Google Chrome goes Native in 4.0.220.1

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Google is now out with Chrome dev-channel version 4.0.220.1 which is notable for one primary reason — Native Client.

The 4.0.220.1 version is the first Chrome release to include Native Client as a built-in client for Windows. Native Client is a technology that will enable the browser to run code
over the web (not just JavaScript or Java) but regular software.

The implications for Google are huge as it could enable a new generation of speedier, feature-rich Google Apps (and eventually other apps from other vendors).

Google first announced that they were moving Native Client out of research mode and into production in June and here we are four months later with the first Windows build.

Native Client is not without it’s challenges from a number of perspectives.

The most obvious challenge are the inherent security issues that native client brings to the table. Sure, Google has this nice process isolation for Chrome, but with applications, will that same isolation hold out against the myriad of app threats that exist today?

The other challenge is to get over the notion (right or wrong) that Native Client is simply Google’s attempt to replicate Microsoft’s ActiveX.