[gizmogwai]

The only, and still unmatched, advantage of using applets was having access to external devices, such as smart card readers, in order to be used with eID, for example. This is not possible with this plugin. The only interest would be for some old applets you don't have sources anymore and aren't techie enough to use a decompiler to retrieve some codebase to work with.

[spankalee]

Web USB: https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2016/03/access-usb... WebB

Web Bluetooth: https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2015/07/interact-w...

and Web NFC: https://w3c.github.io/web-nfc/

should start making a dent in hardware access.

[admax88q]

In 10 more years we'll almost be where applets where 10 years ago!

Except now in a slower single threaded language with a worse GUI toolkit.

[yoz-y]

If I had to pick only one flaw in Java. It would be its horrible and ugly GUI. I mean... it managed to make anything ugly.

I agree with the broader point that web tech is basically playing catchup with years of lag compared to existing technologies. However the one benefit we get from all this is real security and true universal runtime.

[copperx]

I remember that the official Microsoft JVM (which was quickly discontinued) used native Windows GUI controls to display the Java UI, and then later, the JVM on Mac OS X displayed Swing(?) apps with native controls. I thought it was all very neat, but against the interests of the companies.

[yoz-y]

Java applications on mac had a very uncanny way of showing native controls. It is a bit like Qt, it kind of looks like a knock-off - elements are out of alignment, weirdly sized and so on.

[lotsofcows]

UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());

Wonder what the returns in their Java>JavaScript framework?

[skybrian]

I don't know about that. Modern HTML apps can easily render things that Swing never could back then.

[bastawhiz]

And a fraction of the security problems? Nobody misses the Sun update dialog.

[candiodari]

None of which are a standard or work on a general web browser. Hell, none of those work without specific command line switches even on Chrome.

[sigi45]

I don't think its an advantage. You need to install java on your pc and allow the java plugin full access to your device.

[copperx]

Not to mention it's insanely hard to get the plugin working, and when an update is out, the plugin will refuse to run your applet until you upgrade. Java continues to be a pain in the ass.