Chrome 61 Brings WebUSB, JavaScript Modules & More

[grok]

If Google wants to repurpose their browser for IoT, I'm fine with that. OS software vendors love to sweep their failed offerings under the rugs by targeting it for "IoT", so I'd like that Google kills Chrome off (after Reader, iGoogle, Google Talk, etc.)
See : Firefox OS, Ubuntu mobile, Mir, Windows on ARM..

[riklaunim]

Well, if devices like USB Bar Code, RFID scanners that already act as keyboards can be explicitly used by JS instead of pasting text into focused form field then it's quite handy.

[Charlie68]

Fantastic !

[starshipeleven]

Yeah because IoT manufacturers are so diligent and trustworthy about security. Nothing could possibly go wrong with whitelisted websites.

Just don't buy devices that support that API. Those that don't advertise support for this crap are not exposed.

[bug77]

.. to devices that you explicitly grant access to that are designed to talk to websites whitelisted by the manufacturer

https://developers.google.com/web/up...y_and_security

Sounds just like Microsoft pinky swearing VBS is not a new attack vector.

[Adarion]

> WebUSB is the new API for exposing USB devices in a "safe and secure" manner for JavaScript web applications.

OMFG. Web browsers tend to receive only non-sense and bloat these days. And privacy-invading anti-features. Regardless what they might talk up about only specific websites and blahblah and manufacturer whitelists.
This is trying to paint shit golden but it still smells.

I just fear that this will some day also reach other browsers. Or maybe we could have a new shiny and nice form of digital restriction management. Wanna watch video? Have your USB crypto dongle keycard thingy attached and let us access it.

[jhenke]

Maybe it is time to implement a web browser running inside the web browser, wait we already have an operating system underneath....

[unixfan2001]

Maybe it is time to implement a web browser running inside the web browser, wait we already have an operating system underneath....

That's literally what most/all embedding APIs are, underneath.

mozbrowser/webview are a browser within a browser.

[Azrael5]

how to reproduce netflix and other online catalogue Tv contents!? thanks

[bug77]

> WebUSB is the new API for exposing USB devices in a "safe and secure" manner for JavaScript web applications.

OMFG. Web browsers tend to receive only non-sense and bloat these days. And privacy-invading anti-features. Regardless what they might talk up about only specific websites and blahblah and manufacturer whitelists.
This is trying to paint shit golden but it still smells.

I just fear that this will some day also reach other browsers. Or maybe we could have a new shiny and nice form of digital restriction management. Wanna watch video? Have your USB crypto dongle keycard thingy attached and let us access it.

This isn't even unexpected, since the world has decided the OS is too complicated for the simple user and now everything gets reinvented in the browser. Why do you think ChromeOS exist?