the announcement of Chrome OS, Google's Chrome-based operating system set to arrive on Netbooks in the second half of 2010. Chrome OS will use Linux under the covers, but the real foundation for Chrome OS applications is the Web, Google has said.
Native Client coming, too
Google plans to build Native Client into Chrome, too.
"We recognize that there is well-justified resistance to installing browser plug-ins. For this reason, we have a strong preference for delivering Native Client pre-installed or built into the browser, and we'll be focusing on that as our main strategy for delivering Native Client to users," said Brad Chen, engineering manager of the Google Native Client effort, in June.
Just offering the technologies is only a first step. Google must convince programmers to learn to use them and convince Web developers to embrace them. That's not simple, especially when few browsers can take advantage of them.
Brad Chen, engineering manager of the Google Native Client
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)Chrome won't be the only browser to feature the acceleration features, though, because Google is working on plug-in versions, too. By building the technology into Chrome, Google could exert some pressure on others to support it.
Making Native Client and O3D into some kind of standard could help convince programmers the technologies are worth supporting and win over potential rivals. "The support of ratified standards (that Web developers) can use is something that we are extremely supportive of," said Amy Barzdukas, general manager for IE, in an earlier interview.
After years of near-dormancy, development of HTML, the language used to describe Web pages, has hit a feverish pace right now as browser makers try to make the Web into more of an applications platform.
Browser wars are back
Google added new fury to the browser wars when it introduced Chrome in September 2008. Chrome has attained a small but respectable market share of nearly 2 percent, according to research from Net Applications, but it has a long way to go expanding from the technophiles to the mainstream.
Chrome doesn't have the Internet Explorer or Safari advantage of being built into an operating system--though that could change over the years if Chrome OS manages to overcome its challenges and catch on widely. And Mozilla's Firefox took years to achieve its present market share of about 20 percent, making it the top alternative to IE and in widespread enough use that Web developers often choose to make sure their Web sites work with it.
Google has been spending a lot of time reproducing what other browsers already have--plug-ins, bookmark management, print preview, and any number of mundane but useful features. But Google also has been working on innovation, including more robust security and faster performance when running applications written in the JavaScript Web programming language.
Google has high hopes that it'll be able to match the performance of desktop applications with its technology.
"With O3D, we think we'll be able to enable high-quality games, the kind you're accustomed to seeing on consoles, as well as CAD (computer-aided design) applications," Chen said in a May speech. And regarding Native Client, "We want to be within single-digit percentages of what you can do with the best desktop native code," he said.
Google also is participating in a separate 3D Web graphics effort spearheaded by Mozilla and the Khronos Group.
Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank. 
ARM processors also will power the laptops of the future.
I believe Google is optimizing Chrome for hardware acceleration not only to run native code and 3D graphics, but also using the GPU and DSP cores to render web pages faster on the upcoming ARM laptops. For each pixel displayed in the browser, rendering of pictures, fonts, the way things are rendered in the browser, all that can be accelerate by not only using the main CPU but also accelerating it with GPU and DSP cores.
I think Google is also working on optimizing the browsing experience in multiple tabs even with very little RAM memory on the ARM based computer. Thus storing the tab data in regular storage and quickly putting it back from storage into the RAM when the tab is clicked on.
This way, you will be able to browse with unlimited amounts of tabs even on $100 ARM powered netbooks with only 256mb RAM. Those cheap $100 ARM powered netbooks also can execute basic native applications and render 3D using the ARM processor, DSP and 3D cores as well.
While it is partially true, Google aren't so much doing this for themselves, but for the web as a whole.
The web as an application delivery service is a fantastic idea.
Who knows, maybe one day, some of Opera's Unite ideas will make their way into the future of the web too. (some of it partially exists in HTML5)
I can't wait to see what will happen in a decades time.
If goog wants to just improve web then shld they use ubiquitous platform like Adobe Flash/Flex instead of choosing MS route and build a brand new google plugin... either y work 4 goog or y drink their koolaid...
My question is: Isn't this in some ways creating a new private standard, which Google will put into its browser, and making others to adopt it? Isn't this the same practice as Microsoft with IE?
I know people will say that this is not true, but even in the article it is mentioned: "By building the technology into Chrome, Google could exert some pressure on others to support it".
I don't know, it just seems strange that people take this for granted, while MS actions are wrong (not that I'm think that MS is doing the right thing).
Very very true, but Google are good with security (on the whole...), Microsoft more-or-less just tacked it on to beat off the competition.
Google want other browser vendors to take up their code and improve their own browsers, that is essentially the whole reason for Chrome to be honest, to drive innovation in browsers... by "force". (since Google are "big")
The web is changing, web apps are becoming the new thing, and gaming inside browsers is beginning to gain some momentum again, so creating some sort of specification for such a thing is a very good idea.
@GajaKannan
Nobody (smart) wants Flash.
Flash is horrible for interaction between it and the page.
If NPAPI were improved on, then i might care for it.
I am just glad Silverlight came along, maybe it will give Adobe a reason for optimizing that damned Flash a bit, they have been a pretty large monopoly for too long and it shows.
But generally, over-dependency on plugins is a bad thing.
Plugins should just be test grounds for future ideas on specifications, such as what Gears done, and what O3D will hopefully do in the future.
Hopefully, these will eventually all end up being agreed on by all the major vendors, and end up in HTML6, or HTML5.x or whatever comes next.
Or, they could be dropped entirely if they don't perform well enough.
"Hopefully, these will eventually all end up being agreed on by all the major vendors, and end up in HTML6, or HTML5.x or whatever comes next."
If O3D is a test bed for HTML X, then I would argue this could go into the specification right from inception. My argument about Flash is that we already have plugins that are good and great depending on what is your measuring spectrum. At any point there is no single technology that is going to solve every one's problem. But what Goog is talking about could be achieved in Flash or Silverlight... No need for new one, if they are really into "Improving web for everyone"
On an average PC I think you could easily see a game as good looking as far cry, the first version and the quality can only improve. Haven't seen anyone else doing anything this exciting in a browser. This deserves to take off and gain some real flash like traction.
Chrome hasn't really taken off but its still early days for it. Google seem to be promoting it more now and I have every hope it will grow into a great alternative to Firefox and IE. Technically its very good already and while I use Firefox as my main browser, I do run a Chrome theme, so they definetly have the look right.
Just needs the all important addons to get my full attention
http://www.chrome-os-blog.com
- by babystars_13 July 26, 2009 7:12 PM PDT
- The web has been moving away from static pages for decades.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(21 Comments)