GNU LibreJS, or simply LibreJS, is a

free software Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, no ...

web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used o ...

extension for Mozilla Firefox-based browsers, written by the

GNU Project The GNU Project () is a free software, mass collaboration project announced by Richard Stallman on September 27, 1983. Its goal is to give computer users freedom and control in their use of their computers and computing devices by collaborat ...

. Its purpose is to block nonfree nontrivial

JavaScript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior, of ...

programs and allow free or trivial JS in a user's web browser. The add-on was written to address the so-called "JavaScript Trap" first described by

Richard Stallman Richard Matthew Stallman (; born March 16, 1953), also known by his initials, rms, is an American free software movement activist and programmer. He campaigns for software to be distributed in such a manner that its users have the freedom to ...

in 2009, a situation in which many users unknowingly run

proprietary software Proprietary software is software that is deemed within the free and open-source software to be non-free because its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner exercises a legal monopoly afforded by modern copyright and i ...

in their web browsers.

Description

GNU LibreJS blocks nonfree JavaScript programs that are present in many websites. It is developed as part of the

by Ruben Rodriguez and Nik Nyby and is included by default in the

GNU IceCat GNU IceCat, formerly known as GNU IceWeasel, is a completely free version of the Mozilla Firefox web browser distributed by the GNU Project. It is compatible with Linux, Windows, Android and macOS. IceCat is released as a part of GNUzilla, G ...

browser. It can also work with

Tor Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

. The add-on allows site whitelisting and has an email address detection system for users to contact page webmasters in order to persuade them into making their JavaScript code compliant with LibreJS. According to the

Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985, to support the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed under copyleft (" ...

, many websites (if not whitelisted) break while using the add-on, due to the pervasiveness of proprietary JavaScript code on the web. Nevertheless, programmer and activist

supports the usage of GNU LibreJS. Criticizing Google, Stallman said, "In general, most Google services require the execution of non-free JavaScript code. If you refuse to do so (for example, by running LibreJS), you will see that you will not be able to use these services."

Reception

Klint Finley of ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...

'', after going without JavaScript for a week, wrote, "The Free Software Foundation launched its Free JavaScript campaign in 2013 to promote websites using only free and open source JavaScript code, or making sites function without it. To help users avoid running proprietary JavaScript, they developed LibreJS, a plugin for the Firefox web browser that blocks most, but not all, JavaScript from running. They also work with engineers to help reduce dependence on proprietary JavaScript." However, the FSF does not use the term "open source" and actively advocates against using it, preferring the term "free software" instead.

Cory Doctorow Cory Efram Doctorow (; born July 17, 1971) is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who served as co-editor of the blog '' Boing Boing''. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of ...

of ''

BoingBoing ''Boing Boing'' is a website, first established as a zine in 1988, later becoming a group blog. Common topics and themes include technology, futurism, science fiction, gadgets, intellectual property, Disney, and left-wing politics. It twic ...

'', discussing Finley's article, said he had used

NoScript NoScript (or NoScript Security Suite) is a free software extension for Mozilla Firefox, SeaMonkey, other Mozilla-based web browsers and Google Chrome, written and maintained by Giorgio Maone, an Italian software developer and member of the Mozi ...

for years, and got around the problems Finley identified by whitelisting pages with wanted functionality that only works with JavaScript. Websites have been criticized or rated based on whether they work without JavaScript or with LibreJS enabled.

References

External links

LibreJS
on gnu.org {{FOSS LibreJS JavaScript Free Firefox WebExtensions Software using the GPL license

Description

Reception

See also

References

External links