6 ms·

Chromium OS ported to iPad

71 points by jayeshsalvi 16y ago

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
pornel 16y ago
Besides hacking coolness, is there any point in swapping iOS for Chromium? You get almost same WebKit browser, but without iOS apps?
- al_james 16y ago
  We will have to see how much of a draw the Chrome web app store is when its ready. App availability will be a deciding factor, although google will have lots of work to do to get even with Apple.
- ladon86 16y ago
  Right, but by the same token, why swap Mac OS for iOS? It's a further step towards utter simplicity - a device you can pick up and use purely for browsing the internet with no other complications. If it wasn't (most likely) hacky and unstable, I'm sure my mum would dig it.
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
- code_duck 16y ago
  This is 'Hacker News'. That question shouldn't need to be asked! I think it's pretty cool, but then, I still have QNX 4 on a floppy disk. ChromeOS is a bit more open than Apple's system, isn't it? That's not a rhetorical question, I actually don't know.
  - cryptoz 16y ago
    Chromium OS is fully open source. Chrome OS is the closed, Google-compiled version that will arrive on physical machines. As far as I know, iOS is fully closed-source. So yes, Chromium OS is much more open than iOS.
    - snippyhollow 16y ago
      iOS is based on Darwin/XNU. These are all the upper layers that are closed-source.
      - 1amzave 16y ago
        If I'm remembering correctly, the ARM port of XNU is not open-source though.
        Xuzz 16y ago
        It's not very different.
    - Xuzz 16y ago
      Have you checked out http://opensource.apple.com/ http://opensource.apple.com/? A significant portion of iOS is open-source, pretty much everything is open below the UI layer.
- buro9 16y ago
  * Multi-user * Flash (I browsed the Bowmore whiskey site on my iPad last night... I still hit this occasionally - http://www.bowmore.co.uk/ http://www.bowmore.co.uk/ ) * The chance of getting some native Google apps from the Chrome appstore * Perhaps a chance to break the dependence on iTunes for updates (just give me OTA already and don't require a link to a computer) * Chrome Sync so your tabs, passwords, bookmarks go with you Hell, I'd want it for most of the above. Though I'm growing dependent on the Twitter app for iPad (thankfully the site is catching up fast) and also Flip Board (which doesn't yet have a HTML5 version or Chrome version.
  - borism 16y ago
    Multi-user?
    - nuclear_eclipse 16y ago
      Meaning you could share the iPad with other members of the house, and each member could have their own login with their own preferences, their own bookmarks, plugins, history, saved passwords, etc.
      - tmlee 16y ago
        i guess Apple will somehow port that feature out into the iPad sometime into the future... Pretty sure Jobs did not see the iPad becoming a family shared pc substitute household device...
        es3754 16y ago
        ...or Jobs is hoping every family member gets their own iPad.
    - buro9 16y ago
      Yes. Screenshot: http://f.cl.ly/items/c7779c1655181c328845/4ac9757b00d99e9143c2549f8eb845e7.png http://f.cl.ly/items/c7779c1655181c328845/4ac9757b00d99e9143... From: http://hexxeh.net/?p=328117590 http://hexxeh.net/?p=328117590 If you look at the Chromium OS http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/ http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/ blog http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/wiki/doku.php?id=faq#what_are_the_default_username_passwords_for_this_build http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/wiki/doku.php?id=faq#what_are_the... then in the FAQ you'll note: "What are the default username/passwords for this build? Default username is facepunch, default password is facepunch." It's multi-user. You can share the iPad with others in your household and instead of being a social device in the shared nature, you can opt to return it to being a user device that many people can have their own account on. The essence of this is that unlike the Kindle or iPad, you could access whatever you want, download whatever you want, safe in the knowledge that the next user of the device wouldn't see it.
- melling 16y ago
  I'd get a second tablet. Apple will do yearly refreshes of the iPad. Previous gen will get Chrome OS.
madmaze 16y ago
Thats almost a reason to get an iPad. I wonder what else could be ported over
- cryptoz 16y ago
  Tablets and netbooks that run Chrome OS will be released in one or two months, so you might want to wait a bit.
angusgr 16y ago
Looking forward to seeing more details on this... I'm guessing an ARM build of Chromium OS' userspace components[1], ported to run on iOS' Darwin kernel? If that's the case, I'm guessing there could be a Chromium OS "App" for "normal" jailbroken iPads (running in a chroot jail or similar.) As I see it, the alternative way would be a working port of Linux to Apple's A4 SoC, but AFAIK that doesn't exist. :( [1] http://code.google.com/p/chromium-os/wiki/ArmWIP http://code.google.com/p/chromium-os/wiki/ArmWIP
wrath 16y ago
If this actually works without any roadblock like catches, I wonder if Apple will start modifying the iPad to make chromeOS (or any other OS for that matter) can't run on it. I don't know if there's anything you can do from a Hardware perspective to stop someone from installing a different OS, but the cat and mouse game will be fun to watch nevertheless.
- sorbus 16y ago
  From the article: "one of his outgoing missives includes the dire warning that he'll "dash your hopes later, there are a few catches.""
- jsz0 16y ago
  I doubt it. Apple seems to understand the futility of the cat & mouse game. Even with the Hackintosh community that is not buying an Apple computer and probably pirating OSX they haven't added any additional road blocks since the first public x86 OSX Tiger build from 2005. Even with jailbreaking they haven't taken a very aggressive stance besides fixing exploits.
- Xuzz 16y ago
  Each firmware update they block the ability to run custom code (jailbreaking) -- of course they'll block this as well.

