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Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

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Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#261

Post by pjmlp »

ac29 wrote: post #189
pjmlp wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Asus laptop bought with Windows 7 on it back in 2009, is running the latest Windows 10 version. Both Microsoft and Asus keep having updates for it. Google just needs to actually care.

The driver model for Windows is different than Linux, though. Realistically, most Linux drivers need to be open source and maintained as part of the kernel to continue working, whereas Windows offers a stable driver interface so its not uncommon at all to have drivers that haven't been updated in many years work just fine on current Windows releases.

Google as ChromeOS/Android owner can do whatever they feel like it, regardless of the driver model.

In fact, Android since project Treble has a driver model similar to Windows.

Linux drivers are considered legacy on Android.

Likewise they could have contracts in place that would force their suppliers to provide updates for X years.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#262

Post by riku_iki »

SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #37
trevordixon wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Security and simplicity. Such a low-maintenance system. When I sign in to any Chromebook, my wallpaper, shortcuts, and settings are just as I left them. For example, I may never have to find the setting to maps caps lock to escape ever again if I stick to ChromeOS.

To be fair, Windows 10 does this.

Somehow I have troubles finding lightweight win10 laptop with comparable price.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#263

Post by what_ever »

screye wrote: post #54

It is such decisions from Google that make me question if they will continue supporting GCP down the line. How will google pivot away when entire companies are dependent on their service staying up ? Sometimes I think Google should simply spin off less than super profitable ventures into a small company and host it under alphabet. As long as the service breaks even with employees working on Google wages, it can stay…

You should read the rest of the thread if this move makes you question Google supporting GCP.

Disc: Googler.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#264

Post by SahAssar »

mmebane wrote: post #216
geofft wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google routinely floats out APIs, services, and platforms and encourages their use despite fatal flaws that mean they are doomed from day one. For most use cases, there are better options now than Chrome apps. ServiceWorkers didn't exist when Chrome apps were introduced. Neither did wasm, and its precursors NaCl and PNaCl were scoped to just Chrome apps, not to the public web. Chrome did a very good job at a) build…

Is there any way to bypass CORS in a PWA? Because Chrome Apps were a really handy way of writing GUI utilities without having to go full Electron.

If the endpoint you are requesting says it does not want to expose itself to unknown origins, that should be respected in the default config.

For testing, security research and so on you can always modify the browser config or use a proxy.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#265

Post by taneq »

ianai wrote: post #32
taneq wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was Google anywhere near as bad in 2008? I don't recall anything particularly awful back then.

No, I think that was around the launch of the first android, right? There was some serious interest in a Linux (!!!) based phone. They were seen as a savior of sorts, as I remember it. Now they’re a place where novel ideas go to die.

That's how I remember it - they were starting down their current path in privacy terms but hadn't hit the moral event horizon yet, and they were still in that unbridled optimism phase where they were launching moonshot projects rather than churning through web service offerings. I didn't get seriously concerned about them until later (around 2014-2015 iirc) and it took until the start of 2018 for me to completely de-google myself.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#266

Post by int_19h »

techntoke wrote: post #259
int_19h wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Duo is about video calling specifically, no? Hangouts is a generic IM client. I'm on Google Fi, and one major feature of Fi is that it lets you receive texts and calls to your phone number on your desktop, and access voicemail there. But it's all done via Hangouts now, and Google has been very vague on what the replacement is going to be going forward.

They have reverted back to Google Voice for this and I'm pretty sure it'll be the replacement.

When I open voice.google.com, as soon as I login, it immediately redirects me to the Google Fi account page. Which does not have any of this functionality.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#267

Post by rptr »

ambrop7 wrote: post #211
Jyaif wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 I'm still using JSTorrent ( https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jstorrent/anhdpjpo... ). It's impossible to implement the BitTorrent protocol using a webapp, which means that once Chrome Apps are gone I'll have to revert to using a native client, which I don't trust one bit.

It could be done with a local TCP / UDP WebSocket gateway, especially if it's written in a safe language like Rust.

Can we run native apps written in Rust/Go in Chromebook ?

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#268

Post by andybak »

ghusbands wrote: post #214
andybak wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't disputing the validity of their complaint. That's orthogonal to being unfunny through repetition.

Claiming that them saying it is them thinking they are being witty is disputing the validity of their complaint.

For example:

I could constantly remark on the current bad weather using an unfunny joke.

Somebody could complain about my terrible sense of humour without implying it was actually lovely outside.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#269

Post by techntoke »

int_19h wrote: post #266
techntoke wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have reverted back to Google Voice for this and I'm pretty sure it'll be the replacement.

When I open voice.google.com, as soon as I login, it immediately redirects me to the Google Fi account page. Which does not have any of this functionality.

Works fine for me. Also if you look at the GV Android app it has gotten a lot of recent updates compared to Hangouts, including Dark Mode. Additionally they have added the option to text from it which has newer features than Hangouts.

Re: Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used

#270

Post by geofft »

tyingq wrote: post #241
geofft wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unsure, but I think if you have an extension, you can make the request in an extension page, which isn't CORS-restricted. (I don't totally understand the difference between a Chrome app and an extension that turns itself into a PWA, both are browser-specific and both are distributed through the Chrome web store, right?)

A chrome app has access to normal sockets, local filesystem, etc.

There's a standardized File API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/File and a nonstandard FileSystem API being driven by Google https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/FileSystem

But yeah it seems network sockets are going away. Honestly that seems good from a security perspective but I will miss the mosh app for CrOS.

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