How to enable JavaScript in your browser | Hacker News Reader

How to enable JavaScript in your browser

enable-javascript.com

19 pointsroam18 comments

I like the clean design of this site, but I can't quite understand what the purpose of the site really is.

Isn't JavaScript turned on by default in most webbrowsers, at least the ones that a non-techie is likely to use? In that case, it's either already activated or if it's not the user must have turned it off herself - but in that case she should know how she did that and how to undo it, right?

Oh, well, perhaps one could say that at least this is a nice little reminder for those who have never used a menu or a preference window. ;-)

But wait, how would I even find this site when I need it? Should I bookmark it, just in case I ever turn off JavaScript and then forget how to turn it back on again? Because otherwise I'm sure googling "turn on javascript <mybrowser>" would have gotten me the right answer quickly even without this page.

As far as I understand, the author hopes that the people who make other sites would link to his site in their noscript tags.

I would never, because his site is as far from the right approach as it can be. See:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1794016

Though the presentation can be improved, I think it's good enough as it is.

The real reason why it's not so useful is because those who turn off Javascript tend to be power users who know how to turn it back on...

I don't understand the point of this. All of those browsers have javascript enabled by default. If you have managed to turn it off, surely you can work out how to turn it back on again.

I like the subtle UI elements: Depending on which browser you're using, the the order of the list of instruction changes.

The non-javascript version of the page looks great too. (And moves the noscript-instruction to the bottom.)

That was funny, about a minute earlier - I had to work out how to turn javascript off! I use my own style sheet, and sometimes site scripts hate it and play havoc.

Not wanting to be down on the browsers, but most of them don't present particularly intuitive options/tools, might be a good idea to tell the end user what javascript first...

Left at a dead end on a comment edit as a result of me turning js off on this site. Oh well.

Now why doesn't the site use my HTML query to deliver me the content which is adjusted to the browser I use? Instead of showing me the 5 browser icons etc, it should just show me instructions for my browser.

Hint: you don't need JavaScript to do that.

I don't think UserAgent reporting is even remotely reliable. Is there an alternative way to detect browsers?

It is very reliable for the given task. If the site is supposed to help an ordinary user, detecting robots or spoofing is completely irrelevant.

Not only robots or spoofing modify UserAgent. Mobile devices, HTTP client apps, validators, libraries, feed readers, or privacy-concious users can also do that.

Then again, if one's user base includes none of the above, one can certainly enjoy maximum reliability.

It does. Sorta. It makes your browser the one in the middle. Also: try opening the site with javascript turned off.

> It does. It makes your browser the one in the middle

Doesn't.

> try opening the site with javascript turned off.

Exactly how I tested it: in the middle was Chrome. But I use Opera.

Now consider: If I'm ordinary user and I'm supposed to be helped to turn on JavaScript, I certainly don't need to see five darned icons "IE FFox Chrome Safari Opera" as the main information presented on the page. I came to the site with one browser, not with five of them. In that browser, the JavaScript is turned off. I certainly don't need the long page with the the instructions for all of them.

But as tav noted here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1794305 (although I don't agree to his "it is good as it is") -- the bigger problem is: if I'm using IE and I turn JavaScript off, I certainly know how to turn it on.

So who's the target user? I still posit that the target of the OP site are only lazy web developers ("ooh lookie I can link to this site from my noscript")

I'm waiting for howtospeedupyourwebsite.com

Would you settle for http://www.howtovisitthiswebsite.com ?

Don't forget its sister page : http://noscript.net/

It baffles my mind that Javascript isn't hated on more.

Why? It's superb. It's available to nearly everyone with a web browser, easy to pick up and learn (deceptively so), and allows you to do things with webpages that would be impossible otherwise.

Yes, it has flaws, and lots of people use it without really understanding how it works / best practices etc, but purely for it's accessibility and ubiquity, coupled with its charming quirks and idiosyncracies, I think it's great.

It baffles my mind that more people don't appreciate Javascript for the lovely little scripting language that it is.

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