Well, okCupid, with all due respect, to be consistent, you should probably stop using JavaScript as well, because Mr. Eich created JavaScript.
Using developer tools to inspect the okCupid site, you'll see the "all.js" file being loaded--snippet below. See all those "var" and "function" and "try" and other statements? That's all JavaScript--created by Mr. Eich. None of this would make sense without his pioneering work.
https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js
If okCupid is so adamant about opposing Mr. Eich regarding his views, why don't they be consistent, and pull this file--and all JavaScript--from their site?
In my professional opinion, okCupid would go down like a lead balloon if this was done.
Which leaves okCupid in a precarious position: boycotting the man who created the code that drives their site! Looks like, although they disagree with his personal views, they'll happily take his work, and use it for their benefit.
If they had any guts at all, they'd also pull the JavaScript from their site.
okCupid obviously does not understand the incredible contribution that this man has made to the Internet. Mr. Eich created JavaScript, the code that practically all Web sites use today. It is the language that Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera, and all mobile browsers use to display web sites, _including okCupid_. In addition, FireFox is shining star of open source software. They compete with Apple, Microsoft, and Google, on a shoestring budget, fueled mostly by the generosity of the open-source community.
In sum, before you boycott FireFox and Mr. Eich, you should be fully prepared to cease and desist the use of JavaScript on your site.
Sincerely,
Keith Miklas
p.s. Also, most disturbing is that, as we can see from the code below, you are using FaceBook's code. Has FaceBook also approved this move?
~~~ SAMPLE JAVASCRIPT FROM OKCUPID ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ /*1396448873,172653591,JIT Construction: v1188627,en_US*/ /** * Copyright Facebook Inc. * * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 */ try {window.FB || (function(window) { var self = window, document = window.document; var setTimeout = window.setTimeout, setInterval = window.setInterval;var __DEV__ = 0; function emptyFunction() {}; var __w, __t; __t=function(a){return a[0];};__w=function(a){return a;}; var require,__d;(function(a){var b={},c={},d=['global','require','requireDynamic','requireLazy','module','exports'];require=function(e,f){if(c.hasOwnProperty(e))return c[e];if(!b.hasOwnProperty(e)){if(f)return null;throw new Error('Module '+e+' has not been defined');}var g=b[e],h=g.deps,i=h.length,j,k=[];for(var l=0;l
Hi Keith,
ReplyDeleteSoftware released under the Apache license can indeed be reused and redistributed without penalty. Here's the full text of the license if you're interested:
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
I think also you may be conflating two very distinct things. JavaScript is indeed a language that runs in nearly every modern web application--but JavaScript is a tool for a specific job. No one is saying Brendan Eich shouldn't keep improving ECMAscript and its future implementations--but there's a gulf between that and being the head of a large organization. Believe it or not, that position requires more soft skills than anything--and yes, does indeed require that your politics be scrutinized. The larger picture here is that Mozilla is actually a political organization at its root. The idea of an Open Internet is one that's opposed by the Old Capitalists (perhaps like yourself) and tends to be more in favor amongst younger progressives, and by any metric, Mozilla could be considered 'liberal'. The question becomes--is someone like Eich fit to lead--not "if they're willing to go as far as denying someone a job because of their political stance, are they willing to disavow and remove any acknowledgement that the person exists", which is what you seem to imply. Again, the important thing to remember here is that not everyone needs, deserves or is even happy as a leader--and even more importantly, the positions of those being led are actually vital to the health of the organization. Not withstanding dissenting LBGT folks at Mozilla, it seems like Eich's days were numbered, and I'm not surprised, because he's actually an engineer, not an executive. Before his personal opinions came under fire, they were already seeking to oust him.
One more note about programming languages--they're much like spoken languages in the fact that they're incredibly complex, and you can accomplish a single goal radically different ways; you can use JavaScript, for example, to write a game of Pong in 100 lines, or you can use it for an Enterprise application with millions of users. Thought experiment: if a theatre stopped running any Shakespeare performances, do you think there'd be such outrage (except form hardcore English Majors) calling for them to also stop using words Shakespeare had coined?
Its also important to remember, not getting a job as CEO of Mozilla doesn't make Eich a victim, and furthermore, the legislation he pursued, sought actively to make victims of those who wished to simply love their partners and live their lives with the same benefits that any other couple would receive.
Anyway just my two cents.