[shkkmo]

> Imagine you're someone who just wants to play around with cool web technologies. Maybe you're fairly new to web dev;

Then... you can do it on localhost. I can't really image the new web dev that is using separate computer on their local network as a dev server but can't figure out how to get a Let's Encrypt cert to use.

[oefrha]

False. Usually it’s just as easy if not easier to configure your dev server to listen on 0.0.0.0 instead of 127.0.0.1, and these days most sites are mobile first, so it’s very natural to develop on your computer and test on a phone in the same LAN. Figuring out accessing your computer via 192.168.0.x is way easier than figuring out how to issue a LE cert (the easy part) and use it on your dev server (the hard part).

Before you mention mobile device simulation in desktop browsers, I’ll point out that mobile browsers often have quirks that are not present in desktop browser simulations. For instance, mobile Safari is subtly different from desktop Safari responsive design mode in many ways, and the only way that I know to actually simulate mobile Safari is with full-blown Simulator.app.

[shkkmo]

> Figuring out accessing your computer via 192.168.0.x is way easier than figuring out how to issue a LE cert (the easy part) and use it on your dev server (the hard part).

It really isn't that hard. I still can't imagine this hypothetical "new dev" who is doing cross-browser testing of this specific feature but can't install a simple SSL cert or get help doing so.

This isn't a barrier for entry to new developers, this is a specific use case that requires learning a minor, otherwise useful skill to get around. I think that is a totally reasonable trade-off.