[whatwg] Device Element

[Boris Zbarsky]

On 1/3/11 7:47 AM, Diego Perini wrote:
> I am switching that bit on/off when I need it (and the RS232/USB
> device is connected), I am not asking others to do it.

So while it's off, the user is vulnerable.  Is the software doing this a 
Firefox extension?

> Mostly I am looking for other browser to implement this serial access
> like Firefox does

Firefox doesn't implement "serial access".  It just reads files.  What's 
exposed as "files" on a Unix system can be ... extensive (witness /proc 
on Linux, say).  It's up to the kernel.

> This also means limit what other plug-ins can currently do on user machines

Plug-ins are running native code.  They can't be limited unless you 
sandbox the process they're in completely (which typically breaks 
plug-ins; talk to Google about the pains they had to go to to sandbox 
Flash, even _with_ Adobe's cooperation).

> For example can Flash overcome this restriction and access the
> devices through the "file:" protocol ?

Of course, if the kernel exposes them as files.

-Boris