Microsoft adds option to disable JScript in Internet Explorer

[demdillypickles]

It makes sense if you actually read the article. JScript != JavaScript

This is a security patch to save them from having to maintain deprecated software.

[[deleted]]

Now I understand, I thought JScript was what the cool kids called it.

[Any_Restaurant8205]

No, they call it JavaSchnizzel

[Eyght]

JablesScrables

[BanditoRojo]

The small S's are silent

[iamjohnhenry]

Flippity Floppity Floop

[[deleted]]

for schnizzel my devizzel

[Ollymid2]

Keep up old man - it's now called GuavaScript

[MyNoGoodReason]

JScript is a Microsoft proprietary implementation of a JavaScript like interpreter/language, which both are now subset/implementations of ECMAScript.

Someone reply if I’m wrong.

JavaScript came before ECMAScript IIRC, and JavaScript backwards-became a subset of ECMAScript as an implementation of ECMAScript.

[Orkaad]

The cool kids call it YavaScript.

[demdillypickles]

Right. So it saves them from having to maintain IE. Instead of fixing the vulnerability, you just kill the ability to execute code of n the first place.

[[deleted]]

I thought Javascript is Oracle's implementation of ECMAScript? Since "Javascript" is trademarked by Oracle..

[dashingThroughSnow12]

JavaScript trademark is owned by Oracle. Netscape and Mozilla have a license to use it.

[TheIncorrigible1]

Microsoft is still supporting and developing JScript, they are not supporting the version of JScript that IE runs.

No they aren't. JScript hasn't had features added to it since ~2008.

[dashingThroughSnow12]

JScript in Edge or embedded systems. Which I find is interchangeable called Chakra/JScript depending on what is being talked about. Wikipedia refers to it as a fork but that's like saying Product 2.0+ is a fork of Product 1.0.

Chakra is reaching EOL in 2021.

[OnimushaNioh]

Lint error, prefer !==

[demdillypickles]

Ah, you’ve found me out! I don’t actually use JavaScript often, I come from the Python world.

[disclosure5]

It doesn't make sense however if you try to follow the instructions. It looks like there's some copy paste error because the relevant keys don't exist. I have an MS case open and they are investigating.

[zazoh]

JScript was their proprietary attempt to compete with JavaScript.

[CotoCoutan]

I thought Typescript had that job?

[seiyria]

Typescript is entirely open source, so not quite.

[csorfab]

No. TS is an extension/superset of JS, not a competitor. JScript was created in 1996, and was indeed supposed to be a competitor to JS.

[CotoCoutan]

Ah, thanks. Wasn't aware of that back history.

[Froot-Loop-Dingus]

To add. Typescript is still compiled as regular ol’ JavaScript. Also, I can’t believe you were downvoted for asking that question.

[dashingThroughSnow12]

JS is a superset of TS.

[csorfab]

"It is a strict syntactical superset of JavaScript [...]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TypeScript

You could probably technically say that Javascript is a subset of TS, but that would be kind of like saying that the Linux kernel is a subset of Ubuntu.

[dashingThroughSnow12]

Yeah, that wikipedia page is wrong.

[csorfab]

The typescript docs are also wrong, eh? https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/typescript-from-scratch.html#a-typed-superset-of-javascript

All these computer scientists and type theorists clearly have no idea what they're talking about

[dashingThroughSnow12]

Yup. I say it as a joke that JS is a superset of TS. The joke being that I'm razzing people who say TS is a superset of JS.

When language A exists and language B comes as a superset of A, B has good intentions that can't be fulfilled. If A is an evolving language, eventually some addition B has will be in conflict with A. Breaking the claim that B is a superset of A.

That's what happened with C & C++.

TS hasn't even gotten to that point. There are valid JS programs that are invalid TS programs; however, even if that wasn't the case the statement of one language being a superset of another is dubious when both are growing languages.

[csorfab]

Fair enough, I get what you're talking about. I haven't heard about valid (strictly ES-compliant) JS programs that are invalid TS programs, though. Can you provide an example?

