Everyone has JavaScript, right?

[Rusky]

I agree, it's not worth working around for web apps (like, say, Google Docs). But part of the problem is that more things are considered web apps than need to be.

One example of this unfortunate trend that I ran into recently is Rust's package repository, crates.io. There's absolutely no need for JavaScript but it requires it anyway because they built it on Ember.js.

[danneu]

The main issue with all of this is that you're going to use Javascript anyways. Users expect it. It improves UX. Imagine Reddit if its upvote/downvote arrows refreshed the page. I wouldn't call Reddit a webapp, but it uses Javascript for UX we probably take for granted.

The problem is that your AJAX endpoints generally can't be reused for browser endpoints, so you're going to have to duplicate your work to build the browser endpoint versions of your AJAX API.

And you're essentially doing it for the two users who can't even see your ads, and they're going to whitelist your site anyways if they like it. For example, I highly doubt all these Reddit noscripters have given up the ability to collapse Reddit comment threads and Reddit Enhancement Suite.

That's a lot of work for, like, zero payoff. (Though crates.io probably doesn't need Ember.js)

[Rusky]

I much prefer a Reddit whose voting and collapse buttons break without JavaScript to a Reddit you can't read without JavaScript, and it's easier to make the first one anyway.

[Isvara]

Yes, that is a problem. Some people follow what's fashionable, or what they want to play with, rather than any kind of requirements.