Show HN: Docker in the browser using x86-to-WASM recompilation

Show HN: Docker in the browser using x86-to-WASM recompilation(copy.sh)

119 points by g3 3 years ago | 30 comments

g3 3 years ago |

If you're bored (or your code is still compiling), you can also try:

SerenityOS: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=serenity (one of their developers contributed PAE support to v86, which is extra cool. I believe it contains their own browser.)

ReactOS: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=reactos

Haiku: https://copy.sh/v86/?profile=haiku

9front: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=9front

Android: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=android

KolibriOS: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=kolibrios

HelenOS: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=helenos

Oberon: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=oberon

QNX: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=qnx

Windows 95 with IE 3: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=windows95-boot

Windows 98 with IE 5: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=windows98 (run networking.bat)

Windows 2000 with IE 6: http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=windows2000 (run networking.bat)

v86 running in v86 (the inner one is running in node): https://copy.sh/v86/?profile=archlinux&c=./v86-in-v86.js

As well as most BSDs and Linuxes, as long as they still have i686 support.

s-macke 3 years ago | |

Can you explain in more detail how this recompilation works? When is it triggered? Because your emulator is still very slow, and recompiling doesn't seem to help. A wiki or blog post would be helpful.

g3 3 years ago | | |

Yes, I should write about v86's internals some day. Meanwhile, the code is right here: https://github.com/copy/v86/tree/master/src/rust

It's much faster with recompilation than without, but I agree that it's slower than expected (compared to, for example, qemu-tcg).

There is still room for improvements (e.g. eflags updates, 16-bit instructions, call/ret optimisations, main loop), but part of the problem is limitations of web assembly (no mmap, only structured control flow) and browser engines (memory blow up on large generated wasm modules, related to control flow).

The webvm folks explain the control flow problem quite well, and seem to be doing a better job than v86: https://medium.com/leaningtech/extreme-webassembly-1-pushing...

mdaniel 3 years ago | |

And the whole story seems to be here (available via the Exit button from any of those pages): https://copy.sh/v86/ and https://github.com/copy/v86

franky47 3 years ago |

Gary Bernhardt's talk [1] is becoming more and more of a premonition.

[1] https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/the-birth-and-death...

MobiusHorizons 3 years ago |

If you already have x86 to WASM, what do you need docker for? Seems like you already have all the encapsulation you could want at that point.

noname120 3 years ago | |

Docker is not just a container runner, it's also an API for interacting with them, a container creation language (Dockerfile), and more.

Being able to run Docker enables you to get access to all these tools and build the Docker containers from other projects.

g3 3 years ago | |

It makes for a cool demo (and it's a reference to the recent "wasm in docker" announcement).

piersj225 3 years ago | | |

Link for anyone curious https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33320530

_jal 3 years ago | |

There's a generation of people who appear to treat docker images as a combined packaging/distribution mechanism. Instead of learning to create a .deb or .rpm, they write a dockerfile.

I tend not to use that sort of thing, but not just because of docker - there's a bundle of related practices that tend to turn my eye elsewhere. YMMV.

polotics 3 years ago | | |

It's very true. However what is intrinsically better about a .deb or .rpm apart from having been there first? Are they the epitome of something? This is an honest question, I am really not sure. I vaguely remember that making an rpm was unpleasant and not very well documented, but it's been about ten yeats now...

dboreham 3 years ago | | |

Resistance is futile.

pjmlp 3 years ago | | |

The next step is to replace the kernel with a type 1 hypervisor, doing container orchestration.

Thanks to them we already have a way out of POSIX monoculture.

stopdropnhotpot 3 years ago | |

For driving development costs to zero.

ASalazarMX 3 years ago | | |

Did I say zero? Overcomplicating development will drive costs into the negative because your payroll will decrease when people quit and no one wants to maintain that jenga tower.

adpirz 3 years ago |

v86 also featured by supabase running postgres in the browser: https://supabase.com/blog/postgres-wasm

spyremeown 3 years ago |

This is awesome, we have come full circle.

zakember 3 years ago | |

Not until we can have a browser within this docker container

8jy89hui 3 years ago | | |

JSLinux [0] can run a whole Alpine Linux distribution with a x window server and a built in browser. We are already past the days of browsers within operating systems within browsers.

[0]: https://bellard.org/jslinux/

ASalazarMX 3 years ago | | |

This is how we killed Moore's law. It stopped but we didn't.

mbreese 3 years ago | | |

I don't see a network connection on the Docker host, so we have a little way to go yet.

(Unless someone knows how to access the network?)

revskill 3 years ago | | |

Then stack overflow error is expected.

ffhhj 3 years ago |

Could this be used for GPU computation?

stopdropnhotpot 3 years ago | |

Depends on the browser. There's standards here but not everyone is conforming.