How often do you find javascript disabled on browsers?

Question

I have started using ajax/jQuery in our websites / application. There are many plugins that support degrading the javascript to browsers that dont have javascript enabled an

Answer 1

It depends on what you are doing. Is it a website or web application?

A website can be done with just static html and, if needed something a little more complex, a little bit of server side programming.

A web application, today, is all about javascript. So if your visitors have js disabled, they are likely not interested in your application nor any other. So why bother with them?

Just concentrate in the other 98%, where your potential customers/audience is.

Answer 2

I know this is a very old thread, but I thought I'd post this for reference:

According to this website, only 0.4% to 2.4% of users had JS turned off. The first test they ran was with about 13,500 users, which is admittedly small for the interwebs, but it's still quite a large amount of people. This data is from 2009

Answer 3

According to these metrics, the following percentages of users have JavaScript disabled:

• EU: 1.4%
• US: 3.05%

But the numbers are from 2007, so they are rather old. I would think the percentages are a bit smaller by now, but who knows?

Answer 4

I really feel quite strongly that a well designed web site should remain functional with or without JavaScript switched on. JavaScript, in most cases, is there to enhance existing functionality.

This can usually be achieved by following a few simple rules.

1. Use unobtrusive JavaScript, avoid in-line (certainly) and in-page JavaScript whenever possible.
2. Anchors should always link to somewhere, not to # or to JavaScript. If you can't get around it, the link should be created dynamically.
3. Use forms correctly. A button should always be wrapped in form tags, this way the your functionality can always degrade to the server.

I believe that following these rules makes for a more robust site that is more accessible across multiple platforms. Not to mention the benefits to search engine optimisation, if you rely on JavaScript, the search engine will only see half your site.

I prefer the idea of progressively enhancing rather than planning for degradation. I'm absolutely not developing for the minority that intentionally sabotage their Internet experience by switching JavaScript off. A site built for progressive enhancement will work better on mobile platforms, screen readers and search engines.

Rich

Answer 5

As a whole, I think you can expect any browser that supports CSS will have JavaScript enabled.

However, it's not always a question of JavaScript being enabled/disabled on the browser entirely. Most of my friends/coworkers use NoScript to only allow JavaScript on specific sites.

Answer 6

It deppends on the size,

• Big applications like Gmail often have 'basic html' versions to support old and secured browsers. If you code your ajax with this in mind, you might be able to reuse most of the code.
• Medium sized applications, especially if the user uses them regular, will probably not find it worthwhile to support the few percentages.
• Small sites / sites that mostly uses basic html navigation, should try to do without javascript. Most of the time, modern css tricks will do better, faster and make more sense codewise.