Alex RussellApr 13

First Web MIDI, now Web Serial! Could not be happier to see Mozilla returning to an expansive vision for the web. The idea that we should download unsafe native binaries to get things done was always naff, and an abdication of the browser's role in the lives of users:

https://fosstodon.org/@balloob/116398481380578311

/cc @firefoxwebdevs

balloob (@[email protected])

Attached: 4 images WebSerial has landed in Firefox Nightly !! 🎉 Enable it in about:config and it all just works as expected. Took a brand new ESP32 and had a new Bluetooth proxy added to Home Assistant within 2 minutes 👌

Fosstodon
Show threadMutesplashApr 14
@slightlyoff Kinda 🫤 on these. The plan now is to never let you download anything via "configure only over web" and then delete the website and all the software whenever the company wants to/dies. Also they're "great" for fingerprinting and authorization popup fatigue.
Show threadAlex RussellApr 14
@Mutesplash Have you used them? They provide zero fingerprint surface area before the user selects a device from the chooser, and we have the data to back the assertion that's enough friction to keep them from being used for this.
Show threadMutesplashApr 15
@slightlyoff My specific problem is with a firmware updater that has no binary but is only on the web and requires webserial. No way to reflash device when corrupted if that site goes away 🤷‍♂️ Don't think I want to encourage no-artifact software for hardware
Show threadAlex Russell
@Mutesplash Lots of software goes away or loses OS support over time. I appreciate the concern, but it seems a bit orthogonal, and surely the transparency of the web vs. native software makes it *easier* to see the flashed payloads, not harder, right?
Apr 15 at 4:11amWeb
Show threadMutesplashApr 15

@slightlyoff Sure it loses support but it doesn't go away if you back it up. I can still configure a Gravis Phoenix because I have the software that nobody bothered reversing.

It may be easier but web puts a timer on reversing things.