CIB: Getting The Clang Compiler To Run In A Web Browser

[unixfan2001]

Jeezus Christ on a pogo stick... this is beautiful and scary at the same time.

Not seeing the "scary" part here.
Mind elaborating?

WASM is essentially a VM. There's no access to the underlying system.

[starshipeleven]

WASM is essentially a VM. There's no access to the underlying system.

Technically speaking, also Java or Javascript use a VM.
Did not make them that safe.

[paulpach]

I could see this being useful for making a browser based IDE. Kind of like cloud9 and jsfiddle but for C++.

[dwagner]

WASM is essentially a VM. There's no access to the underlying system.

There is, and plenty of it! That VM can output graphics, read keyboard input, read mouse events, read and use an ever-broadening API to browser storage and functionality, including accesses to location, microphones, speakers etc.

You might assume that the browser is filtering all that stuff properly to keep the user safe, but much better system programmers than those writing browsers have failed numerous times to harden "sandboxes" or "VM"s or whatever you want to call them.

Fact is: A VM without any possibilities for I/O would be pretty useless. But the more I/O becomes possible from a VM, the more possibilities for security breaches there are.

[unixfan2001]

There is, and plenty of it! That VM can output graphics, read keyboard input, read mouse events, read and use an ever-broadening API to browser storage and functionality, including accesses to location, microphones, speakers etc.

You might assume that the browser is filtering all that stuff properly to keep the user safe, but much better system programmers than those writing browsers have failed numerous times to harden "sandboxes" or "VM"s or whatever you want to call them.

Fact is: A VM without any possibilities for I/O would be pretty useless. But the more I/O becomes possible from a VM, the more possibilities for security breaches there are.

The point is you can do all of this without WASM. WASM isn't more or less secure than regular ES5/ES6.
It can only access regular browser APIs. Nothing more, nothing less. Unlike the likes of "good, old" ActiveX.