I've been exploring Chrome's Shape Detection API and its potential, even creating a QR code detector with a JS polyfill. While I appreciate the API, I'm more impressed by libraries like Jeeliz, which offer faster face detection and broader cross-platform compatibility via WebGL and WASM. This tech allows for augmented reality experiences without large app downloads and data harvesting. There are numerous practical applications for this technology, from text selection and translation to product search and accessibility features. I believe the web is ideal for such experiences, and although I appreciate the native Shape Detection API, its inconsistencies across platforms raise questions about the need for native implementations when web-based solutions using WebGL and WASM can offer better consistency and reach.
In this post, I explore importing npm modules into web projects using ES6 modules. I needed a quick way to use the 'get-urls' npm module in my ES6 project without resorting to CommonJS bundling. My solution involves creating a wrapper file to import the module, using Rollup to handle Node globals and builtins, converting to ES modules via the CommonJS plugin, and finally, including the bundled file. This highlights a larger issue: much of the Node ecosystem, though not inherently Node-specific, is tightly coupled with it through CommonJS and APIs like 'Buffer' and the old 'URL.' Transitioning to ubiquitous ES modules will require effort and potentially be painful. Until the ecosystem adapts, we'll rely on conversion tools and bundlers for cross-platform code sharing. While using '.mjs' as a standard extension is promising, the lack of infrastructure recognizing it as 'text/javascript' necessitates further server-side configuration, which adds complexity.
Sharing content between web and apps is difficult due to platform incompatibility. Android's intent system offers a potential solution, but it lacks portability. This post explores a workaround for sharing actions, using a server-side redirect to handle intent URLs for Android users while providing a fallback to a web service like Twitter for other platforms. This approach allows cross-platform functionality while leveraging Android's intent system when available.
Microsoft is bringing a subset of the .NET Framework, including C# and VB.NET support, to the Mac platform via WPF/E. This goes beyond the JavaScript engine also included with WPF/E, allowing for richer and more complex applications.
