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It's more useful to go the other way. Generate a QR code (with a url & certificate) on your smartphone, and scan that from a desktop to log in. Only problem is nobody is writing PC software anymore, so even finding decent QR code scanner software for a desktop computer is troublesome these days.

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I disagree. Going that way you can use pretty much any device with web browser to log into. Desktop, laptop, iPad or even your fridge, if it has browser built in. Mac/Linux/Windows - it doesn't matter. There is need for any additional software, also no need for built-in webcam.

"Only problem is nobody is writing PC software anymore"

Huh?

Nobody is writing Windows or Mac software anymore.

That is a completely ridiculous statement with no basis in reality.

When you search for QR scanning software there are 45 options for iOS, and only 2 for MacOS one of which is an Air app and the other costs $30 and is proprietary and they both suck.

That says very little about whether people are still writing software for Windows and Macs in general and quite a lot about the use case of QR codes for mobile devices vs desktops.

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