ChrisYes, you read that right.
I’m a JavaScript Developer, and I’m currently navigating the web with JavaScript disabled.
WTF? Why? How? But seriously, WHY?
First of all: before you jump to conclusions, this is an experiment.
It’s an experiment, ok?
And it’s likely temporary, but who knows, maybe I’ll stick to this practice.
update december 2021: yes, I’m still blocking JavaScript on all websites, and selectively enabling trusted (& needed) scripts
Is it practical?
I would say 3 out of 4 websites are totally usable without JavaScript.
In that case I enable scripts selectively and simply reload the page.
Half as bad as it may sound.
Most of the time though I must say, if you aren’t emotionally attached to cookie banners and popups, it’s like a breath of fresh air.
From my brief experience, a site that loads with JS disabled, rarely totally breaks and you can get your information and navigate the site without any hassle.
Positive side-effects
A logical side-effect is that you simply load less junk from a website.
And I say junk, because most of the times it is junk.
Is it a coincidence that Junk and JavaScript start with the same letter?
Jokes aside: you simply navigate the web in a lighter fashion.
Privacy++
If it interests you, another positive side-effect is that you load less/no tracking scripts.
No ads
Did I mention that I think I never saw an ad in the past few weeks?
Enhanced security
For more info check out noscript.net, which describes the implications of having JavaScript disabled.
Odd things
Although you might experience some odd things
- layouts that break
- notice accessibility issues
- sometimes images don’t load
- fonts don’t load
You save bandwidth
I don’t have the data at hand, but it’s also obvious that you save a ton of bandwidth.
Actually no, I mean you save several truckloads of bandwidth.
Thus you navigate the web faster and with less bullshit.
“Why don’t you use _____?”
I’m using NoScript in Brave.
I didn’t want to change browser, learn new keyboard shortcuts, navigate the web in the terminal.
I simply wanted HTML, and as little JavaScript as possible.
I could have used lynx, nyxt browser and others. But it didn’t suit my needs and it felt too extreme.
The experiment goes on
I will continue to see how this “setup” suits my needs, if I get annoyed by sites breaking left and right and if it’s more a hassle than it brings benefits.