Comment by drooopy
14 hours ago
I can't help but keep thinking that client-side scripting was a mistake. Sure, the web would be a lot more primitive without it, but I'm not convinced that wouldn't be for the best.
14 hours ago
I can't help but keep thinking that client-side scripting was a mistake. Sure, the web would be a lot more primitive without it, but I'm not convinced that wouldn't be for the best.
My default is to run without JS and selectively enable it when absolutely necessary, so when I clicked on this story the page was prefaced with the following comment:
"You're protected from the methods I use here. You disabled JavaScript, so this fingerprinting trick can't run at all. You're still vulnerable to network-based methods. Read on to see what it does to everyone else.
From now on I’ll call you:…"
I've run sans JS as default almost since its inception in the Netscape days and I've very little difficulty without it. On rare occasions when I'm forced to use JS I'll cut-and-paste the URL into another browser.
I no longer use ad blockers as I just don't see ads with JS disabled. The other privacy precautions I take are the obvious ones such as no Google or social media accounts, flushing cookies at session's end, regularly randomize my IP and never let Chrome anywhere near my machines and make judicious use of multiple browsers (this is being written in Privacy Browser on Android).
Using NewPipe and sponsor block on PipePipe increases privacy and makes YouTube ad free.
Client-side scripting was a mistake which was obvious from the outset (or not severely limiting the reach of scripting engines).
What I find hard to understand is why alternative plugin JS engines haven't been developed that are under user control. Spoofing, randomizing and returning junk data to webservers would go a huge way towards stopping fingerprinting by websites.
> I've run sans JS as default almost since its inception in the Netscape days and I've very little difficulty without it.
I guess you use the web in quite a limited manner? (Or use that other browser quite a lot...?).
I've tried no JS various times over the years and always end up constantly whitelisting sites. It's even worse in 2026 and gets worse each year.
Banking, insurance, webmail, groceries, eBay, CAPTCHAs... not to mention what feels like 50% of the web that is behind either Cloudflare or similar, which almost always require Javascript.
I used to believe in that and would make sure all of my sites would work without Javascript until one of my projects (a micro community) got targeted by pedotrolls which lead to an awful time and now I associate people who are staunch no JS as pedos, I am not accusing you or anything but that is the impression it left on me. Ever since then I really don't care if the site doesn't work without JS, and if users can post stuff damn straight Javascript will be involved.
Unfortunately this idealistic principle (no JS) attracts the worst people.
You're on Tor? You have JS disabled? I might as well warm up fbi.gov/investigate/cyber for the probable report I'll have to do...
Well, I find your comment pretty offensive. In the past I've had some pretty rough and disparaging comments from JavaScript fanboys but yours has to be the worst. Associating disabling JS with pedos is about as low as it gets. Where did you get those stats from, or are they just a figment of your imagination?
"Unfortunately this idealistic principle (no JS) attracts the worst people."
Again, how did you come to that opinion? Where's your evidence/stats? Generally comments like that come from web/JS programmers who've realized that client-side users have them stymied when they disable JS.
An additional reason I avoid JS is speed, webpages become blinding fast when there's no JS. Once one gets addicted to the great rendering speed there's no return. I'm not against JS per se, trouble is you JS programmers have weaponised it against users, webpages of 7, 10 and even 20MB are now commonplace. Presenting such slow massive pages to users is nothing other than abuse.
I do not use Tor.
BTW, I should point out that my views about JS and privacy abuse were formed from my years working in govt. surveillance where the stakes are very high.
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The alternative is to install a binary that has full access to the computer.
Chrome is a binary. What's your point?
I assume it's something like: choosing to forego the protection of a battle-tested sandbox in favor of rawdogging random binaries off the internet would be insane.