5 ms·
There's a solution to both: 1. Not make web browser general-purpose runtimes for arbitrary software. 2. OS builds a general-purposes runtime that's completely
by mywittyname 27d ago
There's a solution to both:
1. Not make web browser general-purpose runtimes for arbitrary software.
2. OS builds a general-purposes runtime that's completely sandboxed. So users can run more complex software without needing to worry about cruft being installed on their system.
Unfortunately, browser builders have decided that web browsers are #2.
- Rohansi 27d agoWhat is the practical difference if the OS provides your general-purpose sandboxed runtime instead of the browser? The browser is already a product being developed by the same organization as the OS for a significant chunk of people. iOS -> Safari Android -> Chrome Windows -> Edge (based on Chromium, so fixes in Edge make their way into Chrome too)
- Delk 23d agoThe sandboxed application would be something you explicitly chose to run. When the browser is the platform, every web page you visit has access to the general-purpose runtime. (Of course permission checks e.g. for microphones exist.)
- Rohansi 23d agoWhy do you still need an explicit install step if everything is correctly sandboxed? If your only answer is you don't trust the sandbox then you shouldn't trust the one provided by the OS, either. Your browser's sandbox is tested way more than anything else.