Javascript & jQuery - How much are we supposed to be using?

Question

This question has been asked before, but I would like a little more detail from this one, more about the audience and why.

I was never a Javascript fan, if I could avoid using it I would... but now jQuery has evolved, I've found myself using a lot of it, and really enjoying it. But I now feel I could get carried away and use too much.

1) How many people actually have JS disabled? Does anyone have precise visitor statistics/analytics that proves what percentage of visitors are disabled? If it's only 1 - 5%, should we really be caring about them?

2) What's the reason for disabling JS in the first place, seeming as it's enabled by default on all browsers? I don't understand why the browser gives us that option. I've never found a reason to switch off my JS, unless it's for testing purposes.

3) Do you think that JS will ever become a permanent browser language, by disallowing users to switch it off? Websites would be amazing (and secure) if scripts were permanent.

M application, a secure login only site, is rich with AJAX, overlays, tooltips and elements fading in and out - so much that it wouldn't work without it. But this isn't a problem for me as my users are warned at the point of registration that JS is a 100% requirement and my particular visitors actually need my application. I also have a <noscript> redirection back to the login page.

I'm asking the above questions because I'm about to redevelop the home-page to my application, which is public, but I'm unsure about how much to use and how big the audience is that would miss out on the jQuery goodness.

Thanks

Answer 1

1) I found this blog post from Yahoo that states that around 0.25 and 2% of their visitors have JavaScript disabled.

2) I think this is a leftover from 10 years ago. There is no reason to disable JavaScript as the usability hit you take on many websites (with some not even being usable) is a lot more than the little security you gain. I always stretch that if non JavaScript users are that important to you then create a separate version of the page.

3) I don't know what you mean with permanent. JavaScript already runs in a Sandbox so you e.g. can't access local files. Other security issues are more things like secretly submitting forms or redirecting to a malicious page.

Answer 2

It depends. If I'm making a 'general' website you should account for no JavaScript, slow JavaScript and poor JavaScript (like IE6). Another thing to keep in mind are mobile devices.

If I'm making a JavaScript application with heavy use of AJAX and other modern web techniques I don't even bother.

In some situations it's easier to demand availability of JavaScript.

Answer 3

1) The more important figure is what percentage of your users/visitors don't have javascript, and whether or not you think the extra development cost (if there is any) of any fallbacks you might need is worth it. As said earlier, it depends on your situation

2) To stop popups, annoying scripts that change browser behaviour (such as disabling the right mouse button), and such