Tag Archives: HTML 5
thechromesource Daily: Links for 5/31/10
Posted on 31. May, 2010 by Greg Farnum. 
0 Comments
The new face of newspaper publishing? MicroApps from The Guardian and Google AppEngine debut.
Security in depth: Chrome now offers a new HTML5 “sandbox” attribute in iframes.
Think you already know about Google Maps? This blog post points out a wealth of little known features and tricks.
Google Buzz for mobile is now available for more devices thanks to a new XHTML version of the Buzz website.
Who gets what? Revenue sharing formulas for Google and its AdSense partners explained.
More Development Resources Released For Chromium Project
Posted on 25. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Now that extensions are available for the Chrome browser across all platforms, the Chromium team from Google has posted on their blog some resources for developers to get started working with Chrome to develop apps for both the browser and eventually what will be the Chrome operating system that is expected to ship in the third quarter. Third quarter Google Chrome netbook? Sounds a little early, but at least that’s what Acer has been saying today.
Anyways, with the newest stable release of Chrome browser (version 4), there is support for some things like the Web SQL Database API for localized storage, a Websockets API for faster data tramsmission and unobtrusive status alerts for users.
As for where to get help for Chromium related development, those interested in extensions can head to the official Google threads to get involved in that discussion as well as take a look at a short tutorial on how to create your first extension. There is also a new Chromium HTML5 Group that was just started recently. And for those of you who have used the Chromium OS Discuss Google Group in the past, it has moved to a new location, so be forewarned that old posts from the previous Group database have to be found at the old site to search for answers from. Otherwise, you may need to post a question that has already been asked at this point.
And while not so technically-focused, we also have a forum here for discussion.
Chrome Experiments Offers a Glimpse of the Future Browser
Posted on 24. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
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. 2 Comments
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. 2 Comments
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.
Chrome OS: Did You Think it Wouldn’t Have a Media player?
Posted on 22. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Not too long ago, I wrote up a quick review of the Cloud Player. Basically, its a piece of software that loads up and acts surprisingly similar to Apple’s iTunes yet is run completely through the browser. These type of webapps, along with the revisions that Google has in store for Youtube in the coming months and the continuing development of HTML 5 architecture, there is no way that Chrome OS is not going to be able to run media content. And that includes files. So, what is the major concern that now makes this a hot issue? Some may want to manipulate that content in some way, and there are some worries that with a standard version of Chrome OS that may not be possible.
But fear not. For example, although it’s in early stages, a company called Aviary already offers a set of plugins for Chrome browser that allows the editing of image and audio files. And although this genre is new and will have its technical drawbacks when comparing to traditional executable suites that give the user almost every editing and manipulation option at their fingertips, at some point we’re just not going to think about this anymore. It’s just going to work.
In fact, for those out there who have used potential Chrome OS competitors such as Jolicloud or Ubuntu Netbook Remix, media playback and manipulation are already features that these mobile-networked platforms have. And what’s to stop some from making their own Chrome OS flavor that is not of Google’s standard for the machines that they sell? We’ve already seen a few builds that fit on a 1GB stick, as well as a 64-bit version in a span of two months since the official announcement.
Google: Let’s Piss Off Microsoft with Chrome Frame
Posted on 18. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 5 Comments
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.
YouTube Moving to Open Formats?
Posted on 17. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
Google has owned YouTube since it purchased the company for $1.65 billion in 2006. Since that time, video that is viewed on the web has become more and more popular. In November the site had twelve billion unique videos served up to users. In fact, YouTube’s growth in 2009 is larger than the traffic that goes through the nine other most popular video sites. That’s right. Nine.
One thing that many have observed about YouTube, however, is that the technology used on the site hasn’t really changed since the Google acquisition in 2006. The size of the viewing area has increased somewhat, but the old Flash architecture still remains. But it appears that it may be changing in the near future, one of another movements by Google towards a mobile web for thin client hardware to run on.
Goolge had opened up for suggestions on how to best improve YouTube on Google Product Ideas, and quickly moving to free formats became very popular. So popular that Google cleared out the large amount of free format suggestions and issued a statement:
“We’ve heard a lot of feedback around supporting HTML 5 and are working hard to meet your request, so stay tuned. We’ll be following up when we have more information. We’re answering this idea now because there are so many similar HTML 5 ideas and we want to give other ideas a chance to be seen.”
This was also helped by an ambitious blogger who posted a plea days ago to try to get Google to open up the video formatting to something other than Flash, which is hardware intensive and as of now is experiencing some issues on the Chromium OS project.
So when will we see a change to Youtube? My guess is soon, now that there are other alternatives to using Flash and Microsoft products such as Android and Chrome for example.
HTML 5 will open up the door for richer online video, as well as (if Google allows it) the ability to download YouTube clips. Three dimensional environments are also possible, and you can check out a demo at YouTube’s HTML 5 page.
