Free software evangelist Richard Stallman has written a piece about the problem of Javascript for those who want to avoid any proprietary software.

Javascript is a programming language used in web pages for anything from drop down menus to the sophisticated websites like Google Docs or Zoho.

It presents a problem because you don’t necessarily get to find out whether the Javascript code is free (available in this context) before accessing the website.

The other problem is that it is not easy to run a modified version of the program. One of Stallman’s essential software freedoms is the ability to edit software.

Part of me understands what he is saying, and even sympathises to a degree, I just think it unlikely that anything will happen.