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Native Client, an open-source technology for running native code in web applications, undertaken by Google has finally landed on Chrome 10, according to an official post on the Chromium blog. The technology enables developers to build web applications that seamlessly and safely execute natively compiled code inside the browser, with the goal of maintaining browser neutrality and OS portability.

Google released Chrome 10 beta with the first version of the software code-named 'Arctic Sea' in-built, with the aim of getting developers involved in building Native Client modules for Chrome applications.

Native Client (NaCl) is a step to enabling the convenience experienced in running programs natively on a PC, as against running same over the web. As web applications today greatly depends on JavaScript, which invariably limits the program's performance.

NaCl, on the other hand, will enable downloads directly from a web server with specific security mechanisms to keep-off malicious codes, and the browser ensures that the software executes safe operations, as the software is confined within the Chrome 'sandbox'.

Additionally, code libraries written in the C programming language can be relatively adapted for browser-based applications through the NaCl, making it easy, for instance, to build into web applications the codecs Skype uses for compressing and decompressing video and audio.

Google's stance as a great proponent of Cloud Computing technology also calls to bear on the implementation of the Native client in information storage and retrieval over a central server on the internet.

However, the extent to which this new technology can be applied outside the Chrome environment remains to be seen, nonetheless developers will need to play a very dominant role.

Native Client Debut On Chrome

The debate on the possible replacement of Desktop applications is one that has already been decided. As the Next generation internet trends points to social collaboration and realtime access to information, which invariably means that web applications are the future rave.

The development of software applications is perhaps the greatest enabler to a more efficient computing experience, notably the word processors and media players capabilities, which comprised the earlier desktop apps. But given the advent of the internet and the need for more portability cum mobility, the possibility of gaining access to this applications from anywhere there is an internet connection rather than the case of desktop applications which are installed on a given computer.

This usability constraint associated with desktop applications, however, necessitated the need for a better and more accessible alternative, leading to the development of the web versions of such apps.

Now, the web apps vs. desktop apps debate-line is one that spells a generation change and as such definitely falls on the side of web applications.

Desktop apps proponents have stressed the area of data security as their yardstick to sticking with desktop applications, however, the data encryption technologies finding a more popular application on the internet stands to correct such notions.

The area of the cost of installing and running such apps on desktop is another factor against, as most web applications are basically open-source and royalty-free, for instance: Google Docs.

Also, the issue of data storage mechanism for web applications have found a solution in the Cloud. Hence the greet buzz that heralded the entrant of the Cloud Computing innovations. The internet trends that had accorded such level of importance to web application will certainly sustain the dominance of the emerging technology, as it forms the hub on which the Social Web hinges.

Web Apps: Next-Gen Application

The heated debate over Google's accusation that Microsoft (Bing) is copying its search algorithm in presenting its search results may have been rather assuaged by a recent analytics report by an online competitive intelligence service, Hitwise.

The intelligence analysis reported that Bing search engine provides more accurate searches than Google search, whereby a little more than 81 percent searches on Bing leads to a visit to a  website, while Google search recorded only about 65 percent success.

However, it's pertinent to note that the result is obtained by the Bing and Yahoo Search partnership, which invariably means improvement in users engagement - Microsoft and Yahoo search technology and traffic exchange partnership.

Google, nonetheless still retains lead in overall search traffic, mostly from the U.S. with about 67.95 percent searches conducted in the four weeks ending 29th January, 2011. While Bing powered searches accounts for 27.44 percent of searches for the month.

Microsoft share of the search engine market has also improved, with Bing search share up by 6 percent, while Google search went down 2 percent from the previous month.

Indeed, the recent investments made by Microsoft in its Bing search service has already started yielding favorable results, and perhaps if the Hitwise analysis data is anything, given accuracy search trends counts, could mean Microsoft winning back internet search users. Suffice it to mean that another Bing vs. Google battle-line has just been drawn.

Internet Search Accuracy

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