thechromesource – Google Chrome and Chrome OS News and Resources

New Version of Jolicloud Uses Chrome for Webapps

Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

A few months back I did a review of Jolicloud, which is a competing netbook OS that uses the Linux kernel and is made possible by venture capital-backed funding. There was some news related to the newest version of Jolicloud that while the default browser for the OS is still Firefox, webapps for its “cloud” portion of the platform will run with underlying Google Chrome architecture. This will be a change coming in its new beta version that is due out later this month.

As mentioned in my review, Jolicloud is a different animal when compared to Chrome OS. It has a mix of installed applications and webapps that will satisify both early adopters and regular computer users. However, I found that the “connect to the cloud” notifications when I first booted the system up would be confusing for regular users. I will have to take a look at the new version, but in the previous one it seemed to me that they only reason I needed to actually login to Jolicloud’s servers was to download and install new applications – of which I had to make a choice from their app directory.

But I like this concept of Chrome being the underlying engine for running applications that are web based. This shows that Chrome is really more than just a web browser even right now. A great example of this is Chrome Frame which can be paired with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer to run more intensive applications than the standalone IE can handle.

Video: Using HTML5 with YouTube

Posted on 11. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

As many already know, YouTube is attempting to get away from using the proprietary Adobe Flash standard for video playback. In mobile devices such as the iPhone and soon the iPad, you cannot use Flash, supposedly because Apple CEO Steve Jobs deems it “buggy” – causing applications that use it to crash. There is another valid argument for not using Flash, and it is because now that it is installed in so many devices it could be a security threat according to McAfee.

As previously reported here, there is a beta for using HTML5 while on YouTube. This allows anyone using a HTML5-compliant browser to use it. But that means using a compliant browser such as Safari, Chrome, Firefox or IE when coupled with Chrome Frame to use it. The current version does have its quirks, but eventually it will result in a a faster and overall better user expeience when looking at any type of media over the web.

You can take a look at how to use HTML5 and its early performance on the YouTube site right here:

It’s pretty clear from the clip that the video loads pretty fast. Instead of using Flash as the go-between, HTML5 allows web developers to directly  embed compressed video files such as MPEG right into the code itself so that it can be called from a server. Not to mention that Flash can take up a lot of resources on your machine if you’re trying to load up a couple of videos. The only intermediary is the application that you use, further evidencing the fact that personal computing is becoming more centralized around the internet browser and the standard application that we use to view it.

Chrome Experiments Offers a Glimpse of the Future Browser

Posted on 24. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Just like the developer of Google Gravity, there are those who are well versed in Javascript and HTML 5 that are pretty excited about the prospects of new standards that are coming for web browser technologies. That’s why when I came across Chrome Experiments I was surprised initially that the site was actually owned by Google.

My perception would have been that this type of site would be something done by an ambitious programmer, but in fact Google runs the site and there is a submission process that is required to show off your project on the site. This is a place that shows off some new application concepts that can be run in Chrome browser, or Internet Explorer with Chrome Frame if you wish. Although some of these are a bit basic or rough around the edges, remember this is simply and experimental site that is simply showing off what Chrome was actually created for.

One case in point was Bomomo, which is a new way to create digital art. I opened this project up in a browser window, and in under a minute I was able to create my first work:

Say what you will about my artistic tendencies of lack thereof; the point of this is how cool web technologies are becoming. Those who are not especially technical can handle these type of apps. I am sure that some can relate to this, for example I’m especially impressed with myself and my use of Bomomo  since I can barely finger paint. Chrome Experiments has all sorts of browser apps that can be checked out. It’s really about how much time you want to waste during your day looking at this type of stuff.

HTML 5 Beta Goes Live for Youtube

Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

It’s been a day or so since YouTube publicly released the HTML 5 beta program. This is largely in response to users who had overloaded the Google Product Ideas submission site with requests for this feature on YouTube just a few weeks ago. In order to view videos in this newer web format as opposed to using traditional Flash, you must have a compatible browser and head over to this page in order to turn it on while you are looking at Youtube videos. So what is a compatible browser? It must be Chrome browser, Apple Safari (verion 4 and up) or Internet Explorer with Chrome Frame installed. Full screen mode currently does not work, and ad supported videos  don’t either.

The benefits of using HTML 5? Faster video loads as well as smoother playback.

When looking at videos on the Youtube site with the beta, you’ll see a HTML 5 logo when your clip begins to load. Other than that, and along with the inability to go full-screen there really is not much I noticed different at first glance. But that may change as I watch more videos. Interestingly, another video site that I’d never heard of called Vimeo also is testing HTML 5, where there is a link to switch over on the lower right hand side below individual videos.

Anyways, go ahead and sign up for the beta at YouTube if you’re interested. There are some issues right now with Flash for Chromium OS, and it is for Google’s own benefit in the project to get HTML 5 up and working successfully on YouTube.

Check out Google’s own presentation on HTML 5 from September 2009 right here:

Google Search Gets Interactive With Google Gravity

Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Ah, the old days of static web pages. I think that they are really starting to disappear, sliding into a slow extinction. Kind of like payphones. Or newspapers. Case in point would be Google Gravity:

Sure, you’re thinking it’s totally worthless. But but then again, maybe not. This just shows what you can do with some Javascript in a new generation of browsers. And in the future, HTML 5 will be the engine for this type of stuff. You can play with this yourself, search all you want. But don’t try using Internet Explorer, because when I surfed over to Google Gravity with IE7 I got this:

Although that shouldn’t happen in an IE7 window using Chrome Frame, if the developer were to have it  enabled in his code.

Google: Let’s Piss Off Microsoft with Chrome Frame

Posted on 18. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

OK, so sometimes I’m behind the times, but I just discovered this  little project Google has been working on called Chrome Frame. Basically it’s an add-in to Internet Explorer that allows it to run newer web technologies such as HTML5 if a developer puts in a line that triggers it within their code. This includes the Chrome browser’s V8 Javascript kit that allows for faster performance, support for newer CSS formats and offline storage functions that are starting to be seen in Google applications such as Gmail.

We all know that Internet Explorer has become a slow and cumbersome behemoth, and for those who are unable to install Chrome browser on a managed machine this is a simple fix for that as you can easily download a small executable and then run it. It would also be useful for developers who need to test different browser versions in one application as well. Chrome Frame works with IE 6, 7 and 8. Here is a video from Google:

Although released under the auspices of development, this kind of stuff must really irritate Microsoft and when this was first announced last September they issued a statement that using Chrome Frame may have security implications, but Google later released a patch that allayed those concerns.

Anything from the positive department  for Microsoft? Looks like Bing is making headways in search. Must be all those ads on television. Too bad I make my own decisions.