Well, presumably there may be valid use cases for WebGL applications or games behaving differently according to specific vendors/drivers.

It feels like something that needs to be asked permission for, however, so it can’t be used for nefarious purposes.

...I don't know. I realize this is an entirely subjective view of what a web page should be, but I just don't think any website should know the intricacies of my hardware. The web is a low-friction, low-trust environment; installing a desktop app has more friction, but it also acts as a signal of greater trust.

If a website ever really needs to know my hardware, it can ask me to choose from a drop-down. A lot of users won't know what hardware they have—but, those users are also unlikely to understand the implications of a hardware-detection permission prompt.

I mean, it's the usual duality. If a browser is for browsing documents, then of course you don't need that. And if a browser is a method for running arbitrary applications pseudo-safely, then it absolutely should be doing that.

The web APIs seem to be filled with features that in theory could be useful but you would have to do some serious hunting to find a legitimate user while you are flooded with examples of evil uses.

Firefox removed the battery API for this. In theory you could do something like show a stripped down site for low power users or something but it was only ever used for tracking.

While browsers have been used for a lot now, gaming seems like the one place we have seen virtually no use outside of random 2D games. I doubt there is a single web game that actually makes useful use of the gpu vendor details.

The problem with limiting browser features is that it makes web apps less competitive with apps on propertiary platforms. I agree not all websites should have access to battery API, but the user should decide on that, not a browser vendor. The same goes for all other limitations imposed.

I think the sane argument here is for sensible defaults. Leaving all those switches turned on is just opening the door for adtech. The set of information that's made available out of the box should be small, and if you need to access information about my graphics card, you can ask for it.

I think this only works if the average consumer can assess what is being asked for, though. “Do you want to let this website know what hardware you have?” is not a simple question.

“What is hardware?”

“Should I let a game know my hardware? Should I let a news website know my hardware?”

It is a discussion how to do it right. And surely, if propertiary platforms can do it, browsers can do it too. Especially propertiary platform app has permission to the system data enabled on default. Browser asking for it, would make web apps safer than native ones

If one does not understand what they are being asked to consent to, they are incapable of giving informed consent.

> Right, and so browsers need to fix this!

Makes sense to me. There are a lot of legitimate reasons software on your computer might need to know it's in a VM or what the limits of your VR engine are.