Group:Free Javascript Action Team

The problem

Currently, web applications like Google Docs are transmitting programs written in Javascript and other languages to users, without unobfuscated source code and without any ability for users to modify them. This means that even in free software web browsers, users are running nonfree programs.

The solution

Here is a basic outline for things that need to be done. Please edit and add your suggestions, and discuss ideas on the Talk page.

• Modify browsers to allow users to run their own modified Javascript programs for particular sites that they visit.
• Write browser extensions that notify users about nonfree Javascript.
• If you write Javascript, follow the suggestions in Stallman's article for clearly and freely licensing your code.
• Build community repositories of free Javascript programs useful for popular sites.
• Raise awareness of this issue by publicizing Stallman's article, writing about the problem yourself, and talking to friends and colleagues about it. Watch this wiki page and help organize the effort.

Places to start

Here are some projects that might help get the ball rolling.

• Noscript - Filter javascript based on domain white/blacklists.
• Greasefire - Firefox-compatible addon to search userscripts.org and install userscripts, displays userscripts which can be used on the currently viewed page
• Greasemonkey - Firefox-compatible addon to execute user-supplied javascript on certain pages

Promotion

We can list places where discussion about this issue is happening, so that we can be there to make the arguments that need to be made.

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/mar/25/cloud-free-software-stallman
• http://digg.com/software/Richard_Stallman_aims_to_free_cloud_based_applications

References

• The Javascript Trap by Richard Stallman. Richard announced the initial plan for addressing this problem at the LibrePlanet2009 conference.