My son’s school sent home a letter with his I.D. # and password to access his grades on line. When I type in the required info I get a message that says, “Please enable JavaScript.” Can someone please tell me what JavaScript is, and how do I get it if I don’t have it already? Which I don’t know, seeing as how I don’t know what it is. Thanks.
Will O’Ban
PS: My gut tells me it probably has something to do with enabling certain script or graphics to display properly on the screen. But I don’t really know, and I’m generally wrong about that kind of stuff anyway.
I don’t know why I thought of it, but I tried using Netscape Navigator instead of Windows Explorer, and it works. Not sure why. but anyway I can access the information I wanted. So. . . nevermind.
I’m sure someone will come along, although I’m glad you got to your info. I don’t know why you thought of using Netscape either. That would never have occured to me. I have heard that word Javascript but I have no idea how to get it. I am just writing to let you know I read your message. I know, get a life!
Will, you hit it in your first post. Javascript is a web scripting language. It must be turned on (permitted to run) in your browser. Obviously this is not set in your first browser (MSN InternetExplorer?) but is turned on in Netscape.
JavaScript is something that allows your internet browser to run simple programs (scripts) embedded in the web page you are viewing. There will be an option somewhere in the setup for your browser that you can set to switch JavaScript on.
In Firefox (and probably Mozilla/Netscape too), go to Tools->Options->Web Features and check the “Enable JavaScript” option.
If you’re using Internet Explorer you may find that your security features have been set to prevent scripts running in your browser. That’ll be in “Tools, Options, Security”.
Or, for some unknown reason, Java may have been switched off in “Tools, Options, Advanced” But I suspect the former.
Active Scripting (including Javascript) can be a security hazard on the web. There are many hostile web pages that, if you visit them, will automatically attempt to load programs onto your machine without your knowledge. Particularly in Internet Explorer, the favoured target of hostile scripting (and you can blame Bill Gates for that too!).
Thanks, dj and Oscar and Gary. I went in to the internet options and checked all of the boxes that I saw with the word “JavaScript” next to it before I started this thread and that still didn’t help. Maybe I missed a box. My brain doesn’t pick stuff up when there’s a lot of info sometimes anymore. I’ll check again later when I’m more rested. But I got the material I needed to see by using Netscape. And I appreciate everyone’s help.
Will, in Internet Explorer I clicked on Tools (on the toolbar thing at the top)>Internet Options>Advanced>. Okay, then I scrolled down to where it says Microsoft VM. There are 3 little boxes under that. On my computer only one box is checked, the other two aren’t. It is the bottom box and it says “JIT compiler for virtual machine enabled (requires restart)”. Unfortunately, I have no idea what this all means.
Okay, nice talking to you. I have to go get the laundry started. This is more fun.
As a matter of interest, have you ever actually had this happen? I know it’s possible in theory, but I’ve been surfing the web for much longer than JavaScript has been around and I’ve never actually seen it happen.
In fact, I’ve never had any kind of attack or virus on any of my computers. Maybe I’m just lucky.
I think “Leave it alone” is a very good policy on computers. I learned the hard way unfortunately. Since then I don’t mess with anything! It was checked when I got there, and it was checked when I left it.
Well, yes, sort of, and just earlier this morning. I clicked to download Shockwave on this very computer (a fairly new one), and it’s an XP box with the Microsoft Antivirus loaded. I clicked to start the download of the Shockwave file. When the next box popped up to start the download, I clicked OK before I recognized that it was for a Yahoo toolbar, which I didn’t ask for and didn’t want.
After my intended install, I went to the control panel and deleted the Yahoo toolbar.
Yes, I’ve been around since the days of 300bd modems and bulletin boards. I’ve suffered all sorts of hostile attempts, some of the successful. From the cheesy but annoying browser hijacks (where you home-page is re-written, usually to some porn site) to modem hijacking scripts (so that instead of dialing your ISP, your modem connects you to a high-cost international premium line). Trojans, malware, spyware, and yes viruses, but the viruses almost always arrived in email.
In the early days I switched exclusively to Netscape, then Opera, as my browser, and Foxmail as my email client.
Today this machine (at home) is running linux.
I wouldn’t put a windows computer on-line without first installing Zonealarm, Adaware, and for my own preference McAfee antivirus.
Zonealarm as a firewall is okay, but it’s main strength is that it provides an alarm when any program on your machine attempts to connect to the internet. You have to allow the programs to do so. Thusly are you able to spot malware and spyware trying to ‘phone home’, and take the appropriate action.
It’s surprising how many processes running in the background of the average home user’s windows machine try to connect to the 'net… often to Bill Gates HQ.
Today I was looking for a particular piece of marketing material from a car manufacturer, and found a site which had a motoring review on it. Up popped a window asking whether I wished to accept and run a download which would’ve put a shedload of porn on my machine… I was at work, where we’re obliged to use IE. Fortunately our internet settings are preset to ‘High Security’ on the Internet Zone, otherwise that sucker would’ve run in the background and done its thing without any knowledge on my part.
Even so, I still occasionally get messages from Adaware asking if I want to permit a registry change, when all I’ve done is mooch the web.
So yup, you’re either very lucky, or you haven’t noticed.
I’ve had viruses on every PC I’ve had (The old dual-boot HP i used to have had Windows viruses but the Linux partition ws clean), and the only reason I knew about most of them was because my antivirus prog told me about them as it scrubbed them away.
A couple of them over the years have caused real bother.
My antivirus works hard as does my firewall.
If you’re connected to the web, even over dial-up, it’d be a miracle if you’ve not been infected, port-scanned, hacked…
Firewalls, spyware cleaners and anti-virus (with regular updates) are essential in the same way that seat belts and parachutes are.
Oooops. I have a hazy memory of checking those “unchecked” boxes. I need to undo what I did. Then I think I’ll let my wife look at it when she gets home.
I’m sure someone will come along, although I’m glad you got to your info. I don’t know why you thought of using Netscape either. That would never have occured to me. I have heard that word Javascript but I have no idea how to get it. I am just writing to let you know I read your message. 
