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I& #39;ve been using NoScript, a browser extension that disables all JavaScript and lets you enable them on a server-by-server basis. Let me tell you about what I& #39;ve learned and how broken the internet experience has been since doing this a few weeks ago.
(1/11)
(1/11)
First, right off the bat sites seem to fall into 3 categories:
- Blank white screens (45%)
- Sites with some things but most content doesn& #39;t load (50%)
- Sites that still mostly work (extremely rare, maybe 4%)
- Sites that fully work (less than 1%)
(2/11)
- Blank white screens (45%)
- Sites with some things but most content doesn& #39;t load (50%)
- Sites that still mostly work (extremely rare, maybe 4%)
- Sites that fully work (less than 1%)
(2/11)
Second, I almost always tell a site their own JS is "trusted". That usually allows a page to mostly work, content to fill in,etc.
Next things to break are:
- Login forms
- Contact forms
- Basic button/link interactions
These should work from basic HTML but don& #39;t anymore
(3/11)
Next things to break are:
- Login forms
- Contact forms
- Basic button/link interactions
These should work from basic HTML but don& #39;t anymore
(3/11)
Third, the vast majority of sites anymore have 5 or more outside (third-party) servers that have JavaScript loading things on them. These seem to be:
- Ad networks
- Analytics
- Debuggers
- Trackers
- Legit services site needs
(4/11)
- Ad networks
- Analytics
- Debuggers
- Trackers
- Legit services site needs
(4/11)
Fourth, obviously Google dominates the web. It& #39;s easy to block google-analytics .com & such. What& #39;s harder is things like ReCaptcha, since it loads off of google .com, among other services people use often. The newer versions of that track your movements/clicks all over.
(5/11)
(5/11)
And now we& #39;re at a point where it& #39;s harder to even just log in to a service without having to also fill out a Google ReCaptcha form. Two issues with this:
- You have to agree to Google& #39;s Privacy Policy (despite you not using their service)
- You can& #39;t opt out
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- You have to agree to Google& #39;s Privacy Policy (despite you not using their service)
- You can& #39;t opt out
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Fifth, with logging in, they often break. Your data isn& #39;t submitted with forms anymore, you have a dead form submitted with JS. The good ones work if you reenable the site& #39;s JS. The bad ones work only if you reenable all JS because they pass your login around so much.
(7/11)
(7/11)
Sixth, there& #39;s fun things where text boxes don& #39;t store their own text anymore. Like I can type in things but the Submit button doesn& #39;t turn on because it hasn& #39;t realized text was in. JS logs keystrokes to store in variables then fills text box. No JS, no logging...what?!?
(8/11)
(8/11)
Seventh, other fun misadventures happen. For example, I& #39;m locked out of a Microsoft account. Why? Because by the time I figured out all the JS entries to enable from going from visualstudio.com->microsoftonline.com->live.com->microsoft.com->etc., I look like a hacker.
(9/11)
(9/11)
I& #39;m sure there& #39;s other things I& #39;m forgetting.
I& #39;m not anti-JavaScript, I& #39;m anti-everything-through-JS. Why? It breaks basic functionality of the web. I can& #39;t disable trackers. I can& #39;t protect my privacy. And most of all, even things like typing and buttons just quit.
(10/11)
I& #39;m not anti-JavaScript, I& #39;m anti-everything-through-JS. Why? It breaks basic functionality of the web. I can& #39;t disable trackers. I can& #39;t protect my privacy. And most of all, even things like typing and buttons just quit.
(10/11)
Can we please stop doing ridiculous nonsense with websites that don& #39;t need it? You don& #39;t need JS to make a button press or JS to make a link work or JS to type text or JS to load all content on a page or... just no.
Developers, stop breaking the web, please.
(11/11)
Developers, stop breaking the web, please.
(11/11)
To end this... I may have to remove this extension in the end and just block more through ublock because the internet is becoming literally more and more unusable and privacy-invading and I hate it.
