JavaScript: Difference between revisions

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In January 2025, Google's web-search engine mandates that user-agents must have JS enabled. Google's justification was that it's a defense mechanism against abusive bots (see also [[Deceptive language frequently used against consumers]]).<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/17/google-begins-requiring-javascript-for-google-search/</ref><ref>https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/18/google-search-javascript</ref><ref>https://serpapi.com/blog/google-now-requires-javascript/</ref> However, some people claim that it's an invalid justification.<ref>https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2025/javascript-required/</ref>

== Proposals and alternatives ==

==Proposals and alternatives==

* Extension: turning JS into an [[wikipedia:Browser_extension|extension]] or [[wikipedia:Plug-in_(computing)|plug-in]], so that users can choose to install it, is a way to discourage abuse and incentivize static/passive pages. To do this, JS must be deprecated as a Web Standard, but not deprecated as language or API.

*'''Extension''': turning JS into an [[wikipedia:Browser_extension|extension]] or [[wikipedia:Plug-in_(computing)|plug-in]], so that users can choose to install it, is a way to discourage abuse and incentivize static/passive pages. To do this, JS must be deprecated as a Web Standard, but not deprecated as language or API.

* Deprecation: John Gruber says that JS should never have been added to browsers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=2017-06-22 |title=Gizmodo Investigation Exposes Websites Collecting Form Data Before You Hit 'Submit' |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180650/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |archive-date=2026-03-19 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=2017-06-27 |title=Using Today's Web Without JavaScript |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180612/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |archive-date=2026-03-19 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref> The [[wikipedia:Gopher_(protocol)|Gopher]] and [[wikipedia:Gemini_(protocol)|Gemini]] projects advocate for a simpler web.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project Gemini |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/ |access-date=2026-04-13}}</ref> If JS were to be completely removed from the web, this would allow users to navigate without worrying about invisible tracking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-02 |title=Project Gemini FAQ § Why not just use a subset of HTTP and HTML? |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/docs/faq.gmi#79-why-not-just-use-a-subset-of-http-and-html |access-date=2026-04-13}}</ref> Even if not all JS was removed, this would allow tools like [[wikipedia:UBlock_Origin|uBO]] to adapt their filters for non-JS users.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/a326c9db28c9f7eb6e30e6a737ca4aeae0d2ee39/post/js-abuse.md#to-do</ref>

*'''Deprecation''': John Gruber says that JS should never have been added to browsers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=2017-06-22 |title=Gizmodo Investigation Exposes Websites Collecting Form Data Before You Hit 'Submit' |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180650/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |archive-date=2026-03-19 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=2017-06-27 |title=Using Today's Web Without JavaScript |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180612/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |archive-date=2026-03-19 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref> The [[wikipedia:Gopher_(protocol)|Gopher]] and [[wikipedia:Gemini_(protocol)|Gemini]] projects advocate for a simpler web.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project Gemini |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/ |access-date=2026-04-13}}</ref> If JS were to be completely removed from the web, this would allow users to navigate without worrying about invisible tracking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-02 |title=Project Gemini FAQ § Why not just use a subset of HTTP and HTML? |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/docs/faq.gmi#79-why-not-just-use-a-subset-of-http-and-html |access-date=2026-04-13}}</ref> Even if not all JS was removed, this would allow tools like [[wikipedia:UBlock_Origin|uBO]] to adapt their filters for non-JS users.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/a326c9db28c9f7eb6e30e6a737ca4aeae0d2ee39/post/js-abuse.md#to-do</ref>

* Feature-freeze: There has been discussion about feature-freezing JS so that it becomes "JS0" (for lack of better name).<ref>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ylROTu3N6MyHzNzWJXQAc7Bo1O0FHO3lNKfQMfPOA4o/</ref> The main purpose is to make it easier for browser implementers to keep browsers secure and stable.

*'''Feature-freeze''': There has been discussion about feature-freezing JS so that it becomes "JS0" (for lack of better name).<ref>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ylROTu3N6MyHzNzWJXQAc7Bo1O0FHO3lNKfQMfPOA4o/</ref> The main purpose is to make it easier for browser implementers to keep browsers secure and stable.

