Re: Pop-up window<Javascript?>

Oh boy! Not I get to jump up on my soapbox!!!

First and formost I think I should preface the following statements with a
little note. JavaScript and Java are two different animals. Those new to web
site design may not know the difference yet. JavaScript is a scripting
language that allows you to add some nice user interaction to your web page.
It allows you to preload impages, handle tables, create jump boxes and a
variety of other things. It works so well because JavaScript loads from the
actual web page, it doesn't require the browser to go back and buzz the
server for more information.

JAVA is a full fledged programming languages and allows you to do a score of
things. Data base control, file look up, and well as some very spiffy
graphic tricks that take a very long time to load into your browser window.
You can usually tell a JAVA bean by seeing a gray box somewhere on your web
page that looks quite a bit like a hole in your window. For web page
creation, when your not needing anything from the server, JAVA is at best an
annoyance and at worst harmfull.to your frame of mind (and your computer).

Now to the meat of my answer...

Now, there are some possible threats from JavaScript. Truthfully I don't
remember what they are; someone told me a few years ago and I just can not
dredge them up from the depths of my mind. The likelihood of you receiving
damage from these threats are akin to you catching sleeping sickness from
tse - tse flys in mid - winter in Michigan.

JAVA on the other hand, can pose a threat to you. Because it is a
programming language it can effect parts of your computer, It's akin to
Microsoft's active x controls. They can do damage if you're not aware and
you should take some precautions if the thought of bringing up your computer
from scratch bothers you. You should note though that I've been on the web
for a fairly long time now and I've never had problems from a JAVA applette.

Why would you tell people to turn off cookies? Cookies can in no manner harm
your computer. If you look at a cookie in your computer you'll see that all
it holds is a string of text. These strings only hold some specific bit of
information, that you supplied to a web site for some kind of transaction.
They can not hold virsues or other web horrors that you have heard about.If
you ever have some cookies that you're not sure about, just deleate them.
It's not difficult to do and it will give you some peace of mind if your
worried in that direction.

Stuff to worry about.

Viruses are the main thing to worry about on the web that can do damage to
your clients' computers. Simply tell them never to open an email attatchment
from someone that they don't know. Even then, a good anti-virus program can
protect you from that. Try AVG at http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.htm.
It's a very reliable service that is 100% free.

I know my thoughts on the subject goes against the grain for some of the
membership. Frankly I'm surprised the Captain Fuzzy hasn't tried to hit me
with a zip disk. But I do believe my thoughts on the subject are valid and
I'm sticking to them!

Tom Rumley

----- Original Message -----

> Thomas:
>
> I'm the sysadmin/answer guy for my company. We have several thousand
clients
> running anything from Windows 3.11 to XP.
>
> For *all* of our companies we recommend that they disable Java AND
> JavaScript AND cookies on *all* of their workstations.
>
> Most of them do. They may be encouraged by what happens to our clients who
> don't.
>
> Many of our clients are solicitors (lawyers) and they have had a few nasty
> frights recently. Moreover, if they should lose (or disseminate) client
data
> through lack of due response -oops.
>
> We also have university clients, local council (town hall) clients,
> accountancy clients, drug agency clients - you get the idea.
>
> No Java. No JavaScript. No no no! Where possible, locked down hard.
>
> I'm now - after the orgy of VB-hosted worms in the last 6 months - pushing
> many of them towards (at least server-side) *nix-style solutions: we'll
see
> how that goes.
>
> However, none of these people at any of these workstations will be able to
> visit any site with java dependencies.
>
> Moreover, most of our friends in the biz are doing the same. Life's too
> short, anyway - why make it shorter?
>
> So, the response to your q. -
>
> >Meaning, if you're already paying for it why not use it?
>
> Is... because it's dangerous m*erde.
>
> Jaimito.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Thomas Rumley" <redo4you(at)yahoo.com>
> To: "HWG Basics List" <hwg-basics(at)hwg.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 1:30 PM
> Subject: Re: Pop-up window<Javascript?>
>
>
> > Hello Captain Fuzzy;
> >
> > Simply put, they turn ON their JavaScript. People who don't use
JavaScript
> > for their browsing experience are the same people who don't use their
A/C
> in
> > the summer. Meaning, if you're already paying for it why not use it?
> >
> > Some people (I would never point fingers at anyone Fuzzy) say that there
> are
> > security risks using JavaScript. Maybe so but I've never run into them
> > personally (doesn't mean they aren't there). I'm told living can be
> > dangerous to your health as well, but I'll, um..., live with it!  :-p
>
>


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