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Comment by chromedev | Hacker News Reader

Finally, we can have a local markdown editor with live preview. I just hope it can read files and folders in a particular directory as well, with permission of course.

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Not sure why you would say that. Maybe try some vscode extensions such as "Markdown Preview Enhanced" or "Markdown All In One"? Those works both offline and local.

The main selling point would be if it works on my mobile. Vscode in its current form with plugins doesn't.

Why would you want to edit code on your mobile locally?

I set up my phone to code recently and the first thing I did was set up my editor to connect to a remote server.

Editing local files seems counter productive since you would think you would be doing most of your development not on a phone.

I don't but I use vscode for note taking. Chrome is cross platform and widely used so it would be easy for me to develop a standalone web app that works on most of my devices. I can sync the directory containing my data with self hosted next cloud.

There are other one time use cases where I don't want to install a native app. Sqooshy app is one. Maybe I want to make data extraction easier for someone with directory of old clunky pdf files. They don't need to download an app for that. Also Linux is a bit broken with sandboxing right now compared to browser.

I started using this: https://foambubble.github.io/foam/

I use markor for android markdown note taking. Apache license, simple, works on files, also useful for todo.txt

https://gsantner.net/project/markor.html?source=inapp_more_h...

VS Code sucks and if I were to go the route of a different app there are lot better options out there for markdown editing. This feature has a lot of amazing potential, but some people like the Apple-model so much that they'd prefer only being told what they are allowed to do.

As a counter opinion I would posit that VS Code is probably the most well written piece of widely-used software written in the last decade.

If you don't like the editing options, you've either not tried all the various plugins options available or you are too lazy or not interested enough to make your own.

> VS Code is probably the most well written piece of widely-used software written in the last decade.

You're entitled to your opinions, but I think your judgement is skewed.

chromedev thinks judgement for MS praise is skewed. Everyone should follow chromedev's judgement. Surely it isn't skewed. chromedev's judgement.

VS Code is solid. I still prefer TextMate on a Mac, but on windows 10, VS Code is by far the best.

    This feature has a lot of amazing potential

Lots of potential for abuse, especially. Any API introduced into an industry-controlling browser granting too many local privileges seems absolutely wild given that the Internet's full of people trying new and creative ways to scam, hack, or otherwise inconvenience end users.

As someone with professional experience in web security, this API is like a nightmare come true.

This is "Open File" and "Save File" taken API form. Right now web apps can already read and save files with uploads and downloads. This just allows the user to pass a file descriptor to the app rather than a copy of the file's contents.

"Don't use a web app that has an extremely constrained permissions model and only has access to the files you explicitly grant it using the file picker, use a native app that has unconstrained access to everything!"

That is what I was wondering, if you could grant it access to read/write to a specific folder.

Sounds like the plan is to make Chrome the OS. Native apps already do things like that.

Native apps are really poor at collaboration and composition. School districts around the world are effortlessly doing distance learning by giving parents and kids URLs, which open Web based editors, science experiments, music and art 'web apps', etc all at one click, without worry about whether the kids own iPhones or Android, or desktops, and whether or not they can install it, or have it installed.

Any solution that requires you to write a multipage doc for parents and kids, to go follow two different sets of rules depending on devices and install 2 dozen apps, just so they can take class at home, is a non-starter for school districts.

A link is all you need with the Web for most things. No install. No uninstall. No worry about OS.

Ever since the fanboyism between mobile platforms started, people have started worshipping at the church of the native app, which is say, before the Web once broke us away finally from Windows, and now we're back asking people to install heavyweight native apps for things like "Order a Burger" or "Pay a Parking Meter"

And that is how Linux became irrelevant on the desktop.

Modern native apps support links, by the way, they just need to be explicitly enabled.

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/allowing_app...

https://developer.android.com/training/app-links/deep-linkin...

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/launch-resume/w...

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