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Websites can now fingerprint a device when multiple browser instances are used

arstechnica.co.uk

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Re: Websites can now fingerprint a device when multiple browser instances are used

#151

Post by Sophira »

Silhouette wrote: post #142
eeZah7Ux wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Imagine how tedious it would be even to use a relatively simple discussion forum like HN if you had to wait for a full page reload every time you hit a voting button or expanded/contracted a thread. If javascript did not exist HTML/CSS/SVG would have evolved simple features like submitting a POST when an element is clicked without reloading a page. Iframes were already enabling something similar and CSS supports an…

If javascript did not exist HTML/CSS/SVG would have evolved... Perhaps it would. Perhaps if JavaScript did not exist then we would have developed better tools for building what we now call web apps instead. Perhaps if JavaScript did not exist, those apps would be using something separate to the Web, and the Web would have remained a mostly non-interactive, read-only medium. I'm quite sure that with the wisdom of hind…

Perhaps if JavaScript did not exist, those apps would be using something separate to the Web, and the Web would have remained a mostly non-interactive, read-only medium.

You're overestimating the importance of JavaScript here. phpBB didn't start using JavaScript until phpBB2 was released, and I believe that UBB, the forum software phpBB was based on, didn't use JavaScript either at the time. (Of course, this was partially because JavaScript was so limited back then.)

Re: Websites can now fingerprint a device when multiple browser instances are used

#152

Post by Silhouette »

Sophira wrote: post #151
Silhouette wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If javascript did not exist HTML/CSS/SVG would have evolved... Perhaps it would. Perhaps if JavaScript did not exist then we would have developed better tools for building what we now call web apps instead. Perhaps if JavaScript did not exist, those apps would be using something separate to the Web, and the Web would have remained a mostly non-interactive, read-only medium. I'm quite sure that with the wisdom of hind…

Perhaps if JavaScript did not exist, those apps would be using something separate to the Web, and the Web would have remained a mostly non-interactive, read-only medium. You're overestimating the importance of JavaScript here. phpBB didn't start using JavaScript until phpBB2 was released, and I believe that UBB, the forum software phpBB was based on, didn't use JavaScript either at the time. (Of course, this was part…

OK, but forum software on the level you're talking about was near the pinnacle of social networking sites at the time, and seems almost prehistoric by modern standards. The kind of slick interfaces and near real-time feedback that users enjoy and expect on today's forums can't be done the same way, so instead JS is widely used both for simple things like collapsible discussion threads and for more sophisticated interactions like live previews when typing comments with formatting.

A case in point: I'm typing this on HN, which is a forum I read often and enjoy for its content and for the interactions with fellow contributors. However, the interface to HN is unquestionably less efficient than the interface to Reddit, which offers similar functionality but without limitations like needing to open a new page that only shows the immediate parent comment when replying to something.

Re: Websites can now fingerprint a device when multiple browser instances are used

#153

Post by coin »

pc86 wrote: post #55
coldpie wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes many more completely usable. Floating headers and footers? Dead. Survey pop-ups? Dead. Pop-ups begging for your email address? Dead. Dumb fading in text and images? Dead. Needless whiz-bang animations? Dead. Site load times? Dramatically reduced. Browsing the web with NoScript is far more pleasant, even if I have to sometimes open a menu to enable a couple domains to make a poorly developed website usable. I…

TIL utilizing the most widely available programming language in the world makes a website "poorly developed."

Why do I need to run executable code in order to read static content?

Re: Websites can now fingerprint a device when multiple browser instances are used

#154

Post by dreamcompiler »

rsync wrote: post #140
dreamcompiler wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Logging in to the Guest account on OSX accomplishes what you want, no?

"Logging in to the Guest account on OSX accomplishes what you want, no?" No ... That is, unless I can easily script the destruction and recreation of the guest account, and automated install and configuration of my chrome setup ... The idea here is that I set up chrome just how I want it and deploy and redeploy that "container" over and over - destroying it and recreating it after each use. Possibly with multiple ins…

When a Guest logs out, any files they created are destroyed, including cookies and browser histories. But I don't know of a way to have multiple instances running sumultaneously.
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