this post was submitted on 10 Sep 2025
35 points (97.3% liked)

Open Source

40624 readers
204 users here now

All about open source! Feel free to ask questions, and share news, and interesting stuff!

Useful Links

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon from opensource.org, but we are not affiliated with them.

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
 

When looking to ensure that our computers are running free software, we usually turn our attention to the operating system and programs we install. Increasingly, we also need to look at the Web sites we visit. Simply visiting many sites loads software onto your computer, primarily JavaScript, that carry proprietary licenses. If we want to be able to browse the Web without running nonfree software, we need to work together to call for change.

The Free JavaScript campaign persuades companies, governments, and NGOs to make their Web sites work without requiring that users run any proprietary software. We pick one site at a time and focus energy on it, working as a team to send many polite but firm messages to the site maintainers.

The JavaScript programs in question create menus, buttons, text editors, music players, and many other features of Web sites, so browsers generally come configured to download and run them without ever making users aware of it. Contrary to popular perception, almost no JavaScript runs "on the Web site" -- even though these JavaScript programs are hidden from view, they are still nonfree code being executed on your computer, and they can abuse your trust.

Join us in calling for a Web that respects our freedom by being compatible with free software. Use the action box on the right to contact the organization we're currently focusing on and ask them to make their site work without nonfree JavaScript.

https://ghostarchive.org/search?term=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fsf.org%2Fcampaigns%2Ffreejs

  • I guess the lemmy javascript my instance runs ins open source software, right?
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

I'd rather push for js-free internet as opposed to the one with free js (: