The author successfully ran 240 instances of a JavaScript Pong game simultaneously in separate browser tabs, pushing the limits of browser performance. They achieved this by meticulously optimizing the game code for minimal CPU and memory usage, employing techniques like simplifying graphics, reducing frame rate, and minimizing DOM manipulations. Despite these optimizations, the combined processing load still strained the browser and system resources, causing noticeable lag and performance degradation. The experiment showcased the surprising capacity of modern browsers while also highlighting their limitations when handling numerous computationally intensive tasks concurrently.
This blog post details a complex and whimsical experiment conducted by the author, aiming to execute a distributed version of the classic arcade game Pong across a multitude of browser tabs. The author's motivation stemmed from a desire to explore the feasibility and challenges of such an endeavor, using web technologies like WebSockets and JavaScript.
The central concept involves dividing the Pong playing field into a grid, with each cell of the grid managed by a separate browser tab. These individual tabs then communicate with a central server, responsible for orchestrating the game logic and synchronizing the state of the ball and paddles across all instances. The server acts as a central hub, receiving input from each tab regarding paddle movement and disseminating information about the ball's position and trajectory. This distributed approach effectively transforms each browser tab into a small, localized portion of the overall game screen.
The implementation involved several key technical components. WebSockets were employed for real-time bidirectional communication between the server and the individual tabs. This technology allows for constant updates, ensuring that each tab remains synchronized with the game's overall progress. JavaScript was used for client-side logic within each tab, handling rendering of the local game segment and transmitting user input to the server. On the server-side, Node.js facilitated the management of WebSocket connections and the execution of the core game logic, calculating ball physics and collision detection.
The author meticulously documented the process of setting up the environment, which involved opening a significant number of browser tabs—240 in total—and configuring them to connect to the locally hosted server. The blog post visually demonstrates the setup with screenshots, showcasing the grid-like arrangement of the tabs and the resulting fragmented representation of the Pong game. The project encountered performance bottlenecks, particularly with an increasing number of tabs, highlighting the limitations of this approach for real-time applications at scale. Despite these challenges, the experiment successfully demonstrated the possibility of distributing a simple game across multiple browser tabs, offering an intriguing exploration of web technologies and distributed computing principles. The author reflects on potential optimizations and alternative approaches that could improve performance and scalability.
Summary of Comments ( 24 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43119086
Hacker News users generally expressed amusement and mild interest in the project of running Pong across multiple browser tabs. Some questioned the practicality and efficiency, particularly regarding resource usage. One commenter pointed out potential improvements by using Web Workers or SharedArrayBuffers for better performance and inter-tab communication, avoiding the limitations of localStorage. Others suggested alternative, more efficient methods for achieving the same visual effect, such as using a single canvas element and drawing the game state across it. A few appreciated the whimsical nature of the project, acknowledging its value as a fun experiment despite its lack of practical application.
The Hacker News post "Running Pong in 240 browser tabs" generated a moderate amount of discussion, with a number of commenters expressing their fascination and amusement with the project.
Several commenters focused on the technical aspects. Some questioned the efficiency of using browser tabs for this purpose, pointing out the resource intensiveness of such a setup. Discussions arose around alternative approaches that might offer better performance, such as using Web Workers or a more streamlined communication method between the tabs. One commenter specifically suggested using SharedArrayBuffer for faster inter-tab communication, eliminating the need for the message passing overhead. The limitations of the current implementation were also discussed, including the difficulty in debugging and the performance bottleneck it presented.
Other comments centered on the inherent quirkiness and fun of the project. Some appreciated the creativity and ingenuity involved in using browser tabs in such an unconventional manner. The nostalgic element of Pong also resonated with several users.
A few commenters highlighted the potential educational value of the project. They suggested it could serve as an interesting demonstration of how browsers work and how they can be manipulated for unusual applications.
The impracticality of the approach was also a recurring theme. Many commenters acknowledged the impracticality of the approach for any serious application, but appreciated the project as a fun experiment.
Finally, there was some discussion about the security implications of such a setup. The idea of running untrusted code across multiple tabs raised concerns about potential vulnerabilities.
While no single comment stands out as exceptionally compelling, the collective discussion offers a variety of perspectives on the technical, practical, and even philosophical aspects of the project, reflecting the diverse interests of the Hacker News community.