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Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

jobs.apple.com

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Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#71

Post by Hydraulix989 »

I'm currently integrating the WebRTC interface into a browser-like project by directly calling into their C++ code (when Java is the preferred interface). Most of the process so far has been trial-and-error (especially with hooking up their JNI calls back to Android from C++ land in order to access Android audio device info and state that can't be reached from C++). The code base is quite large and so gaining familiarity with it has been challenging.

I can see how a single engineer's time is necessary for this project, as I've already sunk over a week of work into my own integration, and I've only gotten the peering to work so far (audio is just about there).

Supposedly many years ago, there used to be an example inside the code base of what I am currently trying to pull off, but nevermore.

It is quite challenging to just integrate WebRTC -- one does not simply integrate WebRTC.

Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#72

Post by richdougherty »

HappyTypist wrote: post #27
richdougherty wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really know anything about this topic, but the parent comment leads me to believe that you would use a UDP proxy to hide your address. Instead of sending out your address, you'd send out the proxy's address. When the proxy receives data, it would pass it to you. That way the other party doesn't know your address; they only know the proxy address. This is just a guess based on how I assume proxies would work,…

Who is going to pay for the proxy's bandwidth? Apple, Google, Mozilla? Good luck. The site owner? Well, the site owner now has your IP!

Yes, it's a tradeoff.

Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#73

Post by inglor »

SiVal wrote: post #53
ksec wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you get 80%+ of your OS updated within 6 months this isn't so much of a problem.

It's interesting to note the unprecedented success Apple has achieved at keeping millions of its users at the very leading edge of Apple OS technologies along with its "difficulties" keeping up with new Web technologies. And it's amazing how rapidly they are able to invent a whole new programming language, compiler, toolchain, overhaul the OS APIs, add new OS features, and innovate Apple-only "native" technologies on…

Sorry to be a bummer.

Chrome does not run on the iPhone - instead it's a Safari UIWKView (until two weeks ago UIWebView) - the only "Chrome" there is the UI on top of it.

Apple does not actually allow running Chrome on iOS so Google worked around it by giving you a handicapped version of Safari with Chrome UI that lets you share tabs between the computer and the box.

edit: just saw someone else posted a similar comment - so upvoted his - not deleting this since it has some additional info.

Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#74

Post by pjmlp »

Hydraulix989 wrote: post #71

I'm currently integrating the WebRTC interface into a browser-like project by directly calling into their C++ code (when Java is the preferred interface). Most of the process so far has been trial-and-error (especially with hooking up their JNI calls back to Android from C++ land in order to access Android audio device info and state that can't be reached from C++). The code base is quite large and so gaining familia…

> especially with hooking up their JNI calls back to Android from C++ land in order to access Android audio device info and state that can't be reached from C++

Good luck with that part.

I have been using C++ for hobby coding between Android and WP, and the "friendliness" of the NDK has made be look for solutions that can target Java and .NET instead.

Some of those APIs that one needs JNI wrappers, are actually written in C++, just not exposed to the NDK.

Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#75

Post by esailija »

giovannibajo1 wrote: post #55
jsprogrammer wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My guess is they didn't want to implement a competitor to FaceTime.

Skype, WhatsApp, Viber and many others are being distributed in the App Store.

This alone doesn't prove anything since Apple doesn't give 3rd party apps same capabilities as its own apps.

Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#76

Post by fredsir »

esailija wrote: post #52
fredsir wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the perspective is skewed, because who are websites for? Not the developers, that's for sure. It's for the users, and if the users think that Safari is better, than there might be a reason for this madness, and the other browsers should adjust their goals. I'm a developer myself, and did webdevelopment professionally for 7 years until I switched paths 3 years ago. I know all about supporting multiple browsers…

> Chrome just doesn't feel and look elegant and smooth I bet this feeling comes from the "smooth scrolling". Development Chrome currently has it, I really cannot imagine why didn't they do it earlier it's so trivial to do for major benefits.

That's one thing yes. Another is the aesthetics of Safari that feels like it belongs inside of OS X, which I use, where Chrome just looks like it's own kind of deal. There's also the thing about battery life, which again, is a design decision Apple has made (lightness over ultimate performance), and I like that too. I don't do heavy webgl or css3 stuff every minute every day, so I don't need my browser to go "all in" when it comes to performance that I don't feel anyway that in turn reflects badly on my battery. And truth be told, the only place I use my computer plugged in is at work. The rest of it time it runs on battery power, so that's a big deal too.

Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#77

Post by ilostmykeys »

kdeldycke wrote: post #45
ilostmykeys wrote: post #16

How about the security issue with WebRTC where the browser leaks the IP address? It's part of the way WebRTC works so I can't see how that can be fixed. It's both a security issue and a key enabling feature. Update: It looks like Google Chrome (desktop) team has published a plugin that alleviates the problem but can cause performance degradations with apps that use WebRTC. They seem to suggest that a decent fix won't…

Install uBlock origin plugin, which has a "Prevent WebRTC from leaking local IP address" option: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Prevent-WebRTC-from-l...

that doesn't work and if it worked it would cripple WebRTC apps

Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#78

Post by slac »

kuschku wrote: post #51
antitamper wrote: post #46

I've only ever associated WebRTC with its ability to expose the real IP address when surfing with a VPN. I am unsure if this bug is unique to Firefox, and I hope the bug doesn't show up in Safari.

it’s not a bug in the direct meaning, but a bug in the specifications.

That behavior has been changed in Chrome quite significantly.

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/discuss-webrtc/_5hL0...

Re: Apple is hiring engineers to bring WebRTC to Safari

#79

Post by slac »

greggarious wrote: post #63

The WebRTC spec (as it currently stands) exposes your local IP address. So I hope Apple thinks about the privacy implications of that. (Right now Tor Browser keeps it click to activate, IIRC)

That behavior has been changed by Chrome and FF (I think) quite significantly. Please read https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/discuss-webrtc/_5hL0...
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