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JavaScript enabled pop-up ads, it enables tracking, it enables coinminers and other malware Isn’t this like saying atoms are to blame for nuclear warfare? Atom

JavaScript enabled pop-up ads, it enables tracking, it enables coinminers and other malware Isn’t this like saying atoms are to blame for nuclear warfare? Atoms enabled nuclear weapons?

kgwxd 7y ago
JavaScript isn't from nature. It could have been designed so that it didn't enable those things, but it wasn't. It's probably more accurate to say the ability browsers grant JavaScript is to blame, but that's just splitting atoms.
- lukevp 7y ago
  It's not possible for a system that can communicate remotely to prevent tracking on some level by using unique IDs and fingerprinting even without JS. It's also not possible to have a programming language that can't also be used as a coin miner, it's just a CPU based operation and there's no way to discriminate between user desired computation and exploitative computation. Your point about pop up ads is valid in that JS does not need to be able to influence the state of the browser in that way, this is the only example that crosses outside of the sandbox.
  - csande17 7y ago
    I really, really want to see someone write a coin-miner using only HTML and CSS.
  - inimino 7y ago
    > It's also not possible to have a programming language that can't also be used as a coin miner It's certainly possible.
mikeash 7y ago
Yes, if the world had functioned just fine without atoms, and then atoms were invented and foisted on everyone for little gain.