
I think my BBQ just offered to be my default browser? - Kroeler
https://twitter.com/kaydo/status/1259747848502960130
======
sholladay
I used to visit the iGrill website every couple of days and stress test my
product there during development.

I worked for Ai Squared on an app named Sitecues, which was a SaaS product
that companies would add to their website to improve their accessibility for
low vision users. We ran into a vast number of edge cases when trying to make
our JavaScript library compatible with all of our customers' websites, many of
whom had awful coding that we needed to handle gracefully (hacky CSS, old
versions of Prototype JS that override Object.prototype, and far, far worse).
One day I stumbled upon the iGrill website and found out that it exposed
practically every problem that we had seen scattered across various other
sites. It was so convenient that their website was so poorly coded that I
could stress test our app on their site and if it worked, well, "ship it!"

Looks like their site has had a few updates since then, but those were good
times.

~~~
komali2
How'd the company turned out? I'm pretty interested in accessible web dev and
have toyed with the idea of working on profiling tools, or maybe something to
show abled users just how shitty their site is to use with various access
tools.

~~~
sholladay
Ai Squared was great and that was my favorite job. The company had been around
for a while, with a rich history, and they made good products. Particularly
Sitecues, the division I worked in, had a good culture and product, which was
designed to modernize the company. We took our time to get the implementation
right and management supported us. Unfortunately, Sitecues had been burning
through the rest of the company's revenue. Right as we were starting to scale
and get customers left and right, some of the financial backers decided to
sell to a private equity firm. A few months later, days before Christmas, they
laid off everyone at Sitecues except for me and effectively shut it down. I
was kept on just to keep the servers running for a few more months, probably
to fulfill some contractual obligations. It was a disaster. Other parts of the
company were outsourced or merged into other companies, including Freedom
Scientific, which had long been "the enemy". They renamed the combined
organization to VFO, and later renamed again to Vispero. Now they focus on
profiting off of accessibility related lawsuits, which Sitecues had aimed to
prevent. It's disgusting. I would avoid doing business with Vispero or any of
their subsidiaries. The Sitecues source code is public on GitHub now, though,
since someone stopped paying the bills.

------
tdeck
For those curious about the technical details here, here's a dump of the
iGrill Android manifest (it's not XML because Android APKs contain a binary
manifest): [https://pastebin.com/fwbJ9TjD](https://pastebin.com/fwbJ9TjD)

It looks like this is the culprit:

    
    
        E: activity (line=48)
            A: android:theme(0x01010000)=@0x7f110149
            A: android:name(0x01010003)="com.weber.igrill.pages.splash.SplashActivity" (Raw: "com.weber.igrill.pages.splash.SplashActivity")
            A: android:screenOrientation(0x0101001e)=(type 0x10)0x1
            E: intent-filter (line=52)
              E: action (line=53)
                A: android:name(0x01010003)="android.intent.action.VIEW" (Raw: "android.intent.action.VIEW")
              E: category (line=55)
                A: android:name(0x01010003)="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" (Raw: "android.intent.category.BROWSABLE")
              E: data (line=57)
                A: android:scheme(0x01010027)="http" (Raw: "http")
    

This registers an intent filter for all HTTP (but not HTTPS) URLs. I would
expect it to require a DEFAULT category though, not sure what happens when
that's left out.

~~~
amelius
Does anyone else feel that editing these manifest files is like filling out
tax forms?

I personally can't blame them for getting this wrong if the development tools
don't provide adequate feedback.

~~~
WJW
It would be nicer if the tooling was better, but at the same time:

1\. Everyone else can apparently do it properly. 2\. They could have caught
this problem in testing.

It's just a case of a non-software company adding on an app as an
afterthought.

~~~
laumars
I wouldn’t be surprised if they just outsourced the app development to the
lowest bidder.

------
rhizome
Android is such a drag sometimes. Between mystery quirks like this, where I'm
sure someone who has been making Android apps for 6 years will be able to
explain it, and things like the absolute inability to override the order of
items in the sharing panel[1], such that Android will routinely topline
sharing to a contact you got one text message from three years ago.

"F.U., that's why" is the simplest conclusion I can draw. "Unpaid concept
testing" is the next simplest.

1\. [https://cdn57.androidauthority.net/wp-
content/uploads/2019/0...](https://cdn57.androidauthority.net/wp-
content/uploads/2019/09/android-10-sharing-menu-edit.jpg)

~~~
9nGQluzmnq3M
> the absolute inability to override the order of items in the sharing panel

As an extra F.U., it also _changes_ the list of contacts after a second. So I
try to tap on my wife, only to have it substituted with the plumber who came
once half a year ago... and this of course gets logged by the AI, ensuring the
plumber continues to hold pride of place in my contacts.

~~~
hnick
Is there an agreed upon name for this, where a website or app loads elements
piecemeal so we click the wrong thing by mistake?

I know it exists as an intentional dark pattern (so we just _think_ that's
what happened). But it also seems so common now across computing and it pisses
me off every time.

