Why Richard Stallman Wants Emacs to Reject JavaScript: Insights on Software Freedom
At EmacsConf 2022, Richard Stallman explained GNU Emacs' origins, the GNU project's freedom goals, his criticism of JavaScript's misuse in browsers, and his vision for a more feature‑rich, freedom‑respecting Emacs integrating tools like LibreOffice and TeX.
On December 4, the Free Software Foundation and GNU founder Richard Stallman delivered an online talk at EmacsConf 2022 titled “What I'd like to see in Emacs.”
Stallman noted that GNU Emacs was the first GNU program he released, which taught him about software licenses and defending software freedom.
He began by emphasizing the GNU operating system’s overarching goal: to enable everyone to use software freely and to help them value and protect that freedom.
Stallman argued that GNU is not only about technical excellence but also about ensuring users can freely control and cherish their software.
Regarding programming languages supported by GNU Emacs, Stallman said the language he believes Emacs should least support is JavaScript, not because of the language itself.
He admitted he does not understand JavaScript and has heard it described as clumsy and poorly designed, but his stance is not based on those criticisms.
Stallman believes the problems with JavaScript stem from how people use it, not the language itself.
He explained that web servers often silently deliver JavaScript programs to users' machines, allowing code of unknown authors to run without users’ awareness, which undermines the freedom he champions.
He sees refusing to support JavaScript in Emacs as a way to protect software freedom.
Stallman also pointed out that the real culprit is modern browser vendors. Early internet pages described content while browsers rendered it, giving users control over the browser.
About twenty years ago, commercial companies began adding increasingly complex controls to browsers, limiting users’ ability to customize what they see; these controls are tightly linked to JavaScript.
Beyond philosophical discussions, Stallman expressed hopes for Emacs to gain richer functionality, such as integrating the strengths of LibreOffice and TeX, simplifying its command interface, and improving maintainability.
Emacs conference transcript: https://emacsconf.org/2022/talks/rms/
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