Re: Use-case for consideration, which will be difficult post-NPAPI
I would look over the discussion in https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=988781 regarding future SC support via the WebCrypto JS APIs. I would hope that having a W3C spec for a smartcard API would encourage a common, cross-browser way to do this without plugins or addons. /a On 6/25/15 22:29, James May wrote: Have you considered using a local web server? That way you can use any native code you want, and it's a reasonably common approach. On many platforms you can even use socket activation to avoid the need for a always running server process. On 25 June 2015 at 21:04, Alex Taylor alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk wrote: Good morning. I have a use-case which will be difficult to reproduce in the post-NPAPI world: The use-case is a Java/NPAPI applet which uses the javax.smartcardio library to communicate with USB-connected contactless smartcard readers, from a web-page. Extremely useful functionality for our customers. Currently the applet will work in Firefox, Chrome and IE. With the deprecation of NPAPI, we are looking into ways to continue offering that functionality, and need to continue to target all three of those browsers if possible. For Chrome, I have looked into re-implementing the Java applet as a Chrome App, or using NaCl/PPAPI etc. I have not found any equivalent technology for Firefox as yet. Chrome Apps can connect to USB ports via the chrome.usb API, but there is currently no implementation of PC/SC for it (the smartcard access specifications that javax.smartcardio is also built on). Due to time constraints, re-implementing PC/SC ourselves is an option we would only choose as a last resort. In any case, that would only solve the problem for Chrome, not Firefox. Unfortunately, no technology I have looked into so far to solve this problem is able to offer the cross-browser support that Java/NPAPI enjoyed, and has an available PC/SC library. I flag this use-case for consideration in a future web-platform. I am sure we are not the only company who have combined smartcard io functionality with the web, and wish to continue doing so. If anyone knows of any technology or open-source project which might be useful for this situation, please let me know. Alex Taylor | Lead Developer [logo-291px] T: +44 (0)1753 27 99 27tel:+441753279927 | DD: +44 (0)1753 378 144tel: +441753378144 E: alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.ukmailto: alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk | Lync: alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk sip:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk W: www.referencepoint.co.ukhttp://www.referencepoint.co.uk/ A: Reference Point Limited, Technology House, 2-4 High Street, Chalfont St. Peter, Gerrards Cross, SL9 9QA Right People. Right Skills. Right Place. Right Time. Registered in England No. 02156356 ___ dev-platform mailing list dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-platform ___ dev-platform mailing list dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-platform -- Adam Roach Principal Platform Engineer a...@mozilla.com +1 650 903 0800 x863 ___ dev-platform mailing list dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-platform
RE: Use-case for consideration, which will be difficult post-NPAPI
Adam – Thanks for that. Yes, including PC/SC in WebCrypto or another JS API would be ideal. Also hopefully FireBreath 2.0 will provide a useable cross-browser abstraction for the various new proprietary extension technologies, at which point using something like Adrian Castillo’s Smart Card Browser Plugin would become a possibility again. I don’t see that happening for a while though. Until then we may have to look at a thick-client/web-service solution as a fall-back, as we’ve done in the past. James – Using a local web server isn’t really an option in the environments we target, but thanks for the idea. Regards, Alex From: Adam Roach [mailto:a...@mozilla.com] Sent: 26 June 2015 07:05 To: James May; Alex Taylor Cc: dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org Subject: Re: Use-case for consideration, which will be difficult post-NPAPI I would look over the discussion in https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=988781 regarding future SC support via the WebCrypto JS APIs. I would hope that having a W3C spec for a smartcard API would encourage a common, cross-browser way to do this without plugins or addons. /a On 6/25/15 22:29, James May wrote: Have you considered using a local web server? That way you can use any native code you want, and it's a reasonably common approach. On many platforms you can even use socket activation to avoid the need for a always running server process. On 25 June 2015 at 21:04, Alex Taylor alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.ukmailto:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk wrote: Good morning. I have a use-case which will be difficult to reproduce in the post-NPAPI world: The use-case is a Java/NPAPI applet which uses the javax.smartcardio library to communicate with USB-connected contactless smartcard readers, from a web-page. Extremely useful functionality for our customers. Currently the applet will work in Firefox, Chrome and IE. With the deprecation of NPAPI, we are looking into ways to continue