==External links==

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 In January 2025, Google's web-search engine mandates that user-agents must have JS enabled. Google's justification was that it's a defense mechanism against abusive bots (see also [[Deceptive language frequently used against consumers]]).<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/17/google-begins-requiring-javascript-for-google-search/</ref><ref>https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/18/google-search-javascript</ref><ref>https://serpapi.com/blog/google-now-requires-javascript/</ref> However, some people claim that it's an invalid justification.<ref>https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2025/javascript-required/</ref>
-== Proposals and alternatives ==<!-- IDK if name is good. Please rename this section if not -->
+==Proposals and alternatives==<!-- IDK if name is good. Please rename this section if not -->
-* Extension: turning JS into an [[wikipedia:Browser_extension|extension]] or [[wikipedia:Plug-in_(computing)|plug-in]], so that users can choose to install it, is a way to discourage abuse and incentivize static/passive pages. To do this, JS must be deprecated as a Web Standard, but not deprecated as language or API.
+*'''Extension''': turning JS into an [[wikipedia:Browser_extension|extension]] or [[wikipedia:Plug-in_(computing)|plug-in]], so that users can choose to install it, is a way to discourage abuse and incentivize static/passive pages. To do this, JS must be deprecated as a Web Standard, but not deprecated as language or API.
-* Deprecation: John Gruber says that JS should never have been added to browsers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=2017-06-22 |title=Gizmodo Investigation Exposes Websites Collecting Form Data Before You Hit 'Submit' |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180650/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |archive-date=2026-03-19 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=2017-06-27 |title=Using Today's Web Without JavaScript |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180612/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |archive-date=2026-03-19 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref> The [[wikipedia:Gopher_(protocol)|Gopher]] and [[wikipedia:Gemini_(protocol)|Gemini]] projects advocate for a simpler web.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project Gemini |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/ |access-date=2026-04-13}}</ref> If JS were to be completely removed from the web, this would allow users to navigate without worrying about invisible tracking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-02 |title=Project Gemini FAQ § Why not just use a subset of HTTP and HTML? |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/docs/faq.gmi#79-why-not-just-use-a-subset-of-http-and-html |access-date=2026-04-13}}</ref> Even if not all JS was removed, this would allow tools like [[wikipedia:UBlock_Origin|uBO]] to adapt their filters for non-JS users.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/a326c9db28c9f7eb6e30e6a737ca4aeae0d2ee39/post/js-abuse.md#to-do</ref>
+*'''Deprecation''': John Gruber says that JS should never have been added to browsers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=2017-06-22 |title=Gizmodo Investigation Exposes Websites Collecting Form Data Before You Hit 'Submit' |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180650/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |archive-date=2026-03-19 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=2017-06-27 |title=Using Today's Web Without JavaScript |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180612/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |archive-date=2026-03-19 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref> The [[wikipedia:Gopher_(protocol)|Gopher]] and [[wikipedia:Gemini_(protocol)|Gemini]] projects advocate for a simpler web.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project Gemini |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/ |access-date=2026-04-13}}</ref> If JS were to be completely removed from the web, this would allow users to navigate without worrying about invisible tracking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-02 |title=Project Gemini FAQ § Why not just use a subset of HTTP and HTML? |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/docs/faq.gmi#79-why-not-just-use-a-subset-of-http-and-html |access-date=2026-04-13}}</ref> Even if not all JS was removed, this would allow tools like [[wikipedia:UBlock_Origin|uBO]] to adapt their filters for non-JS users.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/a326c9db28c9f7eb6e30e6a737ca4aeae0d2ee39/post/js-abuse.md#to-do</ref>
-* Feature-freeze: There has been discussion about feature-freezing JS so that it becomes "JS0" (for lack of better name).<ref>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ylROTu3N6MyHzNzWJXQAc7Bo1O0FHO3lNKfQMfPOA4o/</ref> The main purpose is to make it easier for browser implementers to keep browsers secure and stable.
+*'''Feature-freeze''': There has been discussion about feature-freezing JS so that it becomes "JS0" (for lack of better name).<ref>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ylROTu3N6MyHzNzWJXQAc7Bo1O0FHO3lNKfQMfPOA4o/</ref> The main purpose is to make it easier for browser implementers to keep browsers secure and stable.
 ==External links==