Many developers are in love with JavaScript. It enables them to quickly build and launch prototypes to create and scale engaging online experiences. But there’s a huge cost to JavaScript, both in the strain it places on client platforms that have to run it and web platforms – like search engines – that try to make sense of it. In a very profound way, JavaScript is a direct threat to the free and open web. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, JavaScript has helped open our eyes to the dangers besieging the web, stirring a hornet’s nest of activism. On top of that, JavaScript keeps a legion of SEOs gainfully employed as developers build & launch web apps but pay little heed to the need to drive traffic. In this talk, Barry Adams will explain exactly why JavaScript is evil, but how we as web professionals can gain from it – both in terms of continued work, and as a catalyst to ensure the web remains open and free from manipulation by governments and corporations.

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JavaScript is Ruining the Web
(and I love it)
Barry Adams
Polemic Digital

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https://learninbound.com/videos/barry-adams-2018/

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JavaScript = Client-Side Code

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https://httparchive.org/reports/state-of-the-web

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https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/05/uk-
among-countries-with-priciest-mobile-data-plans-in-europe

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= +

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Global average selling price of smartphones: 2016 - 2021 (USD)
https://www.statista.com/statistics/788557/global-
average-selling-price-smartphones/

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https://medium.com/@addyosmani/the-cost-of-
javascript-in-2018-7d8950fbb5d4

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JavaScript & Google
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFwUbgvpdaQ

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Technology is not neutral

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https://2017.ind.ie/ethical-design/
Ethical Design

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https://solid.inrupt.com/

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Is JavaScript Evil?

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Is JavaScript Evil?
Yes.

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Should we get rid of JS?

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Should we get rid of JS?
No.

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ThankYou.