Opera announces specification for File I/O access in widgets

By Chris Mills

Web applications have historically had very little access to data stored on the device they are running on - this model is secure, but limits the power of developers trying to create cutting edge "hybrid" applications that draw functionality in from both the desktop and the Web.

This is all changing however - Opera has stepped up to the plate with the draft specification for File I/O access in widgets , soon to be published on the W3C, which provides this power. This allows widgets to securely access the device and its data, opening up new possibilities for web applications.

Sounds exciting? You can try it today! Download an experimental Opera build containing an early version of the File I/O APIs and start writing cool stuff with them. You can view the full documentation , examples are available here to provide inspiration.

Note: This is an experimental technology preview build, so use it at your own risk. While it is based on an interim snapshot of Opera 9.5 it does not constitute an indication of what features and functionality will be present in Opera 9.5 Final release.

We'd love to hear your feedback on this new release. Feel free to start some discussions and leave feedback at the Opera forums .

Chris Mills is a web technologist, open standards evangelist and education agitator, currently working at Opera Software in the developer relations team. He spends most of his time writing articles about web standards for dev.opera.com and other publications (such as .net mag and A List Apart), giving talks at universities and industry conferences, and lobbying universities to improve their web education courses. He believes that education is the answer to everything, but in particular he is passionate about using education to improve the overall content quality, accessibility, usability and future-viability of the Web.

He is the creator of the Opera Web standards curriculum, contributor to the WaSP InterACT project, and coauthor of InterACT with web standards: A Holistic Approach to Web Design. In August 2011, he also accepted the position of co-chair of the newly-formed Web Education Community Group.

Outside work he is a heavy metal drummer, proud father of three and lover of good beer.


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