Canonical Unveils WebApps For Ubuntu

Posted by timothy on Thursday July 19, 2012 @06:10AM from the dislocation-dislocation-dislocation dept.

nk497 writes "Canonical has revealed a system to make web apps behave more like native applications in Ubuntu. The Ubuntu WebApps feature will 'allow applications that normally run in the web browser to have some functionality outside that browser, within the Ubuntu desktop,' product manager Pete Goddall said. Basically, sites can be pinned to the launcher — which sounds a bit like IE9's pinning system, but WebApps can also interact with the OS, displaying notifications for new messages in Gmail, interacting with Last.FM via Ubuntu's sound controls, and when right clicking on photos, including Facebook as an upload option. WebApps will land in 12.10 in October, but there will also be an add-on version for people staying on long-term support version 12.04."

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What could possibly go wrong? by Animats · 2012-07-19 06:13 · Score: 5, Interesting

Did those guys just re-invent Active-X controls?
1. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by The+MAZZTer · 2012-07-19 06:16 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  No. This sounds like a structured API, not full system access.
2. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by skippy13 · 2012-07-19 06:27 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Did those guys just re-invent Active-X controls?
  No. Whereas Active Desktop was a deep integration of the browser into the desktop shell, Ubuntu Web Apps is a collection of Firefox plugins. Each supported site requires its own plugin. Sure, there's still an opportunity for malware and exploitation, but the scope is significantly different than what Active Desktop offered.