> I don't see why web apps should be handicapped The evidence overwhelmingly shows that given an exhortation to adhere to the principle of least authority, dev

> I don't see why web apps should be handicapped The evidence overwhelmingly shows that given an exhortation to adhere to the principle of least authority, developers opt to pursue their apparent belief in their manifest destiny to control ever more resources on the user's machine and relying on that level of control even when it's not called for regarding the application at hand. It doesn't make sense to repeat the experiment by opening the floodgates in all the browsers and seeing if it'll turn out differently this time. It's also not as if there's a dearth of opportunities for developers to fulfil their desires elsewhere. The Web meanwhile is pretty much the only one doing what it is, and it's not like we can just roll things back when devs unsurprisingly do end up misbehaving in the way they are wont to. > So why shouldn't I be allowed to use web apps that interact with bluetooth or USB devices? Why should your philosophical arguments on which software on what platform is allowed to do get in the way of my very real productivity and desire to use my computer the way I want to? This doesn't accurately describe the circumstance we're in. There are no concrete barriers here hindering your productivity by total control over your own machine. Your user agent is just another native app, after all, which you have the freedom to select and run how you see fit. Use one that supports Bluetooth, Dat, or heck, one that gives you script access to directly write to your bootsector if you want. This is a power that has been exercised for years by everyone from end users to IT departments (cf continued use of Internet Explorer). The only real limit you have is in the scenario where you are a Web app author and you're hindered by other people's choice of browser, which is a very different situation from the "my computer" argument you're using. (If you want to cite iOS here, then it's Apple and the App Store model that you have the problem with; there are multiple levels of irony in this.)