Google Docs to Offer Expanded Storage
Posted on 16. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
Google Docs, which has had a tumultuous history, now appears to be on a roll – the software is used by people who refuse to pay for Microsoft Office and also has spread to larger enterprises such as Genentech. That means Google has a company that is 15,000 strong testing and improving their software – with updates happening in real time. Now it appears that additional storage for Docs – what many thought would be known as the mysterious GDrive is becoming a reality. As of this writing, Google Docs has strict limitations on what you can store: 500KB for text files, PowerPoint Presentations of 10MB, spreadsheets 1MB and PDF files at 10MB.
The new rules are apparently going to be much looser. The ability to store files of any size and in any format are expected and the cap will be raised from the current 250MB to 1GB. That’s still small when compared to Gmail which offers over 6GB of online storage, but it is a good start and I think that Google wants to slowly raise these levels as time goes on and more devices start requiring online storage.
From Docs:
“Over the next couple of weeks, we’re rolling out the ability to upload, store, and share any file in Google Docs. Your files will be stored in their original format and downloadable from anywhere. Uploading files to the cloud allows them to be safely stored and accessible at all times.”
These files will be able to be shared with others in a special shared folder that you can create. And just like Gmail, Google Docs also offers offline storage now as well. You can see this evidenced by the red Offline link that is in the upper right hand corner of Google Docs.
Why all these changes? Expect to see more as Google rolls out the ability for users to operate in a cloud environment. They are preparing the HTML 5 infrastructure for devices that will run Chrome OS and Android that keep most files stored in a network environment.
How to Turn On Offline Gmail Access
Posted on 16. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
Last month, Google went from having offline Gmail access in beta to being released to all users. The feature was tested for about a year prior to this, and although offline features are expected to be implemented through HTML 5 in the future, the current technology is powered by the Google Gears plugin. It’s installed in the Chrome browser and can be downloaded as an add-in for Internet Explorer or Firefox.
To Turn on Offline Access in Gmail:
In the top-right corner click the “Settings” link .
Click the “Offline” tab.
Select “Enable Offline Mail for this computer.”
Click “Save Changes”. Gears will then ask if you trust the site, and go through an installation, which downloads mail onto your machine.
McAfee Reports Chrome OS as 2010 Security Threat
Posted on 30. Dec, 2009 by Daniel Cawrey. 3 Comments
In a ten page report that was released Tuesday, McAfee outlined its predictions for computer security trends in 2010. Along with Twitter as well as Adobe’s Flash and Reader programs, McAfee is reporting that Chrome OS is going to be one of the top computer security issues that will have vulnerabilities in 2010.
In their 2010 Threat Predictions Report McAfee states, “HTML 5 will blur the line between desktop and online applications. This, along with the release of Google Chrome OS, will create another opportunity for malware writers to prey on users. ”
Google Wave is also singled out in the report, warning that the eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) is vulnerable to attacks.
We’ve previously written about HTML-5, and it’s going to be a pretty impressive advancement in terms of web technology and how the browser will be able to interpret code. However, it’s hard to say whether Chrome OS alone will be the single weak point in the emergence of HTML 5. Since there has been a lot of news about Chromium as of late, identifying it as a threat now keeps developers, network administrators and security professionals on their toes about potential attacks that could occur.
This is new territory for Google, as in the near future their hardware/software products are now going to be integrated into the computer infrastructure that we users interact every day with, and that is an appealing target for hackers.
The report does offer a positive outlook on the ability of law enforcement to stop cybercrime.
HTML 5
Posted on 02. Dec, 2009 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
One of the big benefits touted for Chrome OS is the fact that it will support the newest HTML 5 technology. But for most people (including myself) it is not specifically known what exactly the ability to support HTML 5 will allow us to do while surfing the net. That is why I did some research to find out exactly what HTML 5 is all about.
For starters, HTML 5 is going to be able to better handle interactivity on the web. There will be new tags such as the video tag that will be able to specify different types of interactive content. Embedding applications are going to be much easier than they are today with HTML4. Overall, functionality with next-generation browsers (and Chrome OS) are the highlights.
Another element that will greatly enhance Chrome is HTML 5’s ability to add offline storage. This is going to be important – as I have discussed in a previous post what it would be like to have a netbook running Chrome OS without any internet access would be just as good as owning a $300 rock.
The big thing that is a game-changer, in my mind, is HTML 5’s enhancement of the conglomeration of resources that are on the web that can be placed into a web page. Applications, video and other interactive elements will be able to better flow on the web. Plus, the ability for applications to run smooth over the internet is something that Google has been anticipating, and developers of web apps should take note and begin preparing more complex software that runs in the cloud as opposed to all the software applications we run natively today.
