5 ms·

Any good example projects already using WebAssembly ? Some list with multiple examples would be nice.

pjmlp 9y ago
There are already ongoing efforts to port JVM and CLR to WebAssembly. Someone is porting TypeScript to WASM, named AssemblyScript. It won't surprise me to see a WebAssembly backend for Flash.
- whatever_dude 9y ago
  > It won't surprise me to see a WebAssembly backend for Flash. If Adobe was smart, they'd have started working on am asmjs (later WebAssembly) + webgl output for Flash a long time ago. Alas they're not exactly forward-planning and let the platform die, and its tools fizzle. Today there's already better alternatives that do things more cleanly/natively (like Pixijs). If you use TypeScript with Pixijs, it's like having a much more advanced ActionScript, better development tools (your browser's devtools), and better performance. You lose a "stage" for free drawing, but that was more often than not a misused feature anyway (and one that has good alternatives in the DOM/JS world anyway).
  - pjmlp 9y ago
    When the whole story with Apple happened, Adobe eventually created a native code backend for Flash. And for a while they even had a C/C++ compiler for the Flash VM. So if they really cared, it isn't something that should be too hard for them. Failing that, it might be an interesting project for a compiler hacker without ideas. In any case, I see it more like preserving many of the games written in Flash.
send_computers 9y ago
https://github.com/mbasso/awesome-wasm#projects https://github.com/mbasso/awesome-wasm#projects
frik 9y ago
We should sometimes pause, and think about the disadvantages a new technique will bring to the web. I am completely fine with asm.js. Though WebASM is a like a wet dream for big corp with mass of legacy code in C++. We will see Office running on WebASM and other closed binary blobs in near future. It's very contrary to the concept of the open web - do you want to live in AOL-land again, were everything is closed off? No? Anyway great you helped them. I fear WebASM has several downsides that will harm young startups a lot in near future - only unicorns and big corps will benefit, it will be a win-win, less competition, because of harder entry to market, and they can ship their decades old C++ blobs as a service. It's time to wake up, and stop WebASM or severe limit it's functionality. Where is Mozilla foundation? Or is the new Mozilla just another startup, backed 90% by Google money.
- arithma 9y ago
  The open web should be most concerned with users. If big corporate products is what they want on the web, then so be it!
- kayoone 9y ago
  afaik you can not just take a C++ blob, compile to WebASM and be done. Your business logic can be there, but the User Interface would still need to be JS and HTML in the end, unless you want your app to just draw to a canvas, but even that would only work if you rewrote the rendering as webasm has no access to OS level libraries
  - flavio81 9y ago
    >unless you want your app to just draw to a canvas, Don't count this out; there opens up the opportunity for creating new, good looking toolkits that are faster to use than coping with html + css' limitations.
    - kayoone 9y ago
      not sure if that's a viable alternative for the web. It will most likely consume more computing resources which makes it hard on mobile and the responsive web goes out of the window. It can make sense for certain interactive elements though.

There are already ongoing efforts to port JVM and CLR to WebAssembly. Someone is porting TypeScript to WASM, named AssemblyScript. It won't surprise me to see a WebAssembly backend for Flash.

whatever_dude 9y ago
> It won't surprise me to see a WebAssembly backend for Flash. If Adobe was smart, they'd have started working on am asmjs (later WebAssembly) + webgl output for Flash a long time ago. Alas they're not exactly forward-planning and let the platform die, and its tools fizzle. Today there's already better alternatives that do things more cleanly/natively (like Pixijs). If you use TypeScript with Pixijs, it's like having a much more advanced ActionScript, better development tools (your browser's devtools), and better performance. You lose a "stage" for free drawing, but that was more often than not a misused feature anyway (and one that has good alternatives in the DOM/JS world anyway).
- pjmlp 9y ago
  When the whole story with Apple happened, Adobe eventually created a native code backend for Flash. And for a while they even had a C/C++ compiler for the Flash VM. So if they really cared, it isn't something that should be too hard for them. Failing that, it might be an interesting project for a compiler hacker without ideas. In any case, I see it more like preserving many of the games written in Flash.

send_computers 9y ago

https://github.com/mbasso/awesome-wasm#projects https://github.com/mbasso/awesome-wasm#projects

frik 9y ago

We should sometimes pause, and think about the disadvantages a new technique will bring to the web. I am completely fine with asm.js. Though WebASM is a like a wet dream for big corp with mass of legacy code in C++. We will see Office running on WebASM and other closed binary blobs in near future. It's very contrary to the concept of the open web - do you want to live in AOL-land again, were everything is closed off? No? Anyway great you helped them. I fear WebASM has several downsides that will harm young startups a lot in near future - only unicorns and big corps will benefit, it will be a win-win, less competition, because of harder entry to market, and they can ship their decades old C++ blobs as a service. It's time to wake up, and stop WebASM or severe limit it's functionality. Where is Mozilla foundation? Or is the new Mozilla just another startup, backed 90% by Google money.

arithma 9y ago
The open web should be most concerned with users. If big corporate products is what they want on the web, then so be it!
kayoone 9y ago
afaik you can not just take a C++ blob, compile to WebASM and be done. Your business logic can be there, but the User Interface would still need to be JS and HTML in the end, unless you want your app to just draw to a canvas, but even that would only work if you rewrote the rendering as webasm has no access to OS level libraries
- flavio81 9y ago
  >unless you want your app to just draw to a canvas, Don't count this out; there opens up the opportunity for creating new, good looking toolkits that are faster to use than coping with html + css' limitations.
  - kayoone 9y ago
    not sure if that's a viable alternative for the web. It will most likely consume more computing resources which makes it hard on mobile and the responsive web goes out of the window. It can make sense for certain interactive elements though.