> therefore you clearly should trust it enough to permit it to execute arbitrary executables on your machine" is false
Unless you run your browser without an ad blocker
Unless you run your browser without an ad blocker
On the one hand, you have a real point. On the other, JavaScript running in my browser has significantly less power to do anything bad to me than arbitrary executable programs running directly in my OS do.
I think that depends on what you mean by "significantly less power". It's entirely possible to use Javascript to place malware (such as installing a binary executable) and do other assorted nastiness on a target machine. If the target machine is properly secured, it's still possible, it just requires more effort.
This is the primary reason why I do not allow Javascript to run on my machines by default. If I'm at a site that I trust and I have no alternative to using, and the JS in question is essential, then I'll allow just the specific piece of JS to run. Otherwise, it's not happening.
This sounds interesting. Can you kindly link an example for this technique?
Your best bet (not guaranteed) is reading the html as plain text, not rendering any images, etc.