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Opera 50 Web Browser Will Offer Anti-Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Mining Feature (betanews.com)
BrianFagioli writes: The upcoming version 50 of the Opera web browser will offer an integrated anti-Bitcoin mining feature. Besides Bitcoin, it will also block the mining of other cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin and Ethereum. If you aren't aware, some websites are hijacking user computers to mine for cryptocurrencies. This is not only a potential violation of trust, but it can negatively impact the computer's performance too. Mining is also a huge waste of electricity. Opera 50 will offer an optional setting that, when enabled, blocks this nonsense.
Unfortunately, the end result will be that you'll get both.
I'd prefer they'd mine bitcoin in the background any day over any ads or a gazillion trackers
Why not both? Seriously, webdevs don’t see an either-or here but a both-and situation. So should you: block all of it.
Nothing about this is hijacking. Hijacking implies it's an unauthorized takeover when the fact is that it's simply Javascript is doing exactly what it was created to do: execute arbitrary instructions from a remote source. The only thing different is that this is annoying people enough that it threatens all the jerks that demand to execute Javascript.
Here's an idea: add basic animation and ad hoc relative source loading for CSS then completely do away with Javascript. Oh but the money people don't give a shit about what users want, it's all about what they want.
Be real, this is just the logical conclusion of Javascript.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
It needn't be practical. It's the spam problem: If the cost is zero, a nonzero profit, no matter how small, is reason enough to do it.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Best way to do that is to disable the bloody thing by default.
Sucking down as much scripted content from dubious sources and running it on your computer automatically is... not smart.
At all.