Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the "local file access" that Chromium offers and that Safari lacks.
With better browser support for the File System Access API, web applications that store their data in files might become a common thing.
Currently, when building a web application, you usually build some backend system that lets the user log in and then stores the data. Or you use IndexedDB and let the browser handle it. In both cases, the user does not have good access to the data.
If instead on the first run, the application asked the user "Where do you want to store the data" and the user selects a file or a directory, that puts the user in full control.
Then they later can backup the data however they like, edit it with other tools, version it etc etc.
The browser is an awesome platform. I love to write local tools in HTML. It is just so easy to tweak browser based applications to your needs. Open the html file, change a line or two, save - boom! you got what you want.
> If instead on the first run, the application asked the user "Where do you want to store the data" and the user selects a file or a directory, that puts the user in full control.
It doesn't, not realy.
Both Safari and Firefox are now very wary and weary of asking the user for anything. There are so many things browsers already ask the user for: camera, location, notifications, microphone... In case of Chrome, additionally: USB, Serial, HID, ...
All the discussions about such features inevitably boil down: it's impossible to properly explain to the user what the hell is going on and what the implications are. At one point the user will just click "ok" without reading.
With better browser support for the File System Access API, web applications that store their data in files might become a common thing.
Currently, when building a web application, you usually build some backend system that lets the user log in and then stores the data. Or you use IndexedDB and let the browser handle it. In both cases, the user does not have good access to the data.
If instead on the first run, the application asked the user "Where do you want to store the data" and the user selects a file or a directory, that puts the user in full control.
Then they later can backup the data however they like, edit it with other tools, version it etc etc.
The browser is an awesome platform. I love to write local tools in HTML. It is just so easy to tweak browser based applications to your needs. Open the html file, change a line or two, save - boom! you got what you want.