4 ms·

A lot can happen when you click a link. You download content like images, run plugins, open up third party apps (like iTunes or a chat client). You render image

A lot can happen when you click a link. You download content like images, run plugins, open up third party apps (like iTunes or a chat client). You render images, you can start the hardware accelerated canvas stuff. You're downloading all of this content onto your computer and then your computer processes it. It's not like you're using a remote viewer to view something not on your computer. Going to a website is downloading files.

stephengillie 14y ago
A lot of things that I don't want to happen occur when I click on a link. Cookies are sent to foreign servers without my knowledge or consent. Advertisements are displayed. Audio can be played without my consent. Powerful flash and javascript plugins can run without my consent that can hijack my browser and deny me the use of my computer until I restart it. When I click on a link, I want a remote text and image viewer. Sometimes I'll allow certain sites like youtube to run flash, even automatically. This computer is my tool, not someone else's, and in 2013 clicking on a link shouldn't be a wildly uncontrolled and dangerous experience.
- badgar 14y ago
  I'm sorry that the web isn't what you want it to be. Unfortunately for you, the web never was what you want it to be. Maybe switch to gopher?
  - stephengillie 14y ago
    The web is what it is. In theory, my processors would only run the code I want them to -- not the selection of code, scripting, and plugins that any random website may have. I work very hard to make that theory into reality.
- carlesfe 14y ago
  I agree with your point. Most of us here are experts and have click-to-plugin addons installed. However, as Schneider states, the person is always the weakest link. I've been on the internet for a few years, as a kid, and never got into phishing trouble. Now, as an adult, I've seen phishing forgeries so incredibly detailed that I had to check a lot of factors to finally conclude that it's phishing. And I'm an adult computer scientist who programs web pages! Just think about any other intelligent adult but without the technical knowledge to detect forgeries. It's turning to be really scary.

stephengillie 14y ago

A lot of things that I don't want to happen occur when I click on a link. Cookies are sent to foreign servers without my knowledge or consent. Advertisements are displayed. Audio can be played without my consent. Powerful flash and javascript plugins can run without my consent that can hijack my browser and deny me the use of my computer until I restart it. When I click on a link, I want a remote text and image viewer. Sometimes I'll allow certain sites like youtube to run flash, even automatically. This computer is my tool, not someone else's, and in 2013 clicking on a link shouldn't be a wildly uncontrolled and dangerous experience.

badgar 14y ago
I'm sorry that the web isn't what you want it to be. Unfortunately for you, the web never was what you want it to be. Maybe switch to gopher?
- stephengillie 14y ago
  The web is what it is. In theory, my processors would only run the code I want them to -- not the selection of code, scripting, and plugins that any random website may have. I work very hard to make that theory into reality.
carlesfe 14y ago
I agree with your point. Most of us here are experts and have click-to-plugin addons installed. However, as Schneider states, the person is always the weakest link. I've been on the internet for a few years, as a kid, and never got into phishing trouble. Now, as an adult, I've seen phishing forgeries so incredibly detailed that I had to check a lot of factors to finally conclude that it's phishing. And I'm an adult computer scientist who programs web pages! Just think about any other intelligent adult but without the technical knowledge to detect forgeries. It's turning to be really scary.