66 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
66 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
# Please stop using SlideShare
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There are many great presentations out there---many that I enjoy
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reading, or that I would enjoy to read. Unfortunately, many of them
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are hosted on SlideShare, which requires me to download proprietary
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JavaScript.
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[JavaScript programs require the same freedoms as any other
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software][0]. While SlideShare does (sometimes/always?) provide a
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transcript in plain text---which is viewable without JavaScript---this
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is void of the important and sometimes semantic formatting/images that
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presenters put much time into; you know: the actual presentation bits.
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(I'm a fan of plain-text presentations, but they each have their own
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design elements).
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[0]: https://www.gnu.org/software/easejs/whyfreejs.html
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There are ways around this. SlideShare's interactive UI appears to
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simply be an image viewer, so it is possible to display all sides
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using a fairly simple hack:
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<!-- more -->
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```javascript
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Array.prototype.slice.call(
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document.getElementsByClassName( 'slide' ) )
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.forEach( function( slide ) {
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slide.classList.add( 'show' );
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var img = slide.getElementsByClassName( 'slide_image' )[0];
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img.src = img.dataset.full;
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} );
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```
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This will display all slides inline. But there's a clear problem with
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this: how is the non-JS-programmer supposed to know that? Even
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JavaScript programmers have to research the issue in order to come up
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with a solution.
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But ideally, I'd like to download the presentation PDF. SlideShare
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does offer a download link, but not only does it not work with
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JavaScript disabled, but it requires that the user create an account.
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This is no good, as it can be used to track users or discover
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identities by analyzing viewing habits. This would allow
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de-anonymizing users, even if they have [taken measures to remain
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anonymous][1].
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(By the way: at the time that I wrote this post, the [EFF's
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Surveillance Self-Defense Guide][1] is [LibreJS compatible][2] and the
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JavaScript code that it runs is mostly free.)
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I encourage presenters (and authors in general) to release the slides
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in an [unencumbered document format][3], like PDF, HTML, OpenDocument,
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or plain text. Those formats should be hosted on their own website,
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or websites that allow downloading those files without having to
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execute proprietary JavaScript, and without having to log in. If
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those authors *must* use SlideShare for whatever reason, then they
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should clearly provide a link to that free document format somewhere
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that users can access without having to execute SlideShare's
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proprietary JavaScript, such as on the first slide. (The description
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is iffy, since it is truncated and requires JavaScript to expand.)
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[1]: https://ssd.eff.org/
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[2]: https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/
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[3]: http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/opendocument/reject
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