Recommended Port: Google Native Client SDK & Pepper API

SDL Development
1

Google Native Client (NaCl) is an LLVM-based cross-deployment system for C and C++ applications.
Google Chrome’s newest beta version has a NaCl plugin, and they are trying to work with developers wanting to enable it for other developers.
A port of SDL to this platform will finally enable a sane mechanism for deploying SDL-based games and applications as embedded web services.------------------------
EM3 Nathaniel Fries, U.S. Navy

http://natefries.net/

2

+1 as they say on the Intornetz

-bill!On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 11:45:35AM -0700, Nathaniel J Fries wrote:

Google Native Client (NaCl) is an LLVM-based cross-deployment system for C
and C++ applications.
Google Chrome’s newest beta version has a NaCl plugin, and they are trying
to work with developers wanting to enable it for other developers.
A port of SDL to this platform will finally enable a sane mechanism for
deploying SDL-based games and applications as embedded web services.

3

Google Chrome’s newest beta version has a NaCl plugin, and they are
trying to work with developers wanting to enable it for other developers.
A port of SDL to this platform will finally enable a sane mechanism for
deploying SDL-based games and applications as embedded web services.

I think this is a great idea, too. Is there some documentation on this?

–ryan.

4

You can find it here: http://code.google.com/chrome/nativeclient/

I will have significantly more free time (as in, nothing but until I find a job) in about a month. I could probably start toying around with it and making it work then.------------------------
EM3 Nathaniel Fries, U.S. Navy

http://natefries.net/

5

You can find it here: http://code.google.com/chrome/nativeclient/

I will have significantly more free time (as in, nothing but until I
find a job) in about a month. I could probably start toying around with
it and making it work then.

Surprisingly, this doesn’t have any OpenGL support…I guess you could
pass through the Javascript bridge to make WebGL calls?

The API is, uh, pretty small:

http://code.google.com/chrome/nativeclient/docs/reference/pepperc/struct_p_p_b___graphics2_d.html

–ryan.

6

I read a nice article about this native client here

The lack of support from firefox in my opinion is a showstopper and i
wouldn’t waste too much development effort on a single-browser plugin;
besides, didn’t java and activex failed horribly at this kind of
app-in-browser game?

jm2c
VittorioOn Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 9:08 AM, Ryan C. Gordon wrote:

You can find it here: http://code.google.com/chrome/nativeclient/

I will have significantly more free time (as in, nothing but until I
find a job) in about a month. I could probably start toying around with
it and making it work then.

Surprisingly, this doesn’t have any OpenGL support…I guess you could pass
through the Javascript bridge to make WebGL calls?

The API is, uh, pretty small:

http://code.google.com/chrome/nativeclient/docs/reference/pepperc/struct_p_p_b___graphics2_d.html

–ryan.

SDL mailing list
SDL at lists.libsdl.org
http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org

7

Den 15. aug. 2011 09:08, skrev Ryan C. Gordon:

Surprisingly, this doesn’t have any OpenGL support…I guess you could
pass through the Javascript bridge to make WebGL calls?

IIRC support for OpenGL ES 2.0 is planned, but it’s not ready yet.

  • Gerry
8

Google Native Client (NaCl) is an LLVM-based cross-deployment system
for C and C++ applications.
Google Chrome’s newest beta version has a NaCl plugin, and they are
trying to work with developers wanting to enable it for other developers.
A port of SDL to this platform will finally enable a sane mechanism
for deploying SDL-based games and applications as embedded web services.
JFYI:
This has already been done (not as an official port, though):
https://github.com/eugenis/sdl-nacl

NaClBox (DOSBox for Native Client) already uses this:
http://www.naclbox.com/

– CerialOn 8/12/2011 8:45 PM, Nathaniel J Fries wrote:

9

This has already been done (not as an official port, though):
https://github.com/eugenis/sdl-nacl

Thanks, I didn’t know about this.

It’s based on SDL 1.2, though, so there’s still room for someone to work
on a 1.3 implementation.

–ryan.

10

Ismail Khatib wrote:> On 8/12/2011 8:45 PM, Nathaniel J Fries wrote:

Google Native Client (NaCl) is an LLVM-based cross-deployment system
for C and C++ applications.
Google Chrome’s newest beta version has a NaCl plugin, and they are
trying to work with developers wanting to enable it for other developers.
A port of SDL to this platform will finally enable a sane mechanism
for deploying SDL-based games and applications as embedded web services.