71 points by jayeshsalvi 16y ago

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

Besides hacking coolness, is there any point in swapping iOS for Chromium? You get almost same WebKit browser, but without iOS apps?

al_james 16y ago
We will have to see how much of a draw the Chrome web app store is when its ready. App availability will be a deciding factor, although google will have lots of work to do to get even with Apple.
ladon86 16y ago
Right, but by the same token, why swap Mac OS for iOS? It's a further step towards utter simplicity - a device you can pick up and use purely for browsing the internet with no other complications. If it wasn't (most likely) hacky and unstable, I'm sure my mum would dig it.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
code_duck 16y ago
This is 'Hacker News'. That question shouldn't need to be asked! I think it's pretty cool, but then, I still have QNX 4 on a floppy disk. ChromeOS is a bit more open than Apple's system, isn't it? That's not a rhetorical question, I actually don't know.
- cryptoz 16y ago
  Chromium OS is fully open source. Chrome OS is the closed, Google-compiled version that will arrive on physical machines. As far as I know, iOS is fully closed-source. So yes, Chromium OS is much more open than iOS.
  - snippyhollow 16y ago
    iOS is based on Darwin/XNU. These are all the upper layers that are closed-source.
    - 1amzave 16y ago
      If I'm remembering correctly, the ARM port of XNU is not open-source though.
      - Xuzz 16y ago
        It's not very different.
  - Xuzz 16y ago
    Have you checked out http://opensource.apple.com/ http://opensource.apple.com/? A significant portion of iOS is open-source, pretty much everything is open below the UI layer.
buro9 16y ago
* Multi-user * Flash (I browsed the Bowmore whiskey site on my iPad last night... I still hit this occasionally - http://www.bowmore.co.uk/ http://www.bowmore.co.uk/ ) * The chance of getting some native Google apps from the Chrome appstore * Perhaps a chance to break the dependence on iTunes for updates (just give me OTA already and don't require a link to a computer) * Chrome Sync so your tabs, passwords, bookmarks go with you Hell, I'd want it for most of the above. Though I'm growing dependent on the Twitter app for iPad (thankfully the site is catching up fast) and also Flip Board (which doesn't yet have a HTML5 version or Chrome version.
- borism 16y ago
  Multi-user?
  - nuclear_eclipse 16y ago
    Meaning you could share the iPad with other members of the house, and each member could have their own login with their own preferences, their own bookmarks, plugins, history, saved passwords, etc.
    - tmlee 16y ago
      i guess Apple will somehow port that feature out into the iPad sometime into the future... Pretty sure Jobs did not see the iPad becoming a family shared pc substitute household device...
      - es3754 16y ago
        ...or Jobs is hoping every family member gets their own iPad.
  - buro9 16y ago
    Yes. Screenshot: http://f.cl.ly/items/c7779c1655181c328845/4ac9757b00d99e9143c2549f8eb845e7.png http://f.cl.ly/items/c7779c1655181c328845/4ac9757b00d99e9143... From: http://hexxeh.net/?p=328117590 http://hexxeh.net/?p=328117590 If you look at the Chromium OS http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/ http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/ blog http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/wiki/doku.php?id=faq#what_are_the_default_username_passwords_for_this_build http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/wiki/doku.php?id=faq#what_are_the... then in the FAQ you'll note: "What are the default username/passwords for this build? Default username is facepunch, default password is facepunch." It's multi-user. You can share the iPad with others in your household and instead of being a social device in the shared nature, you can opt to return it to being a user device that many people can have their own account on. The essence of this is that unlike the Kindle or iPad, you could access whatever you want, download whatever you want, safe in the knowledge that the next user of the device wouldn't see it.
melling 16y ago
I'd get a second tablet. Apple will do yearly refreshes of the iPad. Previous gen will get Chrome OS.

madmaze 16y ago

Thats almost a reason to get an iPad. I wonder what else could be ported over

cryptoz 16y ago
Tablets and netbooks that run Chrome OS will be released in one or two months, so you might want to wait a bit.

angusgr 16y ago

Looking forward to seeing more details on this... I'm guessing an ARM build of Chromium OS' userspace components[1], ported to run on iOS' Darwin kernel? If that's the case, I'm guessing there could be a Chromium OS "App" for "normal" jailbroken iPads (running in a chroot jail or similar.) As I see it, the alternative way would be a working port of Linux to Apple's A4 SoC, but AFAIK that doesn't exist. :( [1] http://code.google.com/p/chromium-os/wiki/ArmWIP http://code.google.com/p/chromium-os/wiki/ArmWIP

wrath 16y ago

If this actually works without any roadblock like catches, I wonder if Apple will start modifying the iPad to make chromeOS (or any other OS for that matter) can't run on it. I don't know if there's anything you can do from a Hardware perspective to stop someone from installing a different OS, but the cat and mouse game will be fun to watch nevertheless.

sorbus 16y ago
From the article: "one of his outgoing missives includes the dire warning that he'll "dash your hopes later, there are a few catches.""
jsz0 16y ago
I doubt it. Apple seems to understand the futility of the cat & mouse game. Even with the Hackintosh community that is not buying an Apple computer and probably pirating OSX they haven't added any additional road blocks since the first public x86 OSX Tiger build from 2005. Even with jailbreaking they haven't taken a very aggressive stance besides fixing exploits.
Xuzz 16y ago
Each firmware update they block the ability to run custom code (jailbreaking) -- of course they'll block this as well.