Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser • Hacker News Board

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#11

Post by rbanffy » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:11 PM UTC

johnernaut wrote: post #2

So... aside from the HUD integration, which is cool, what's the difference between what they've made and having multiple browser windows open?

It seems they managed to integrate the desktop controls with the web apps - you get unread message counts from Gmail on the messages menu and can control Last.fm from the sound indicator (and, presumably, from its kebyboard bindings). I imagine Google Calendar reminders are included.

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#12

Post by rbanffy » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:12 PM UTC

ilaksh wrote: post #5

This is great! Does all of this stuff work with Chrome?

I think the whole point of this is not to use the browser.

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#13

Post by rbanffy » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:14 PM UTC

My biggest worry is tying the HTML and JS engines too deeply into the desktop and end up with drive-by exploits that can do more than a browser would ordinarily be able to do.

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#14

Post by tysonjennings » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:17 PM UTC

mindstab wrote: post #10

Android was leading the way in this (best sharing between online services etc). This looks like the first other OS to "get it" and push hard to integrate with the cloud. I think in some ways this surpasses Android. Mean while we have iOS that's just congratulating itself for allowing photo uploads to twitter, meanwhile my Android phone has integration with services I've never even heard of. And MacOS and Windows... n…

Exactly right and one of the main things I missed about Ubuntu on my desktop over Android on my Xoom was Android's seamless integration of "cloud" data and the operating system. In comparison desktop OSs feel like a collection of silos. I'm very excited about the future of Ubuntu and am beginning to think that Canonical actually do "get it".

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#15

Post by tysonjennings » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:19 PM UTC

jiggy2011 wrote: post #7

What web apps need desperately in order to become true first class citizens is support for keyboard shortcuts across the board. Doing Alt + should bring up the appropriate menu in the web app not the web browser. Doing Ctrl + S should ask the web app to do a save , not ask the browser to save the .html page. Of course this is all stuff that could be abused by aggressive websites so there needs to be a distinction bet…

Google Docs has both of the shortcuts you mention working correctly and many more so it is definitely possible.

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#16

Post by miratom » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:24 PM UTC

Uh, desktop web shortcuts? Didn't I have this in Windows 98 and IE 5?

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#17

Post by jcastro » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:26 PM UTC

ilaksh wrote: post #5

This is great! Does all of this stuff work with Chrome?

Not currently, there are extensions for Chromium and Firefox but it doesn't appear to work in Chrome yet.

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#18

Post by sp332 » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:27 PM UTC

This is something that might highlight the serious deficiencies of the current HTTP model and drive discussion of HTTP/2.0 with real examples.

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#19

Post by scribu » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:30 PM UTC

I know this is a prototype, but if each app is going to load in a new Firefox window, with the full chrome, no thanks.

If it opens a new window without the chrome (or at least without the tabs), it might be ok.

Re: Introducing Ubuntu Web Apps: setting the web free of the browser

#20

Post by SkyMarshal » Thu, Jul 19, 2012, 9:32 PM UTC

rbanffy wrote: post #13

My biggest worry is tying the HTML and JS engines too deeply into the desktop and end up with drive-by exploits that can do more than a browser would ordinarily be able to do.

Agreed. They mention security once. Not enough.

Odds of me using this over the hardened Chrome/ium are pretty slim.

Having said that, as a long-time Ubuntu user, kudos to them for doing something new and interesting.