offering that functionality, and need to continue to target all three of those browsers if possible. For Chrome, I have looked into re-implementing the Java applet as a Chrome App, or using NaCl/PPAPI etc. I have not found any equivalent technology for Firefox as yet. Chrome Apps can connect to USB ports via the chrome.usb API, but there is currently no implementation of PC/SC for it (the smartcard access specifications that javax.smartcardio is also built on). Due to time constraints, re-implementing PC/SC ourselves is an option we would only choose as a last resort. In any case, that would only solve the problem for Chrome, not Firefox. Unfortunately, no technology I have looked into so far to solve this problem is able to offer the cross-browser support that Java/NPAPI enjoyed, and has an available PC/SC library. I flag this use-case for consideration in a future web-platform. I am sure we are not the only company who have combined smartcard io functionality with the web, and wish to continue doing so. If anyone knows of any technology or open-source project which might be useful for this situation, please let me know. Alex Taylor | Lead Developer [logo-291px] T: +44 (0)1753 27 99 27tel:+441753279927tel:+441753279927 | DD: +44 (0)1753 378 144tel:tel:+441753378144 +441753378144tel:+441753378144 E: alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.ukmailto:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.ukmailto:mailto:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.ukmailto:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk | Lync: alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.ukmailto:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk sip:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.ukmailto:sip:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk W: www.referencepoint.co.ukhttp://www.referencepoint.co.ukhttp://www.referencepoint.co.uk/http://www.referencepoint.co.uk/ A: Reference Point Limited, Technology House, 2-4 High Street, Chalfont St. Peter, Gerrards Cross, SL9 9QA Right People. Right Skills. Right Place. Right Time. Registered in England No. 02156356 ___ dev-platform mailing list dev-platform@lists.mozilla.orgmailto:dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-platform ___ dev-platform mailing list dev-platform@lists.mozilla.orgmailto:dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-platform -- Adam Roach Principal Platform Engineer a...@mozilla.commailto:a...@mozilla.com +1 650 903 0800 x863 ___ dev-platform mailing list dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-platform
Re: Use-case for consideration, which will be difficult post-NPAPI
Have you considered using a local web server? That way you can use any native code you want, and it's a reasonably common approach. On many platforms you can even use socket activation to avoid the need for a always running server process. On 25 June 2015 at 21:04, Alex Taylor alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk wrote: Good morning. I have a use-case which will be difficult to reproduce in the post-NPAPI world: The use-case is a Java/NPAPI applet which uses the javax.smartcardio library to communicate with USB-connected contactless smartcard readers, from a web-page. Extremely useful functionality for our customers. Currently the applet will work in Firefox, Chrome and IE. With the deprecation of NPAPI, we are looking into ways to continue offering that functionality, and need to continue to target all three of those browsers if possible. For Chrome, I have looked into re-implementing the Java applet as a Chrome App, or using NaCl/PPAPI etc. I have not found any equivalent technology for Firefox as yet. Chrome Apps can connect to USB ports via the chrome.usb API, but there is currently no implementation of PC/SC for it (the smartcard access specifications that javax.smartcardio is also built on). Due to time constraints, re-implementing PC/SC ourselves is an option we would only choose as a last resort. In any case, that would only solve the problem for Chrome, not Firefox. Unfortunately, no technology I have looked into so far to solve this problem is able to offer the cross-browser support that Java/NPAPI enjoyed, and has an available PC/SC library. I flag this use-case for consideration in a future web-platform. I am sure we are not the only company who have combined smartcard io functionality with the web, and wish to continue doing so. If anyone knows of any technology or open-source project which might be useful for this situation, please let me know. Alex Taylor | Lead Developer [logo-291px] T: +44 (0)1753 27 99 27tel:+441753279927 | DD: +44 (0)1753 378 144tel: +441753378144 E: alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.ukmailto: alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk | Lync: alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk sip:alex.tay...@referencepoint.co.uk W: www.referencepoint.co.ukhttp://www.referencepoint.co.uk/ A: Reference Point Limited, Technology House, 2-4 High Street, Chalfont St. Peter, Gerrards Cross, SL9 9QA Right People. Right Skills. Right Place. Right Time. Registered in England No. 02156356 ___ dev-platform mailing list dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-platform ___ dev-platform mailing list dev-platform@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-platform
