the JavaScript problem: a conflict of interest (linkage.ds8.zone)

submitted 4 months ago by LibreMonk@linkage.ds8.zone to c/javascript

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I was thinking about the problem with JavaScript and the misery it brings to people. I think I’ve pinned it down to a conflict of interest.

Software is supposed to serve the user who runs it. That’s the expectation, and rightfully so. It’s not supposed to serve anyone else. Free software is true to this principle, loosely under the FSF “freedom 0” principle.

Non-free software is problematic because the user cannot see the code. The code only has to pretend to serve the user while in reality it serves the real master (the corporation who profits from it).

JavaScript has a similar conflict of interest. It’s distributed by the same entity who operates API services -- a stakeholder. Regardless of whether the JS is free software or not, there is an inherent conflict of interest whereby the JS is produced by a non-user party to the digital transactions. This means the software is not working for the user. It’s only pretending to.

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[-] henfredemars@infosec.pub 1 points 4 months ago

Most software is produced by the non-user party for most closed-source software, because naturally, most proprietary projects are structured like an assembly line with clear distinction between producer and consumer of the product.

this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2024

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