4 ms·

I'd like to say that ship has sailed, but in this case it's more like the last rocket launched, Krypton was destroyed, and the last partisans of NoScript are tr

I'd like to say that ship has sailed, but in this case it's more like the last rocket launched, Krypton was destroyed, and the last partisans of NoScript are trapped in the Dark Zone, or whatever the thing with General Zod was called. Not that big of a Superman fan.

standardUser 6y ago
Though if some people want to make websites for the 0.4% of clients that won't allow JavaScript to load, I hope they enjoy their niche hobby.
sevenf0ur 6y ago
Yup, not enabling javascript is akin to using an outdated browser for better or for worse.
- ducttapecrown 6y ago
  Disabling Javascript makes video game wikis, recipe webpages and news articles far more usable for me. The primary content of these pages is text written in HTML, and leaving Javascript on means that the ads will make the webpage clunky, scroll badly and occasionally consume enough memory to crash the tab.
  - dmortin 6y ago
    But the sites need revenue too, so the way to make ads go away is coming up with a ubiquitous micropayment system which can compensate the site editors if no ad is shown.
    - beervirus 6y ago
      That's fine. If someone builds that, I'll sign up. In the meantime, their need for revenue is not my problem. I do not feel bad about preventing their ads, trackers, and malware from consuming my battery and bandwidth.
- Lukas_Skywalker 6y ago
  Disabling JS protects you from cross site scripting, invasive tracking and cryptominers though. So there‘s definitely a plus. I would like to know the percentage of sites that use JS for actually improving the user experience (e.g. voting not requiring a page reload on HN) vs. those where it‘s just a gimmick (e.g. „want to talk?“ popup). I expect the majority to fall in the second category. So I applaud every effort of websites getting rid of their JS. Disclaimer: I have JS enabled.
- superkuh 6y ago
  Leaving javascript running is akin to opening every email attachment you get.
norenh 6y ago
I am one of those dinosaurs that still surf with javascript (mostly) disabled. I use uMatrix to control where I accept it from and my default is to allow none to load. A remarkable amount of sites still work and you will always need to load some to get certain functions to work. However, I am always amazed how lazy devs are when it comes to purely informational sites as there should be no need to require javascript. Sure, it might help with certain cosmetics but the people who disable javascript rarely care about cosmetics (it is nice, sure, but if you cannot view the site without enabling a bunch of untrusted code to run on you computer then I really must want to visit it to enable it and reload the page). Hackernews, LWN, arstechnica are all sites that works really well without javascript enabled (ars needs it for comments, but I rarely comment so if I want to I can enable then). Reddit and many more sites somewhat needs to it but you can usually see the interesting bits without it, so if you are invested or a common visitor it is easy to enable the few needed. If you are directing your content towards the technical community, my advise would be to definitely test it without Javascript, preferably in a text only browser also. It does not need to look super pretty in these modes, but it should work. This is probably also a good foundation to provide the content to groups that uses accessibility software (think blind), but I do not know how well those tools handle JavaScript-dependant content.
- hundchenkatze 6y ago
  You can access Ars' comments without JS by using the forum. https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewforum.php?f=2 https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewforum.php?f=2
  - norenh 6y ago
    Thanks! That is really helpful!

standardUser 6y ago

Though if some people want to make websites for the 0.4% of clients that won't allow JavaScript to load, I hope they enjoy their niche hobby.

sevenf0ur 6y ago

Yup, not enabling javascript is akin to using an outdated browser for better or for worse.

ducttapecrown 6y ago
Disabling Javascript makes video game wikis, recipe webpages and news articles far more usable for me. The primary content of these pages is text written in HTML, and leaving Javascript on means that the ads will make the webpage clunky, scroll badly and occasionally consume enough memory to crash the tab.
- dmortin 6y ago
  But the sites need revenue too, so the way to make ads go away is coming up with a ubiquitous micropayment system which can compensate the site editors if no ad is shown.
  - beervirus 6y ago
    That's fine. If someone builds that, I'll sign up. In the meantime, their need for revenue is not my problem. I do not feel bad about preventing their ads, trackers, and malware from consuming my battery and bandwidth.
Lukas_Skywalker 6y ago
Disabling JS protects you from cross site scripting, invasive tracking and cryptominers though. So there‘s definitely a plus. I would like to know the percentage of sites that use JS for actually improving the user experience (e.g. voting not requiring a page reload on HN) vs. those where it‘s just a gimmick (e.g. „want to talk?“ popup). I expect the majority to fall in the second category. So I applaud every effort of websites getting rid of their JS. Disclaimer: I have JS enabled.
superkuh 6y ago
Leaving javascript running is akin to opening every email attachment you get.

norenh 6y ago

I am one of those dinosaurs that still surf with javascript (mostly) disabled. I use uMatrix to control where I accept it from and my default is to allow none to load. A remarkable amount of sites still work and you will always need to load some to get certain functions to work. However, I am always amazed how lazy devs are when it comes to purely informational sites as there should be no need to require javascript. Sure, it might help with certain cosmetics but the people who disable javascript rarely care about cosmetics (it is nice, sure, but if you cannot view the site without enabling a bunch of untrusted code to run on you computer then I really must want to visit it to enable it and reload the page). Hackernews, LWN, arstechnica are all sites that works really well without javascript enabled (ars needs it for comments, but I rarely comment so if I want to I can enable then). Reddit and many more sites somewhat needs to it but you can usually see the interesting bits without it, so if you are invested or a common visitor it is easy to enable the few needed. If you are directing your content towards the technical community, my advise would be to definitely test it without Javascript, preferably in a text only browser also. It does not need to look super pretty in these modes, but it should work. This is probably also a good foundation to provide the content to groups that uses accessibility software (think blind), but I do not know how well those tools handle JavaScript-dependant content.

hundchenkatze 6y ago
You can access Ars' comments without JS by using the forum. https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewforum.php?f=2 https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewforum.php?f=2
- norenh 6y ago
  Thanks! That is really helpful!