~~~
cubedrone
In my opinion, Windows search is the absolute most infuriating example of
this, compounded by how slow it is. Let's name it so we can shame it

~~~
hnick
Just yesterday I tried to type "Network and sharing center". Apparently it
does not exist in the index which is quite annoying, I have to click through
the control panel (after accidentally ending up on a web search). Windows 10
is an odd beast with multiple generations of UIs all nestled away.

~~~
HeWhoLurksLate
Trying to get to the network devies page is equally infuriating- it's under
network adapters and options in Control Panel, and may or may not actually be
accessible from the new Settings app- I don't remember.

~~~
2fast4you
Even better, try setting the dead zones on an XInput game pad. Off the top of
my head, it goes something like: “Settings” > “Bluetooth and other devices” >
“Printers and other devices“ > Right click your game pad > “Gamepad Settings”
> select your gamepad > “Ok” > “Deadzones”

~~~
ethbro
The really sad thing is that Windows has multiple accessibility layers for
every visual control (e.g. Active Accessibility).

So there is literally already a textual, and usually interpretable, path to
_any window_.

Apparently tying search into that made too much sense though, and so instead
we get a reinvented (slightly square) wheel.

------
RcouF1uZ4gsC
With all the sites with CPU intensive Javascript, my phone gets hot enough
that sometimes I feel my browser wants to be my default BBQ.

~~~
asplake
I’m getting this on CNN:
[https://twitter.com/asplake/status/1263907373825081344?s=21](https://twitter.com/asplake/status/1263907373825081344?s=21)

------
beervirus
What a crock of shit that grills are now IoT devices. The less of my life
that’s accessible on the Internet, the better.

~~~
crazygringo
I saw from another thread that this is actually for the temperature of a meat
thermometer, that you can constantly monitor and without having to open the
grill (which is undesirable).

So actually not a crock of shit, and pretty useful if you're grilling/smoking
over long periods of time before/during a big party or something. Not all
grilling is quick searing.

Sometimes new features aren't just gimmicks, you know?

~~~
youngNed
a guage. On the bbq lid. No, i can't check it while i sit inside, this is
true, there is, however a very good argument that says, maybe i shouldn't
actually be inside while the bbq is on though.

~~~
zerocrates
There's a barbecue recipe guy I like, big proponent of leave-in thermometers
(the kind with leads that snake outside the barbecue). He likes to say that
the in-lid thermometers are just fine, provided you're planning to eat the
lid.

I still probably wouldn't use an IoT one, though.

~~~
youngNed
i'm gonna level with you here, i've never eaten meat in my life, so am out of
my comfort zone here, but i can't help but feel from reading this that the HN
crowd have a propensity for over-engineering that is coming to the fore here.

Fire, knives and an apron with a pithy slogan - c'mon, how hard can it be?

~~~
sk5t
A business built to sell grill gadgets to the HN crowd sounds like a
guaranteed recipe for failure.

Anyhow, folks who are serious about preparing smoked brisket, ribs, etc., are
very particular about the temperature of both the air/smoke and the food. Two
thermometers and maybe a computer-controlled fan or damper are not far outside
the norm.

~~~
karatestomp
> A business built to sell grill gadgets to the HN crowd sounds like a
> guaranteed recipe for failure.

Haha, gadget as in IoT crap, maybe, but we're for-sure the market for:
aeropress, sous-vide devices (yes some do them DIY but...), dedicated pizza
ovens, and so on. You got a gadget to prepare food or drinks that already have
other ways to prepare them, HN's not a crazy place to market it. Bonus if it's
"sciency" or can be described as more "authentic".

But of course we're not like the stupid plebs falling for those silly devices
we _don 't_ like.

(mind, I'm far from immune to this, so I'm not just casting stones at
others—oh I _am_ getting one of those pizza ovens at some point. That's
happening.)

~~~
sk5t
Heh. I mean only that HN'ers are too fussy to sell to. People do indeed love
gadgets and other vehicles to try to fill the void. Why is why I intend to
build a domed brick and clay bread/pizza oven in the backyard when time and
knowledge permit...

