Email Riddler "improvement"?

[Smashy_smashy]

Script: Email Riddler
http://www.dynamicdrive.com/emailriddler/

Hi all. I have come up with a script similar to the Email Riddler but different in the following way: instead of just changing the email address into an array, it mixes up the order of the array elements and then unscrambles them at the end (I can post an example if necessary). This way, it makes it even harder for bots to figure out the email address. I have three questions about this:

1. Is using this modified script a violation of the terms of usage?
2. Does it actually help anything to have this?
3. I can't distribute the code on my web site, of course, but would DD be interested in it?

Thanks.

[Twey]

1. Is using this modified script a violation of the terms of usage?

No, so long as you keep the original credit intact (although you may add your own credit on the end, I believe).

2. Does it actually help anything to have this?

No. If a bot can parse any Javascript, it can probably parse all Javascript.
I'm not an employee of DD, however, so I'm not speaking with authority on points 1 or 3.

[ddadmin]

What Twey said basically. Regarding 2), I don't think it'll make any difference either. The issue here is not how complex your JavaScript encryption algo is. As is it's already more than enough to not allow a human viewing source to figure out the actual email address. If you're trying to fool bots, it boils down to whether the bot can understand JavaScript. If so, then it makes little difference how you encrypt the email address, since the script at the end has to output the email address in full.

[jscheuer1]

I have had reasonably good success simply encrypting the email address using entities and hex. I made up an encryptor for this purpose. It's main advantage is that it does not rely upon the client having javascript enabled to use the mailto: link -

http://home.comcast.net/~ansiguy/emailen1.htm

[Smashy_smashy]

I guess my real question is this. It seems more complicated to me than "either a bot can read javascript or it can't". Does it seem feasible for a bot to scan a page for an array with a "64" and a "46" (@ and .) and then interpret that array?

[Twey]

Feasible, but I've never seen it done.
You're never going to stop all the bots; all you need do is stop most of them, which John's suggestion will do, preferably also without turning away all your non-JS viewers, which yours (and, indeed, the original Email Riddler script) will do.

[Smashy_smashy]

Okay, thanks. I think I'll throw in a gif with the e-mail address on it surrounded by noscript tags for people with JS disabled. Appreciate all the suggestions.

[Twey]

That's a brilliant idea. Do that, and your script will indeed be an improvement.