Almost a decade before I released the first version of Fiddler, I started work on my first app that survives to this day, SlickRun. SlickRun is a floating command line that can launch any app on your PC, as well as launching web applications and performing other simple and useful features, like showing battery, CPUContinue reading “QuickFix: Trivial Chrome Extensions”
Category Archives: tech
Passkeys – Syncable WebAuthN credentials
Passwords have lousy security properties, and if you try to use them securely (long, complicated, and different for every site), they often have horrible usability as well. Over the decades, the industry has slowly tried to shore up passwords’ security with multi-factor authentication (e.g. one-time codes via SMS, ToTP authenticators, etc) and usability improvements (e.g.Continue reading “Passkeys – Syncable WebAuthN credentials”
Understanding Browser Channels
Microsoft Edge (and upstream Chrome) is available in four different Channels: Stable, Beta, Dev, and Canary. The vast majority of Edge users run on the Stable Channel, but the three pre-Stable channels can be downloaded easily from microsoftedgeinsider.com. You can keep them around for testing if you like, or join the cool kids and setContinue reading “Understanding Browser Channels”
Certificate Revocation in Microsoft Edge
When you visit a HTTPS site, the server must present a certificate, signed by a trusted third-party (a Certificate Authority, aka CA), vouching for the identity of the bearer. The certificate contains an expiration date, and is considered valid until that date arrives. But what if the CA later realizes that it issued the certificateContinue reading “Certificate Revocation in Microsoft Edge”
New Recipes for 3rd Party Cookies
For privacy reasons, the web platform is moving away from supporting 3rd-party cookies, first with lockdowns, and eventually with removal of support in late 2023 the second half of 2024. Background: What Does “3rd-Party” Mean? A 3rd-party cookie is one that is set or sent from a 3rd-party context on a web page. A 3rd-partyContinue reading “New Recipes for 3rd Party Cookies”
Edge URL Schemes
The microsoft-edge: Application Protocol Microsoft Edge implements an Application Protocol with the scheme microsoft-edge: that is designed to launch Microsoft Edge and pass along a web-schemed URL and/or additional arguments. A basic invocation might be as simple as: microsoft-edge:http://example.com/ However, as is often the case with things I choose to write about, there’s a bitContinue reading “Edge URL Schemes”
Captive Portals
When you join a public WiFi network, sometimes you’ll notice that you have to accept “Terms of Use” or provide a password or payment to use the network. Your browser opens or navigates to a page that shows the network’s legal terms or web log on form, you fill it out, and you’re on yourContinue reading “Captive Portals”
“Batteries-Included” vs “Bloated”
Fundamentals are invisible. Features are controversial. One of the few common complaints against Microsoft Edge is that “It’s bloated– there’s too much stuff in it!” A big philosophical question for designers of popular software concerns whether the product should include features that might not be useful for everyone or even a majority of users. ThereContinue reading ““Batteries-Included” vs “Bloated””
Microsoft Edge Tips and Tricks
Last Updated: June 3, 2022. The intent of this post is to capture a list of non-obvious features of the browser that might be useful to you. Q: How do I find the tab playing audio? It’s cool that Microsoft Edge shows the volume icon in the tab playing music and I can click toContinue reading “Microsoft Edge Tips and Tricks”
Losing your cookies
“My browser lost its cookies” has long been one of the most longstanding Support complaints in the history of browsers. Unfortunately, the reason that it has been such a longstanding issue is that it’s not the result of a single problem, and if the problem is intermittent (as it often is), troubleshooting the root causeContinue reading “Losing your cookies”
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