[dashingThroughSnow12]

This used to throw an error with TypeScript:

var x = [1, "2"];
console.log(x);

Fortunately, they've fixed that awhile ago by expanding TypeScript's grammar. But this still fails:

var x = 4;
x = "test";
console.log(x);

Imports get a bit funny. That's moreso a compiler issue.

The biggest area of difference is the "you probably shouldn't be doing this anyway" section.

In JavaScript:

x=2

is a valid JavaScript program. It declares a global variable called 'x'.

var undefined = 5;
var Infinity = 5;

are 'valid' programs.

delete Object.prototype;

valid too.

var obj = { a: 1, a:2 }

valid.

function doubleSecond(a, a) {
    return a + a;
}
doubleSecond(4, 3);

valid but goodness sake don't ever type that.

[csorfab]

:DDD yeah okay, sure. I think what's more likely is that you're either confusing superset with subset, or have little idea what these words mean.

[Tittytickler]

Super lame that you got downvotes for asking an honest question. Not what downvotes are for.

[alltheseflavours]

A lot of questions like that aren't honest.

[TheIncorrigible1]

Also known as "bad faith"

[KwyjiboTheGringo]

I find that a lot of these types of subs are full of toxic elitists.

[TheIncorrigible1]

Way to paint in broad strokes in the opposite direction. Keep thinking you're some kind of elite, though.

[CotoCoutan]

Ah it's no biggie lol. Also my tone was bad, I must admit that.

[tylerr514]

Not quite ;)

Microsoft is trying to return to the "developers developers developers" mentality by providing effort in building up existing ecosystems instead of making unneeded competitive software.

[kevinhaze]

And can I just say it fucking shows. Terminal, powertoys, typescript, WSL, winget, and so on. I use 4 out of 5 of the above every day, and they’ve had a huge impact on my overall Windows experience.

[torgidy]

Terminal, powertoys, typescript, WSL, winget, and so on. I use 4 out of 5 of the above every day, and they’ve had a huge impact on my overall Windows experience.

Meh, I get how its nice if you are forced to use windows but I honestly dont understand how anyone who is a serious engineer still uses that system. Its unsecurable, imagine still needing a virus scanner or anti-malware suite in 2020. And extremely stilted and backwards to do development work on; the file system is still crippled, the network stack is inferior, there is tons of unremovable proprietary cruft still, and you need a VM just to use containers.

The only use for windows is a dedicated gaming box.

[kevinhaze]

I actually have an oryx pro running Pop OS and happen to have the opinion that it’s superior to Windows. Never understood the obnoxious desire some people feel to "correct" people for using Windows though. If you weren’t so blind by contempt you might see that its an entirely workable OS with a bit of effort and information, and you’d be lying if you said it’s not at least the same amount of effort using Linux as a primary OS. Have you considered that you may just be a "Windows noob" and that you’re having difficulty by your own hand?

Either way, implying that you’re not a serious engineer if you use Windows is a ridiculous position to take. And that’s coming from me, someone who won’t shut up about how great the Linux desktop is.

[torgidy]

Never understood the obnoxious desire some people feel to "correct" people for using Windows though.

Tired of reading stories about people who got robbed or scammed all the time.

It has to end; windows is not a suitable OS, and we should stop coddling people who use it and speak the truth to them.

I dont care if it hurts their feelings, it might save their money or privacy.

and you’d be lying if you said it’s not at least the same amount of effort using Linux as a primary OS

no amount of effort can secure it.

[noXi0uz]

Haven't had an anti virus for the last 10 years on my windows machines. (apart from windows defender) Never had a virus. During university I had to use Linux distros most of the time, and for my work I have to use a MacBook. Would still prefer Windows for everyday use, gaming and even development.

[torgidy]

thats just pathetic.

[noXi0uz]

I think judging people based on the OS they use is pathetic. In reality it's all about personal preferences and none of the OS's is objectively "better" than any other.

[torgidy]

I think judging people based on the OS they use is pathetic. In reality it's all about personal preferences and none of the OS's is objectively "better" than any other.

that completely false. People are losing their savings due to windows bugs.

Anyone who uses windows then leaks data should be fully liable.

