Scripts

[Gloria E]

What exactly is Scripts and why is it advised to not to let them run? I read that users can select the ones to let run, but if you don't know what they do how can you choose?


Gloria E

[HansV]

In which context? In your browser, in Windows, ...?

[Bigaldoc]

I think we need more info, Gloria. What are you seeing that prompts the question. I don't ever get any notices about scripts so I'm at a loss.

There could be legit scripts but I would think you'd know about a script if YOU were trying to run one. I don't know if it's a browser question, or what...

[MalcolmWalker]

What exactly is Scripts and why is it advised to not to let them run? I read that users can select the ones to let run, but if you don't know what they do how can you choose? Gloria E

I occasionally see such script running warnings when browsing in Firefox. I always select the option to stop the script from running. Doing so doesn't seem to affect my browsing or any expectation I may have as to FF and what it is displaying.

[Gloria E]

In which context? In your browser, in Windows, ...?

I found scripts mentioned in IE9 >Internet Options>Advanced. I know nothing about scripts in Windows 7, they may be used there too, but I'm not aware of it.

[Gloria E]

I think we need more info, Gloria. What are you seeing that prompts the question. I don't ever get any notices about scripts so I'm at a loss.

There could be legit scripts but I would think you'd know about a script if YOU were trying to run one. I don't know if it's a browser question, or what...

See my reply post to Hans. No one yet has answered my questions, I'm only asked questions. I've not gotten any notices about scripts, just my thirst for knowledge so that the correct choices can be made.

[HansV]

Almost all websites use some kind of scripting. For example, when you click the NewTopic or Quick Reply button here in Eileen's Lounge, a script is run that opens a text edit box in which you can compose your post/reply, and another script is run when you click Submit. So scripts can be very useful.
But they could also be used for malicious purposes - that's what computer viruses etc. do.

Modern browsers, with their default settings, protect you against many kinds of malicious scripts. Websites that you add to your 'Trusted Sites' in Internet Explorer are allowed to do more than ordinary websites, so you should only add sites to your Trusted Sites if you're certain that they're OK.
And of course, you have to be careful while browsing. There's no need to be paranoid, but you should always take a moment to think when a web pages asks you to allow something or install something.

[Gloria E]

Almost all websites use some kind of scripting. For example, when you click the NewTopic or Quick Reply button here in Eileen's Lounge, a script is run that opens a text edit box in which you can compose your post/reply, and another script is run when you click Submit. So scripts can be very useful.
But they could also be used for malicious purposes - that's what computer viruses etc. do.

Modern browsers, with their default settings, protect you against many kinds of malicious scripts. Websites that you add to your 'Trusted Sites' in Internet Explorer are allowed to do more than ordinary websites, so you should only add sites to your Trusted Sites if you're certain that they're OK.
And of course, you have to be careful while browsing. There's no need to be paranoid, but you should always take a moment to think when a web pages asks you to allow something or install something.

Thanks Hans for the enlightenment.

Scripts doesn't sound all that malicious to me, yet I've seen add-ons that people seem to use an awful lot called: No Scripts. It's beats me why it's used by so many people. Doesn't it defeat the purpose for allowing scripts to run?

Well! I will stop beating a dead horse and not stop scripts on my machine.

[HansV]

There are malicious web pages. If you do a lot of surfing, you may, intentionally or unintentionally, end up on less savoury sites. In such situations, an add-on such as NoScript for Firefox provides an extra safeguard. But if you're careful and keep your browsers and security software up-to-date, you're quite safe without such add-ons.

[djohnson123]

Regarding the icons' moving around ... I use freeware called DeskTopOK ( http://www.softwareok.com/?Download=DesktopOK" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ).
You can save the layout, or as many layouts as you want, and have that layout restored at boot time, or restore any saved layout whenever you want.
I've been using it for months and love it !


... oops - wrong post but I can't delete it ... sorry

[viking33]

In which context? In your browser, in Windows, ...?

OK Hans......I give up.
What is your new user pic????

[StuartR]

...
OK Hans......I give up.
What is your new user pic????

Looks like a festive pair of clogs to me

[HansV]

Yep, clogs in a Christmas tree...

[viking33]

Yep, clogs in a Christmas tree...

NOW I see it!

[Gloria E]

I think we need more info, Gloria. What are you seeing that prompts the question. I don't ever get any notices about scripts so I'm at a loss.

There could be legit scripts but I would think you'd know about a script if YOU were trying to run one. I don't know if it's a browser question, or what...

When I asked the question, I was only curious. Today, for the first time ever I received a Script Error message. I was on the website of my Direct TV webpage checking out How to update with TV Mail. The message was: An error has occurred in the script on this page. Do you want to continue running scripts on this page. Clicking yes, the message reappears again and again. Finally I clicked no a couple of time and it went away.

Even though Disable Script Debugging (IE) and for Other is checked. Perhaps these should not be checked. What do I select so that script errors will not be shown again?

Gloria E

[HansV]

On the same tab of the Internet Options dialog, clear the check box "Display a notification about every script error", then click OK.

[Gloria E]

On the same tab of the Internet Options dialog, clear the check box "Display a notification about every script error", then click OK.

That was unchecked and has been for a long, long time. That's why I didn't mention it and another reason why I was surprised to see the error message.

[HansV]

Must have been a really serious error on the web page (not your fault!)

[BobH]

Hi Gloria!

I'm gonna take a stab at answering your question. A script is a set of instructions that will affect how HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) opreates within your browser. Scripts are interpreted either by the browser or by an interpreter, like Javascript, which is enabled within your browser. An interpreter is software that acts on instructions one at a time which usually have not been compiled into machine-level instructions. Most software is written in symbolic language (that humans can understand better than a series of ones and zeroes) and then processed by a program associated with the operating system to compile the instructions into machine level code (ones and zeroes, or something close to it).

I hope this helps (instead of confusing the issue further).

http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_script.asp

[Gloria E]

Hi Gloria!

I'm gonna take a stab at answering your question. A script is a set of instructions that will affect how HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) opreates within your browser. Scripts are interpreted either by the browser or by an interpreter, like Javascript, which is enabled within your browser. An interpreter is software that acts on instructions one at a time which usually have not been compiled into machine-level instructions. Most software is written in symbolic language (that humans can understand better than a series of ones and zeroes) and then processed by a program associated with the operating system to compile the instructions into machine level code (ones and zeroes, or something close to it).

I hope this helps (instead of confusing the issue further).

http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_script.asp

Yes Bob, I understand a little better. It's something like when you wipe your computer, one of the ways is to use the option to use ones & zeros if you want what was on it to be unreadable (is that correct)? In this case it does the oposite, it makes text readable.

Is it feasible to notify the web master of the error that was found so that they can correct it?