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[Paul Hänsch]

On Thu, Jan 18, 2018 at 04:34:50PM +0100, marc wrote:
> > The client-side Javascript to me is not a relevant issue anymore since JS is an open standard and browsers are sandboxed these days.
> 
> I'd like to disagree with this statement.

I fully agree with Marc here.

I would also like to add a more technical note.

That is that no amount of sandboxing exempts a program from havig to follow
the Free Software Definition in order to be considered Free Software.

Other than HTML documents and their stylesheets, JavaScript elements are by
themselfes programs. Although in a different context the issue of
Tivoization[1] has shown a decade ago that compliance to a license does not
guarantee compliance to this set of statements which constitute a spirit
rather than a law.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivoization

Coercing a user into running specific code in order to view information from
your website, leaves this user powerless in regard to this code. The mere
permission to serve a modified copy on my own site, and force it over other
people in turn, does not change my standing toward the original source, as it
would do with desktop software.

Furthermore, strong separation of the browser from the rest of the system,
even if it were possible, hardly leads to a gain where this browser and the
websites I visit are the focus of my work.

-- 
Paul Hänsch                     █▉            Webmaster, System-Hacker
                              █▉█▉█▉                                  
Jabber: paul at jabber.fsfe.org    ▉▉     Free Software Foundation Europe
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