[GNU-linux-libre] servers which push random code to clients

[bill-auger]

while discussing the telegram client in 2018, i was told that
the telegram server routinely sends minified javascript to the
client to be executed opaquely - i have not verified this, but
if that could be shown, to be indeed how this client operates,
wouldn't that cross the line of freedom? 

would it make a difference if those minified scripts were
intrinsic to it's core functionality; or something optional,
which could theoretically be removed from the free client,
without breaking it?

i ask because this scenario is not peculiar to this one program
- there is a growing trend of desktop clients with
"web-integration" - it is not inherently different than what web
browsers do; except that these client always and only function
in that way - web browsers do allow the user to modify or block
incoming scripts - in this scenario, the functionality depends
entirely on executing these ethereal scripts; and there is
no mechanism for the user to inspect them

again, this is mostly a theoretical question; because i have not
taken the time to identify a concrete example - it is very likely
that they exist though, or will eventually