Currently in our web based software we use applets and NPAPI to communicate with various local devices.

But NPAPI will be deprecated in Google Chrome, see http://blog.chromium.org/2013/09/saying-goodbye-to-our-old-friend-npapi.html.

In Chrome on Linux NPAPI is not supported anymore since version 35; Chrome on Windows to follow later this year, and other browsers possibly to follow.

What alternatives are there? We are especially worried about UZI pass login (UZI pass is a government supported authentication / authorisation using a card reader and personal card for medical professionals, see http://www.uziregister.nl/uzipas/).

Also printing and some medical devices (Spida / Spirometer).

Any suggestions welcome!