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  • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Sunday December 20 2020, @09:34PM (7 children)

    by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 20 2020, @09:34PM (#1089702) Homepage Journal

    How does one gain control of one's browser?

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Dr Spin on Monday December 21 2020, @10:55AM (6 children)

    by Dr Spin (5239) on Monday December 21 2020, @10:55AM (#1089849)

    How does one gain control of one's browser?

    You start by taking over the country where the code is written. Call me back when you have done that,

    --
    Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
    • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Monday December 21 2020, @12:49PM (5 children)

      by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Monday December 21 2020, @12:49PM (#1089869) Homepage Journal

      Or, alternatively, how does one write a browser? How simply can it be done and still be useful?

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Monday December 21 2020, @03:51PM (3 children)

        by Freeman (732) on Monday December 21 2020, @03:51PM (#1089912) Journal

        You don't have to go that far. All you would need to do is check the code yourself and any Open Source browser should fit the bill. Then you compile it yourself. That's how you have control over your own browser. But first you have to look at your compile tools source and your OS's source, and make sure your hardware is open, so you can check that. But that way lies madness. At a certain point, you have to trust that not everyone is out to screw you or at least that there's enough eyes on the project to make that kind of thing harder to do.

        --
        Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
        • (Score: 3, Interesting) by hendrikboom on Thursday December 24 2020, @08:22PM (2 children)

          by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Thursday December 24 2020, @08:22PM (#1091074) Homepage Journal

          The complete panoply of potentially faulty software is really too much to carry out.
          I do have to start trusting somewhere.

          Even the popular so-called full-function browsers are too much to review. And they do seem to be produced by organizations (like Google) with their own axes to grind.

          At least Chromium, the Google browser allegedly without Google-specific stuff, seems to work, but i have no idea what's under the hood. It's apparently open-source, but is anyone independent really checking it for user security potential malfeasance (except for malfeasors who are mostly hoping the malfeasance stays and are unlikely to report on it)?

          As for javascript, I'm firstly concerned that the javascript engines inside the browser keep their activities inside the browser, to defend against the thousands of malfunctioning javascript packages that are invoked indirectly from a web page.
          Even keeping that under control is difficult.

          -- hendrik

          • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday January 04 2021, @04:02PM (1 child)

            by Freeman (732) on Monday January 04 2021, @04:02PM (#1094510) Journal

            Firefox is still the least worst choice. At least for me. I've got enough eggs in the Google basket.

            --
            Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
            • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Wednesday January 06 2021, @11:12AM

              by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday January 06 2021, @11:12AM (#1095570) Homepage Journal

              I'm using firefox and chromium. Chromium instead of chrome for just that reason. A matter of limiting harm. At least slightly.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 21 2020, @04:32PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 21 2020, @04:32PM (#1089923)

        If you're fine living without javascript, just use dillo or w3m or (e)links or netsurf. If you want javascript, you have to write it yourself or use qtwebengine/webkit or gtkwebkit2.