Javascript dependence

[brucet]

I would like to get some feedback from Community members on how important you think it is for web sites to be independent of Javascript.

Roughly 5% of surfers either do not have a Javascript capability in their browser, or have it switched off. How big a deal would it be for you if customers had to have Javascript enabled in order to use your site?

The question is just a finger in the wind, it's not based on any particular plans or proposals.

[leehack]

I was under the impression that JS had to be enabled for an Actinic site to function anyway? There may well be 5% of users with it disabled (i'm yet to meet one personally and think 5% sounds very high), I don't suspect these people are your target audience anyway.

Javascript has made a real comeback the last 2-3 years and is used so heavily nowadays, it's almost as important as the browser itself IMO.

[NormanRouxel]

JavaScript is the "J" in AJAX which is very much an up-to-date technology.

Also, each new browser (IE8, Chrome, Safari 4, next Opera) has made significant efforts to speed up JavaScript.

All are signs that's it's here to stay.

[RuralWeb]

I've just been listening to a podcast about what norm says ie all the major browsers are working hard to speed up java and it's only going to become more important as sites become more interactive. 5% does sound high.

[Chunkford]

Personally the trend I see is that users are demanding more and more from their browsing experience, and JavaScript provides one of the most common means to do this. Now we have AJAX which uses JavaScript (which is opening doors that have never been possible) we will see even more functionality based on it. JavaScript is essential to making interactive web based applications and getting applications to communicate with one another which becoming the norm. I’m sure over time that 5% will reduce as they will find they are missing out, and can’t do the things everyone else is doing.

[NormanRouxel]

And JavaScript isn't only for the end-users experience.

The site owner often relies on it too - Google Analytics for example.

[Rich Brady]

I agree. A lot of the social networking gadgets/widgets available use JS.

I don't know how accurate 5% is TBH, but I'm certain the majority of us build based on what the majority of users are doing.

[RuralWeb]

Ive just checked a few of my sites and Im seeing 1% to 3% with java turned off - so its insignificant IMO

[knightrideruk]

Javascript Dependence

Hi,

IMO Javascript is a no brainer, strip it out and we would see a lot of sites go. We run several large sites and looking at the stats those that have JS turned off is less than 1%.

[grantglendinnin]

Unless you're OCD with computer security, I highly doubt you'll have javascript disabled anyway. On the pessimistic side, it's just another script to break

[leehack]

I think that's the main point, if you are scared of JS, then you won't be inputting your card details anywhere online anyway. You will also be using windows 95, with a monitor of screen res 600 x 480 and you won't have felt the need to upgrade your 28k modem to 56k as yet.

[Mike Hughes]

Like veryone else I only see about 2% of visitors with Javascript disabled.

I still wouldn't like to see my sites unable to operate without it though. If it's only a question of bells and whistles not working then that's fine, but the underlying functionality should work even without javascript.

I guess my main problem is that I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's often corporate systems that don't allow javascript and I don't see any reason to block those kind of users from being able to order.

It would be different if we were talking about internet cautious people who aren't likely to buy but I don't see any sign that that's the case with javascript. I get quite a few orders from people with javascript disabled as the address and postcode capitalisation code on the checkout is clearly not being given a chance to run.

Mike

[jont]

If it was stripped out of Actinic what would the replacement be? Replacing it with something else would most likely bring issues to other users.

[malbro]

It's a no brainer, keep javascript in. What do we replace it with flash????

[jont]

Norman and Gabe are secretly coding it all in BASIC at the moment ... it will be compatible with Windows 3.11 and all Sanyo Digital Watches.