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"Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

bugzilla.mozilla.org

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Re: "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

#181

Post by readme »

smtddr wrote: post #112
Gormo wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What exactly is a non-technical user? I read threads like this all the time: someone talks about "non-technical users" or "your grandma" or "pointy-haired bosses" or the like, and then goes to great length to discuss, in detail, the capacities or cognitive styles or knowledge base of members of these hypothetical categories. It all seems like a bunch of arbitrary assumptions.

I don't know about anyone else's experience, but these assumptions are pretty dead-on in my own personal experience. Non-techies(my mom, or somebody who only uses home computers for email & turbo-tax and some super-locked-down PC at work) don't have a clue what/how it's doing what it does. The blue "E" on the desktop is the internet, sometimes it's even the whole computer when they say "My computer doesn't work". The…

Cars are regulated and require state inspection. A computer OTOH is still a mad max device.

Re: "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

#182

Post by PavlovsCat »

veemjeem wrote: post #102
PavlovsCat wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is two things to me: 1. not a tragedy that can never be fixed, but usually a minor inconvenience 2. one of those random opportunities to learn something, like in this case what Javascript is. Taking away options from users because they don't know well enough can be kind of a self-full-filling prophecy, too. You cater to newbies, you get more and better newbies, entitled ones. Stuff should be nice to use, of cou…

You're a hacker, of course you've never heard anyone complain about the option. Mozilla may choose to differ as they probably have data that shows that a significant number of support emails show that disabling javascript was the root core of the problem. Besides, anyone who runs javascript disabled in a modern browser are either developers, or tin-foil hat wearers. I'm sure the ability to disable javascript was just…

You're a hacker, of course you've never heard anyone complain about the option.

Well, when people hear I'm good with computers they usually tell me all sorts of random computer troubles, but this one never popped up.

they probably have data that shows that a significant number of support emails show that disabling javascript was the root core of the problem

Are you sure? They seem to have data that most people don't use the option, and that seems to be all.

Besides, anyone who runs javascript disabled in a modern browser are either developers, or tin-foil hat wearers.

Or people who don't like staring at a white screen for several seconds because some ad scripts absolutely has to be loaded first, when they can have the exact same content, instantly, when browsing without Javascript. DSL still exists, you know. And it helps with noticing weight and skill differences where cable users might see none.

I also didn't get the memo that not providing a non-js fallback for normal day to day web stuff is not kind of noobish. Though I could point you to a host of articles pointing out the opposite, and they are fresher than 2002, too, and not from that usability guy with the ugly website either :P

I think it's nearly impossible to find a webpage without a single reference to a javascript file these days.

You will find a million that work without it, and even more that could work without it if they weren't made by [insert random expletive here].

Wikipedia? Works just fine. Search? Works fine. Facebook? I don't use it anymore, but I remember when it worked fine without JS as well, minus chat and instant notifications (oh god, the horror of only hearing about a new message on a page refresh ^^). Twitter? Breaking Twitter sounds like a good plan, not like a problem. But I digress.

Re: "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

#184

Post by tracker1 »

hysan wrote: post #173
tracker1 wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't aware I could set a field to SUM(..) etc from the gui... Most of the features in Excel are a bit under the covers.. and far more so than about:config... maybe the "advanced settings" tab should be a button that just takes you to about:config with a warning?

Err... I just opened up Excel (2002 since that is all I have at work), selected a cell, clicked on the SUM button (sure it uses the mathematical symbol for sum but if you hover over it, it says SUM), and then was able to click and drag (or CRTL + click for nonconsecutive cells) to select cells for the sum. This is all via the GUI. I'm not sure how this is hidden. Heck, I did this in a Japanese version of Office which…

Honestly, didn't know, I rarely use excel, but do know a lot of people who do a ton of VBA code to connect to database resources to create interactive spreadsheets.. and a lot of that is far from common, button-click functionality.

And in any case, for those that want it, it's in about:config ... I doubt anyone who should be disabling JS would be looking around for it in a config frame, and not do a quick google search. I've generally adjusted most of my settings via about:config, mostly cache related for me, but if I'm playing with js settings etc.. it's easier to keep a tab open with about:config than a modal.

Re: "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

#185

Post by readme »

gcb0 wrote: post #176

Didn't gnome3 taught us a valuable lesson on dumbing things down on the expectation that users are dumb/can't read?

I hope you realize that the users of Gnome and other X11 desktops have already passed a serious level of technical literacy. In the event they haven't, it's because they're the direct family member of some techie.

Re: "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

#186

Post by Livven »

A321 wrote: post #141
51Cards wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what will be the major issue for me. I toggle the right click override option on and off on a very regular basis.

Shift + right click is the shortcut to always go to the browser context menu.. No need to toggle preferences.

Thank you. I'm not familiar with JavaScript but would it be possible for websites to block shift+right click as well?

EDIT: Per this comment [1] holding shift causes Firefox to bypass event handlers, so hopefully that wouldn't be possible.

[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5968919

Re: "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

#188

Post by Digit-Al »

tracker1 wrote: post #90
scotty79 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks to recent legislation in Poland webpages should inform user if they are using cookies. Result? Web littered with annoying popups that everybody closes without reading.

I think that's the case for all websites with a presence in or targeting eu countries.

Yes, that is correct. It is an EU law. It is an absolutely horrible, ill thought out law, but it is a law, so we all have to comply :-(

Re: "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

#189

Post by hnha »

bad_user wrote: post #163

Firefox is the most customizable browser available. It's about time they cleaned-up their Preferences panel and leave that stuff for extensions to tackle. I personally never disabled Javascript from the Preferences panel because I never find anything in that panel. To disable Javascript, I use the Web Developer toolbar, which is much more convenient, although not convenient enough - since one might want to enable/dis…

Have you tried opera (not the latest Chrome-bastard but earlier versions)? I'd challenge your statement, opera seems much more customizable to me.

Re: "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23

#190

Post by rmc »

scotty79 wrote: post #80
gavinpc wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try disabling cookies. This exactly describes the effect, except that it's not mysterious once you're used to it. If something doesn't work, I open it in Chrome (where I have cookies enabled), and it works. In many cases, I suppose the developer doesn't know about the cookie dependency (because of a framework or some other dependency). In other cases, I guess they don't care. Rarely does the page actually tell you th…

Thanks to recent legislation in Poland webpages should inform user if they are using cookies. Result? Web littered with annoying popups that everybody closes without reading.

This is an EU wide data protection law, though each country implements it slightly differently
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