I know terrible, awful bugs eventually doomed WebSQL from getting any traction and IndexedDB seems to be a more competent replacement, but the fact that Google is leaning on FSA seems like a non-starter.
It just feels like there's no way in hell Webkit will ever implement this stuff - not because of the divide between the App Store and PWA's - but due to the implications for privacy.
I’m not sure exactly what your reliability question is about. I haven’t actually used the file system API I posted, probably same as you I’m waiting for it to ship outside of Chromium.
On the subject of WebKit, IndexedDB bugs are also pretty bad especially on iOS; we have debated about turning off IndexedDB write buffering in Safari and just do in-memory there. The best thing to do on Apple platforms is to make the app they’re trying to force you to make. Then you can make a little adapter so your web app can write to disk using SQLite and enjoy a nice relational API without needing to worry about the whims of the browser.
From the people who have used it, does it do what it says on the tin?
If it's the only real option and it's half baked (performance-wise), fine, but I'd be really concerned if the replacement for buggy code didn't actually do what was promised.
On the plus side, SQLite seems to be pretty stable on iOS, so at least there's a chance of it working out.
I know terrible, awful bugs eventually doomed WebSQL from getting any traction and IndexedDB seems to be a more competent replacement, but the fact that Google is leaning on FSA seems like a non-starter.
It just feels like there's no way in hell Webkit will ever implement this stuff - not because of the divide between the App Store and PWA's - but due to the implications for privacy.
Hard pass.