Special Report :
JavaScript
JavaScript is a programming language built into web browsers. A few people disable it in the belief that this will improve Internet security. Indeed, browser makers may advise people to disable JavaScript when a new security problem is found and the browser maker hasn’t yet fixed the problem, and some people don’t re-enable JavaScript when the browser is fixed.
Java & JavaScript
Something which can cause confusion is that there are two languages with similar names, Java and JavaScript. Despite the similarity in their names, they are very different languages. This information pertains to JavaScript, not Java.
Browser Updates
You should use operating systems and browsers which have the latest security updates available. Before enabling JavaScript, make sure you have the latest updates.
Internet Security Products
JavaScript may appear to be disabled, or may not work properly, if Internet Security software is installed, e.g. Norton Internet Security and Firefox’s NoScript Add-on. When such software is installed, it may, depending on how it is configured, sabotage perfectly good, perfectly safe websites.
Sites made by Charles A Upsdell are safe.
If you have Internet Security software and encounter a problem with one of my sites which appears to be related to JavaScript, and you know that JavaScript is enabled in your browser, then you should see if you can reconfigure your Internet Security software to prevent the problem. Depending on the security software you have, you may be able to allow JavaScript only for specific sites which you know are safe.
Problems may occur when the Internet Security’s ad blocker or popup blocker is enabled. Turn off the blocker, and see if this helps. For example, if you have Norton Internet Security, you can go to the Symantec website to learn how to do this.
Problems may also occur because the security level is set too high. Try to lower it, preferably only for the site that doesn’t work properly, so that security remains higher for other sites. For example, if you have Internet Explorer, you can adjust the security level after clicking Tools, Internet Options, Security.
Ancient Browsers
JavaScript may not work correctly if you have a very old browser: old browsers are less capable than modern browsers. You should use a modern, up to date browser: newer browsers have more features and are more secure. For more about this, see Why Update?.
Some sites need JavaScript to work properly. You may have come here because you have been told that it is disabled. This tells you how to enable it:
Note : it is possible that JavaScript is enabled in your browser, but that something else is preventing JavaScript from working as it should. See the sidebars for more about this.
Chrome
It doesn’t appear possible yet to enable or disable JavaScript in Chrome.
Firefox
To enable JavaScript in Firefox, click Tools in the menu bar, click Options, click Content, check the option labelled Enable JavaScript, and click the Okay button.
Caution : it is unsafe to use Firefox older than version 3, because older versions have uncorrected security flaws. You should use the latest version that runs on your PC.
Internet Explorer
To enable JavaScript in Internet Explorer, click Tools in the menu bar, click Internet Options, click Security, click Custom Level, check the option labelled Active Scripting Enable (you will have to scroll down a lot to find this option, and note that Internet Explorer refers to JavaScript as “Active Scripting”), and click the Okay button twice.
Caution : it is unsafe to use Internet Explorer 5.5, versions older than 5.01, or any version for Mac PCs, because they have uncorrected security flaws. If you have Windows, you should use the latest version that runs on your PC; if you have a Mac, you should use an alternate browser.
Opera
To enable JavaScript in Opera, click Tools in the menu bar, click Preferences, click Advanced, click Content, check the option labelled Enable JavaScript, and click the Okay button.
Caution : it is unsafe to use Opera older than version 10, because older versions have uncorrected security flaws. You should use the latest version that runs on your PC.
Safari
To enable JavaScript in Safari, click Preferences in the menu bar, click Security, check the option labelled Enable JavaScript, and close the window.
Caution : you should use the latest version of Safari that runs on your PC.
SeaMonkey
To enable JavaScript in SeaMonkey, click Edit, Preferences in the menu bar, click Advanced, Scripts & Plugins, check the option labelled Enable JavaScript for Navigator, and close the window.
Caution : you should use the latest version of SeaMonkey that runs on your PC.
