Yeah, I don't understand why Blogger now requires javascript to read any blog. The content is just static HTML most of the time! Why are they pushing so hard to hide the content if you have javascript disabled?
They are making their properties require scripting, they threatened that javascript "would be replaced" with something that can support massive codebases (dart), and they have new protocols that use a persistent connection that can't really have a proxy between you and Google (Spdy).
I'm sure some of these came about organically, but they all contribute to moving from a publishing model (web 'pages') to an application model. Basically Google is making the web into an application, but like modern DRM in games, you have to be 'online' signed into google all the time to use it.
Make it personal 1:1 with google by killing proxies (require TLS like in Spdy), kill pages by requiring scripting. Result is a Ubisoft for the web. This is I think pretty clearly the destination that Google is pushing towards.
JavaScript is part of the web now. It's because people like interactive content, not because of some conspiracy to DRM their corporate advertising blog.
"JavaScript is part of the web now." It wasn't before? It's acceptable to have completely blank pages with no content, JavaScript 'or else'?
"It's because people like interactive content". And Google put '+' into everything because 'people like social', not some plan to compete with Facebook.
"some conspiracy to DRM their corporate advertising blog." Because clearly I was talking about a single blog.
"proxying works fine for SPDY" A SPDY -> HTTP proxy. When there's a SPDY-to-SPDY caching proxy and no man-in-the-middle you might say it works fine.
...that's a lot of spin from a Google employee. Maybe I hit pretty close to the mark.
You're right that it's odd that the page is blank when viewed in w3m. I'm guessing this is an oversight rather than something intentional. I will investigate.
(As for SPDY proxies, I use one every day at work. I'm not sure why you are so concerned about the ability to proxy, but I assure you it works fine.)
