Native Client is currently a plug-in that effectively "double-sandboxes" apps that use it, allowing native C and C++ code to be executed within the browser but isolated with security restrictions similar to the way Chrome already sandboxes JavaScript. It uses a set of interfaces called Pepper that add C and C++ bindings to HTML5.
In addition to providing greater security, the Native Client process allows platform-specific code to be run at native-app speeds -- making the browser faster overall, as well as allowing platform-specific features to run safely within it.
Other changes in the latest beta (version 14.0.835.35) include the debut of the new Web Audio API, and native Lion feature support (such as Full Screen and Resume), along with the usual assortment of security and bug fixes. A developer-channel build of Chrome 15 is expected next week.
(source: MacNN News)
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