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I go back on the 'net to the days of Mosaic, and earlier on Usenet and BBSs. I'm feeling pretty nostalgic, but also saddened. Between the crooks, the government, and fun loving pranksters it seems that there is no corner of the 'net that can be considered truly secure. I now routinely assume that nothing I do is safe.
I remember when the 'net was 90% thoughtful discussion, it was about web pages, pure HTML, and the content that they served up.
Now it seems as if no forum is safe from endless idiotic, threatening, and increasingly offensive trolls and bullies. Many good smart people just refuse to participate. In its early days the whole idea behind the 'net was the free sharing of information. Now you find things behind paywalls, registration pages, or removed after threats from lawyers.
Each week seems to bring another attempt by government or business to regulate the 'net, both what you can put on-line, and what you can look at. Add to that the many geographic blocks and other restrictions that keep out some of the people, some of the time. We rely on multiple layers of flash and java and other technology, each requiring some special software to make it work on your computer. Inevitably stuff breaks.
It was only a decade or so back that the very idea of marketing on the 'net was considered ridiculous. Now we're buried alive with ads, pop-ups, and stupid YouTube ads in front of every video - unless you want to pay them to remove them.
Increasingly using the 'net feels like more of a chore than a pleasure, and I can't see it improving. Is the Internet broken beyond repair?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Arik on Monday May 18 2015, @04:08PM
Any browser that enables ecmascript *by default* is broken by design. It's impossible to secure that browser or anything that browser has access to.
All the major browsers are broken by design, and have been for many years.
And it has a circular effect - script abilities *and permissions* are now assumed, and as a result web servers no longer bother to send out web pages at all in many cases.
The web is dead, the cause of death is poison, the type of poison was ecmaascript.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by NoMaster on Monday May 18 2015, @08:58PM
What's that got to do with the way people & organisations have started to act like [nasty | selfish | officious | manipulative | restrictive] cunts to each other on the 'net?
Live free or fuck off and take your naïve Libertarian fantasies with you...