I do not have a problem opening websites without JavaScript or plugins enabled in Firefox with the excellent NoScript add-on running. In fact, NoScript blocks those scripts on all pages by default. There is not an equivalent of NoScript for Google Chrome, even NotScript, which comes closest to the functionality does not offer the features that NoScript offers.

Chrome users who want to open some websites with scripts and plugins disabled have now another option. The Safy extension for Chrome offers to open links in the browser in in iframe sandbox with both JavaScript and all plugins disabled.

Options provided are to open the selected link in a new tab in the same browser window or in the current tab. This works fine in most instances, but not all the time. It is for instance not working in Google Search. An error message is displayed if Safy is used to display a search result in a sandboxed tab.

That’s the biggest quirk right now. The other problem that some users may experience is that they cannot launch websites using Safy if no link is present. Say you are on a website and want to open it without JavaScript or plugins, or you want to enter a web address directly, or open a bookmark in the browser. Safy cannot be used in all of those cases.

Then again, it works very well for normal links on most sites. Ideal for opening a link on Twitter, Facebook or blogs in a safer environment.

Safy is available only for the Chrome browser. It can be installed directly from the Chrome extension gallery.

© Martin for gHacks Technology News, 2010.