------
aib
Okay, so an IoT BBQ is a useful thing.

How are we going to prevent every single useful thing from coming up with its
own crappy, poorly-maintained application? Because obviously having open
standards is not enough.

So far the solution we've come up with seems to be "wait until one or a few
companies dominate the market, come up with their own solution, and hope it's
an open one and/or others adopt it."

This particular app might not be crappy, but I think my question still stands.

~~~
jkcorrea
Is that necessarily something we want to prevent?

In the context of the early Web, should we have prevented any company from
making their own website? Enforced some standard for how your website UX
should work in the name of security and usability? Obviously not, as that
diversity has led to more, better choices over time, and in the end the better
UXs usually win out anyway.

Perhaps in a similar way, as Weber and other grill brands continue to sell
into the IoT space, competition will drive them to differentiate in UX on
their apps in addition to their hardware. Albeit at a slower pace given that
their hook is their hardware unlike a digital product where the website is
also usually the first impression.

~~~
ran3824692
> In the context of the early Web, should we have prevented any company from
> making their own website?

Well, websites are now a bundle of arbitrary remote code execution called
javascript, we didn't allow that, so by today's standards, ya we did.

> Enforced some standard for how your website UX should work in the name of
> security and usability?

Well, html, so ya, again, ya we did. And we could again. A lot of the
functionality of apps simply don't justify requiring you to run a program.

------
0xDEEPFAC
Some good replies:

"Comes with a built in firewall"

"*Default Braiser?"

"Still better than Internet Explorer!"

~~~
dillutedfixer
It's the hottest new browser on the market.

I'm here all week.

------
jameslk
Why does Weber have their own browser? Or is this one of those embedded
browsers in an app? If the latter, why do they need an embedded browser in
their app?

~~~
whalesalad
Have you ever used the kind of application that would be produced by a
barbeque grill manufacturer? I am not surprised it has an embedded web browser
and this type of misconfiguration in the bundle.

~~~
jameslk
No, I usually don't install apps for things like grills, refrigerators,
trashcans or other domestic objects since I can't imagine they'd offer me
anything obviously beneficial. I'm sure that's why I haven't enjoyed
experiences like this.

~~~
notkaiho
This. Sure, we can question why these kinds of apps get bundled with "internet
of things" devices, but it won't stop until we realise collectively we aren't
in fact better off with things listening to every word, reacting to every
move, recording everyone passing our house, etc.

~~~
abakker
Just makes me think of that Futurama episode where the robotic wash bucket
switches bodies with Amy...

------
tibbon
I am truly curious what happens if you hit yes

------
K0balt
I'll give you a heads up when my react project goes live. I can't help but
feel like it's going to be useful to you in that role.

------
pkaye
I think the iGrill lets you see the readings on the temperature probes.
Probably broadcasts it to your phone in the vicinity.

------
veeralpatel979
[https://mightyapp.com/](https://mightyapp.com/)

I think it would be incredibly cool if this tweet especially was turned into
reality:

[https://twitter.com/Suhail/status/1253781213363363840](https://twitter.com/Suhail/status/1253781213363363840)

------
paulie_a
Ever since Weber took it over the app is a piece of shit.

------
mech422
LOL - Just be glad it wasn't a keyboard device!

------
chadlavi
Holly shit, this is a friend of mine! Small world.

------
qbaqbaqba
Your BBQ has an android app?

------
dang
Url changed from
[https://twitter.com/caseorganic/status/1259858946917097473](https://twitter.com/caseorganic/status/1259858946917097473),
which points to this.

------
domnomnom
No way this isn't an ad.

~~~
petee
By collecting scorn on HN? This would be a terrible way to market a product

~~~
domnomnom
Not really, engineers don't actually care about security.

------
markrages
... and it's not the worst browser of the three.

------
airstrike
This is prime
[https://twitter.com/internetofshit](https://twitter.com/internetofshit)
material

~~~
na85
Frankly so is 98% of my interaction with technology on a daily basis.

------
nixpulvis
I'd be SOOO happy if my grill was _able_ to do this on iOS. Then I'd destroy
the grill.

------
pnako
I trust my BBQ more than any browser nowadays, so I would probably pick that.

~~~
downerending
If I have to choose between BBQ and the Web, I'll take BBQ.

~~~
Alupis
At least this is a "Web"-er Grill. Makes sense.

~~~
downerending
Take your upvote and get out.