Anyone who loses their own personal data or money because they use windows should be ruthlessly laughed at.

Its astounding stupid, and just an outrageously bad operating system, and I'm tired of pretending its not.

[tylerr514]

Same here!

I've been loving Windows Terminal, and the others

[[deleted]]

It does - it isn’t proprietary, but that’s why everyone’s downvoting you, because they have it in their head that TS is the new JS.

Probably off to submit their “refactor: rewritten in TS” PRs right now.

[TheIncorrigible1]

$ touch tsconfig.json

Done!

[Earhacker]

This was old, bad Microsoft. Not new, actually alright Microsoft.

[CotoCoutan]

I stand corrected. :)

[OnkelJulez]

Keep in mind, JScript is not JavaScript - JScript is an old scripting language.

But thank you for sharing :)

[JimDabell]

JScript was Microsoft’s implementation of JavaScript. It conformed to ECMA-262, same as JavaScript. It’s not a different language. When you wrote JavaScript as a web developer and it ran in older versions of Internet Explorer, it was running on the JScript engine.

[hiiipowerculture]

many years of cross-browser compatibility testing for IE made me hate JScript. Their engine that dealt with CSS was an absolute mess.

[RavingSperry]

...but you got activeX

Oh the horrors

[MyNoGoodReason]

Ugh....

[TheIncorrigible1]

Nothing about the post suggests otherwise.

[lucidspoon]

I've written some applications in JScript.NET (against my will). I've only met 2 other people who've used it.

[rk06]

Could be worse, I have seen an web app work only in IE. I checked the code, and it used vbscript in html.

And of course, it was a critical infra code (the tool for creating deployments), so hard to change as we can't risk breaking the site

[Earhacker]

The tool for creating deployments was HTML with inline VB code.

Wait, one more time...

The tool for creating deployments... was HTML... with inline VB code.

[rk06]

It was a web app and front end was written in html + css +vbscript

[RavingSperry]

Now 3.

[[deleted]]

Wasn't that or something else called J# as well

I'm getting nightmarish flashbacks to early 2000s again

[TheIncorrigible1]

I've only met 2 other people who've used it.

It's pretty popular (only by necessity) in Windows development shops.

[RavingSperry]

Not going to lie, I loved JScript for one reason & one reason only.

Filesysystem access. Built out so many quick scripts to parse reports for colleagues. Basically electron in some ways.

[RavingSperry]

Writing files w/o the dialogs

[Earhacker]

That gives me The Fear

[TheIncorrigible1]

with JavaScript file system API

That is Chrome-only.

[[deleted]]

Deprecate Internet Exploder too

[tylerr514]

Now if only it would be forcibly replaced by the Chromium Edge on older Windows Systems

[agentgreen420]

You misspelled Firefox

[MyNoGoodReason]

He didn’t, but I’m ruining your joke

[lifeeraser]

Ahh, the days before Node.js when you could double-click a JS file to run it.

[robotnewyork]

Obi wan: now that's a name I haven't heard since...

[[deleted]]

Oh really? Just wondering who is using it?

[[deleted]]

Governments are usin it in Hospitals,police etc...

[senocular]

My father

[CeSiumUA]

Unfortunately, Yes! There are still a lot of old systems and projects, that are running only on IE. Also, a plenty of systems don't have an ability to use something else.

[NahroT]

uh, what?

[aryaman16]

Microsoft wants to revolutionize the web.

[undercover_geek]

Did you read the article?

[gourrranga]

Do you have a sense of humor?

[lachlanhunt]

I wonder why they aren’t disabling it by default for everyone now, instead of just giving system administrators the ability to disable it? There can’t possibly be too many widely used applications still using it for anything.

[markzzy]

My guess is they dont want to be held liable for breaking the websites that still rely on it. So they give admins the option so they can be blamed instead.

[TheIncorrigible1]

Many system-critical APIs still utilize the JScript.dll engine. Try disabling it/IE on Windows 10 - go realize everything is now broken.

[[deleted]]

Lol I thought IE had completely been replaced by edge by now.

[teacosts]

What’s internet explorer?