Linux on the Web: 7 NaCl plugins used and counting!

[Dennis Kane]

Check out https://linuxontheweb.appspot.com in a Chrome browser (this project was previously called the Native Client Proving Ground). 

First I ported nano, vim, and python into the site via naclports. 

Then, I ported opusenc and opusdec from opus-tools as the audio codec for the Connections app. 

Finally, I used the video_encode and video_decode examples from nacl_sdk as templates to embed a video codec. This allows me to have absolute control over video streaming via a single WebRTC DataChannel, including loopback media streams to do local testing. The ability to apply arbitrary GLSL fragment shaders is especially cool in the video_decode plugin, for arbitrary visual effects.

My dream is to build the Linux distro to end all Linux distros.

I want to use it as a foundation to build some kind of real-world "happy hippy hacker" community where community members can just do their programming without any corporate pressures at all. My vision is some kind of combination of the Googleplex and Twin Oaks Community in rural Virginia (http://www.twinoaks.org/).

If this thing gets started, the Native Client team will have played no small part in it, and they will all be warmly welcomed at the community to live or to just visit for a weekend :-)

By the way, I will use all of my street cred as the peace guy to make this vision come alive. At last check, I have 4 hits on the first page of results in google when you search for "the peace guy", including an image hit. I'm saying this so nobody thinks I'm just some randomly trolling a-hole.