Hardware Communication in Modern Web Applications with Hansy Schmitt
Summary of episode #37 of the Angularidades podcast
Listen to the entire conversation in Spanish with Hansy Schmitt on Spotify, YouTube, and other podcast platforms.
This episode welcomes Hansy Schmitt, a software engineer from Ica, Peru, who is specialized in Flutter and experienced in programming languages like Go, Java, Python, and JavaScript, and also in Bluetooth technology. Hansy is passionate about gadgets and classic video games and is significantly involved in the software development community as a co-organizer of the GDG Cloud Lima and Flutter Ica.
During the conversation, Hansy explores some of the challenges software developers face, particularly regarding compatibility and security when integrating hardware devices using Web APIs like the Web Bluetooth API, Web HID API, and Web USB API into modern web applications.
Topics covered
- Development of web applications integrated with specialized hardware.
- Advantages of using Flutter for hardware applications.
- Integration of video game consoles with web applications.
The conversation covers the role of experimental technologies that are still limited in availability but key in enhancing user experiences across various devices without the need for installing proprietary drivers. Hansy emphasizes the potential of the web to achieve what Java once aimed for — universal compatibility across all devices, which he describes as one of the web’s greatest achievements.
Hansy shares his insights on developing interactive experiences using HTML, CSS, and modern JavaScript frameworks like Angular. He talks about one of his ongoing projects that involves a database for simulating hardware devices, which allows developers to interact with simulated devices via web applications, facilitating rapid development and testing without the logistical and financial burdens of physical device distribution.
The episode concludes with a discussion on the potential of web applications to revolutionize how developers utilize hardware, moving away from traditional app stores and towards more flexible, web-based approaches that cater to a wide array of devices and platforms.
Takeaways
- Web technologies like the Web Bluetooth API, Web HID API, and Web USB API allow the integration of known and non-standard devices into web applications.
- The direct interaction with Bluetooth devices via web applications facilitates rapid prototyping and development without the need for mobile or desktop apps.
- Developers must be aware of the challenges in debugging hardware connection issues, such as sudden disconnections and corrupted data, with vague error messages in browsers.
- Developer tools like DevTools are important for troubleshooting device errors when using hardware Web APIs.
- Flutter provides advantages in terms of portability when developing applications that communicate with hardware devices.
- Video game consoles offer significant potential for integration with web applications and give many opportunities for hardware development innovation.
Stay tuned and check out who is getting interviewed for future episode releases at https://twitter.com/angularidades or LinkedIn.
