Is there really a divergence though? Or is this just another way to run a program?
Relatedly, I think others in this thread are forgetting why exactly ActiveX was not a good thing.
To me, this is more analogous to XUL: an open-specced, open-source way to do something new in a browser that no other browser vendor ever implements. XUL didn't hurt the web (though it certainly still gives Firefox addons a competitive advantage), and -- at least as long as native client isn't adopted by other vendors -- I don't really see this hurting the web either.
Relatedly, I think others in this thread are forgetting why exactly ActiveX was not a good thing.
To me, this is more analogous to XUL: an open-specced, open-source way to do something new in a browser that no other browser vendor ever implements. XUL didn't hurt the web (though it certainly still gives Firefox addons a competitive advantage), and -- at least as long as native client isn't adopted by other vendors -- I don't really see this hurting the web either.
Meanwhile, I'm going to keep writing javascript.