Chrome for UBports?

mbzadegan

Hi everyone,
How can I install a chrome (or chromium) web browser on UBports?

AppLee

@mbzadegan
Hi, I suppose you can use anbox or libertine...
But not sure it will work as you expect.

mbzadegan

why does not develop the main web browser programs such as Chrome or Firefox for UBports? Is there any technical or License problem?

AppLee

@mbzadegan
Why bother ?
What is wrong with Morph Browser ?
Firefox and Chrome despite all their qualities have both many flows and one of many is memory usage, I'm happy with morph and don't need an alternative right now.
Plus all webApp are based on morph allowing light weight and efficient apps

dobey

@mbzadegan Google owns Chrome, so we don't get to choose what platforms it supports.

For Chromium, the Morph browser is based on the open source engine used in Chromium, via QtWebEngine.

Neither Chromium nor Firefox support Mir as a rendering back-end, therefore they cannot run natively. Also, neither browser has a responsive UI by default, so they are not friendly on phone/tablet devices.

Even with QtWebEngine, with upstream Qt maintaining and doing the work, there are still many missing points of integration between the Chromium engine and Qt, which result in lack of WebGL, video acceleration, and camera support in our environment. Getting those solved would be far more beneficial than having Google ship a version of Chrome for UT, or other "alternate" browsers which are not installed by default. Firefox would also have many of these same issues even when it becomes possible to build a native version of it.

Once we are able to switch to using the Wayland client protocols, it will be possible to get a native build of Firefox working. However, there will still be many integration points required so that Firefox properly requests access to microphone, camera, location, etc… None of these things are trivial tasks.

TotalSonic

@mbzadegan - Chromium is available in the default Libertine repos but it crashes on launch due to it being incompatible with UT currently.
You can run Firefox in Libertine but it runs very slowly and is prone to crashing. If you want to try this for yourself, instructions on how to install it are at
https://blog.arubislander.nl/2018/10/running-firefox-in-1604-libertine.html?m=1
and
https://github.com/jdonald/firefox-armhf/releases

There is a native UT web browser that is an alternative to Morph that works well in the Open Store called "Demo Browser" - https://open-store.io/app/demobr.mateo-salta

Best regards,
Steve Berson

Peter Gamma

We are currently struggeling to get to connect a Linux (Pine) phone to a HDMI monitor. Very bad experience with micro-usb to HDMI adapter. We tested three of those, not all on the PinePhone, none of them worked.

Only one worked a long time ago, and was gone then and not replaceable. We bought a Google Chromecast 3, which worked right away with the Google apps from the Google play store. Unfortunately, big brother Google is always watching what you are watching on the screen.

But what are the alternatives? A Chrome browser installed on a Windows PC could stream to a Google Chromecast 3 without additional plugins. Unfortunately, whe could not find an installation instruction for Chrome for the PinePhone PostmarketOS. (We only go back to Ubuntu Touch for the PinePhone, if LibreOffice works on it.) But a Chrome browser could be an easy way to mirror your phone to a HDMI monitor when connected to a Google Chromecast.

Emphrath

@peter-gamma if you want a reliable casting experience on UT, you need a Microsoft Miracast

Emphrath

This post is deleted!

Peter Gamma

@emphrath said in Chrome for UBports?:

Microsoft Miracast

We have read that someone tried to hack the Google Chromecast, but he was nt successful, altough there are instructions available. Is there no open cast stick?

Keneda

@peter-gamma
Microsoft miracast works with UT, he says.

Peter Gamma

@keneda Privacy Guys have a problem with Chrome Cast, we don t know how it is with Microsoft Miracast as fas as privacy is concerned, an open device would be better.

Emphrath

@peter-gamma There is NO such thing at the moment. The only two ways to use a transparent solution is whether to use the slimport cable and a Nexus 5, or to use Miraclecast, as discussed in the thread where you decided to start that one. Sadly, it seems miraclecast uses a protocol that is not fully recognized by UT. Last thoughts: if privacy is what you're looking for, I wouldn't be too scared of the Miracast dongle. While Google likes to be perpetually online, and usually stores voice and other data, the Miracast is actually an old thing by industry standards, from a time where sharing your whole life with the www for money was really not a thing (that is, before Windows 10). I think it's pretty safe to use, especially offline