IPC to a daemon via Daemon Socket or Named Pipe from Chrome

[JT]

Hi,

We have a kiosk application, and I am looking into the viability of using Chrome OS and Chrome as the host. However, the web app needs to receive data from a daemon running on the Ubunto side. The data stream is a simple JSON stream, and I was wondering if it was possible to use Native Client to access this data stream from the Chrome browser? I also need to push requests for data to the daemon from the Browser side.

If this approach is not possible, I wonder if someone could suggest an alternative way to access a local data stream in the Chrome browser.

Thanks. 

[Steve Pirk]

Does the web app request the data, or does the Ubuntu side push the data to the client?

I do not really know much about JSON, but it looks like the is an api for it. This Chromium OS issue might give you ideas, or other things to search for. I used JSON api Chrome OS as my search term. http://code.google.com/p/chromium-os/issues/detail?id=27212

This looks promising... ;-]

http://www.chromium.org/developers/design-documents/extensions/proposed-changes/creating-new-apis

-- steve

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[John Toohey]

Push and Pull. The service daemon will talk to local resources, and
send data back to the browser app.

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-JT

[Mike Frysinger]

Chrome can do websockets.  if your central application was written with that in mind ...

otherwise, CrOS is generally managed "correctly" in that we delegate responsibility.  the CrOS group (who you've e-mailed here) is responsible for the OS parts, on top of which Chromium/NaCL sit.  if you have questions about the Chromium browser, you should try one of the Chromium groups.  be aware that they too delegate responsibility to sub-projects, of which NaCL is one.

so wrt your NaCL question, i'd suggest try posting to the NaCL groups.  you can find them listed here:

http://code.google.com/p/nativeclient/

-mike

[John Toohey]

Thanks, Mike. Now I'm thinking that if my service daemon is a
websocket server, running on the kiosk, then the browser can
comunicate via websockets with the local resources, such as scanners
and printers. This would allow me to by-pass the NaCL entirely. Am I
correct in assuming the Chrome OS will be restrict me having a service
running and interfacing to local resources?

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-JT

[Chris Masone]

I'm not entirely sure what architecture you're proposing, where scanners and printers come in, or what "Ubuntu side" you're talking about, but Google Chrome OS allows the installation of Chrome apps, and nothing but.  So, if you can do what you need in a Chrome app, then you're golden.  You might look into Cloud Print for your printer thing.

If you want to use Chromium OS and maintain your own builds, then you can do whatever it is that you'd like, including adding locally running daemons that behave however you want.

[John Toohey]

Each kiosk sells tickets, so it will have a touch screen interface,
with a local scanner and printer. The Browser app is controlled and
delivered by a central server, so UI updates, offers etc., can be
managed centrally. However, each kiosk needs to be able to print
tickets, so I was hoping to have a service running that could accept
data via a websocket from the browser (Purchasing a ticket using the
browser, would trigger some JS code, that would send the data via a
websocket on localhost to the daemon), and interface to the printer.
Using websockets locally would allow the kiosk to act as a server,
controlled by the browser, and also the kiosk would be a client of a
centrally managed server.

I'd like to leverage the security and ease of use of Chrome OS, but
add these custom components to each kiosk, before it ships. Would this
require me to maintain a custom build of Chrome OS?

Thanks.

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-JT