JFYI:
This has already been done (not as an official port, though):
https://github.com/eugenis/sdl-nacl

NaClBox (DOSBox for Native Client) already uses this:
http://www.naclbox.com/

– Cerial

SDL mailing list
SDL at lists.libsdl.org
http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org

Oh wow! Thanks for sharing! Probably saved a ton of work for us!

EM3 Nathaniel Fries, U.S. Navy

http://natefries.net/

11

Vittorio G. wrote:

The lack of support from firefox in my opinion is a showstopper and i
wouldn’t waste too much development effort on a single-browser plugin;

Google is working with other developers to get it enabled in other browsers. You’ll probably see an IE plugin eventually, although likely not an official one maintained by Microsoft since they seem intent on blockading native development in favor of their CLR platform right now.

Vittorio G. wrote:

besides, didn’t java and activex failed horribly at this kind of
app-in-browser game?

Java failed because, quite frankly, it used to be an abysmal VM. It’s gotten a ton better, but Flash kinda stole the spotlight despite also being a piece of garbage.
ActiveX failed because it was M$-only IIRC and fairly impractical anyway.------------------------
EM3 Nathaniel Fries, U.S. Navy

http://natefries.net/

12

Yeah but my point is that despite Google’s intentions of bruteforcing this
plugin on the net, NaCl will always have the limitations, security problems
and stability/performance problems of the world of plugins.

The web is flourishing because of open standards, not plugins, and if SDL
has to be ported anywhere, WebGL should be its next platform.

Best
VittorioOn Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 4:46 AM, Nathaniel J Fries wrote:

**

Vittorio G. wrote:

The lack of support from firefox in my opinion is a showstopper and i
wouldn’t waste too much development effort on a single-browser plugin;

Google is working with other developers to get it enabled in other
browsers. You’ll probably see an IE plugin eventually, although likely not
an official one maintained by Microsoft since they seem intent on blockading
native development in favor of their CLR platform right now.

Vittorio G. wrote:

besides, didn’t java and activex failed horribly at this kind of
app-in-browser game?

Java failed because, quite frankly, it used to be an abysmal VM. It’s
gotten a ton better, but Flash kinda stole the spotlight despite also being
a piece of garbage.
ActiveX failed because it was M$-only IIRC and fairly impractical anyway.

EM3 Nathaniel Fries, U.S. Navy

http://natefries.net/

SDL mailing list
SDL at lists.libsdl.org
http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org

13

Actually, they’ve made a pretty impressive sandbox for NaCl to make sure it doesn’t have the security and stability problems that have always plagued other browser plugin architectures…________________________________
From: vitto.giova@yahoo.it (Vittorio Giovara)
Subject: Re: [SDL] Recommended Port: Google Native Client SDK & Pepper API

Yeah but my point is that despite Google’s intentions of bruteforcing this plugin on the net, NaCl will always have the limitations, security problems and stability/performance problems of the world of plugins.

The web is flourishing because of open standards, not plugins, and if SDL has to be ported anywhere, WebGL should be its next platform.

Best
Vittorio

On Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 4:46 AM, Nathaniel J Fries wrote:

Vittorio G. wrote:

The lack of support from firefox in my opinion is a showstopper and i
wouldn’t waste too much development effort on a single-browser plugin;

Google is working with other developers to get it enabled in other browsers. You’ll probably see an IE plugin eventually, although likely not an official one maintained by Microsoft since they seem intent on blockading native development in favor of their CLR platform right now.

Vittorio G. wrote:

besides, didn’t java and activex failed horribly at this kind of
app-in-browser game?

Java failed because, quite frankly, it used to be an abysmal VM. It’s gotten a ton better, but Flash kinda stole the spotlight despite also being a piece of garbage.
ActiveX failed because it was M$-only IIRC and fairly impractical anyway.

EM3 Nathaniel Fries, U.S. Navy

http://natefries.net/

SDL mailing list
SDL at lists.libsdl.org
http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org

SDL mailing list
SDL at lists.libsdl.org
http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org

14

I wish you could +1 emails :)On 12 August 2011 19:45, Nathaniel J Fries wrote:

Google Native Client (NaCl) is an LLVM-based cross-deployment system for C
and C++ applications.
Google Chrome’s newest beta version has a NaCl plugin, and they are trying
to work with developers wanting to enable it for other developers.
A port of SDL to this platform will finally enable a sane mechanism for
deploying SDL-based games and applications as embedded web services.

EM3 Nathaniel Fries, U.S. Navy

http://natefries.net/

SDL mailing list
SDL at lists.libsdl.org
http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org