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@jtb the situation of the web isn't in a good place to begin with (see your own experience with icecat). WEI has the potential to worsen the state substantially.

It makes a difference whether your browser is offered some JavaScript code that it then runs or doesn't, potentially leading to malfunctioning websites OR whether a website can enforce you to run such code or use a certain browser, OS, etc.

I can hardly understand how one does not see the adverse potential in WEI when they know full well the issues around the current state of the web already with proprietary JS, DRM and poor webdev practices. Without WEI, we are still in a bad state of course, but that does not mean that we can go in the other direction now.

@jayvii In paragraph 2 you say it makes a difference. I am not sure it does. Websites already can and do force me to run javascript. I had an example this morning in my inbox. Without javascript the website did nothing at all. So my choice is use the website with javascript, or don't use the website. And I think that will still be the case with #wei . No one can force me to use a website. No one can force me to use a browser. All they can do is deny service if I don't.

@jayvii Interestingly, Firefox on Android has removed the about:config page, so now there is no way to switch javascript off without adding an extension. (Nor is there any way to switch it on if it is already off). But I don't know if Firefox is a free browser. The author doesn't define 'free browser'.

@jtb I believe it does make a difference as it lowers barriers for websites and webapps to use such schemes. Of course there are already sites that block access if you disallow trackers or use adblock or which are entirely built with JS (so obviously they won't work if you turn it off entirely).

However there is no standard API or protocol (yet) that enables sites to define specific browser configurations and lock everyone else out. Be it a different browser, OS, disallowing JS, blocking trackers or certain domains, fonts, etc. It manifests those abusive practices that you just mentioned. It sets a standard for exactly that behavior. So in my opinion it does make a difference.

Granted: Neither of us knows for sure what it will turn out to be, but with Google some healthy scepticisms and critique historically has always been warranted.

firefox on android is an awkward situation indeed. There are a bunch of proprietary blobs in there, which is (one of the reasons) why f-droid lists fennec & mull instead. I am not an expert on that matter, so I don't want to dive into that too much here.