"Why do some users choose to disable Javascript?"

Well, you could also ask why do some developers choose to write applications that retrieve HTML but do not process Javascript?

If I recall correctly, for a while the links and elinks browsers experimented with processing Javascript but eventually if I'm not mistaken the developer decided to drop it in future versions.

Why? I do not remember but I know that he did offer an explanation.

I have always thought Javascript generally benefits web developers more than users. And this is not a quality inherent of the language, but it has to do with how this particular language is used in practice.

When I download someone else's C code, compile and run it, I generally have a rough idea of what that code is going to do.

When a "modern web browser" (=not a text-only one) runs any and all Javascript from any web resource, I generally have no clue what that code is going to do. These browsers will automatically load resources from many sources other the one hosting the page to which the user navigates. They will make numerous connections to other addresses (to retrieve "third-party resources") instead of just one to the address the user specifies. Often the Javascript code is coming from a third party. Imagine a pop-up asking for permission each time the browser wants to run Javascript code from somewhere. In the early days of browsers, if I recall correctly, you could require the browser to do this (and the same goes for accepting cookies). I never considered this practical back then and it is certainly not a solution that would be practical today.

And today, when the company that writes the "modern web browser" assures me that it will protect me from malicious Javascript, I have no clue what the "modern web browser" itself is going to do to try to accomplish that. Because I cannot easily compile the "modern web browser" myself. It is not meant to be compiled by users. There is a large amount of implied trust.

It's somewhat like downloading random Windows applications one finds on the www, installing them and running them. Do you trust that Microsoft or some anti-virus company will protect you? That is a tall order.

Whereas if you merely refrain from downloading and installing such programs, if you refrain from blindly opening attachments in email, then you avoid that risk.

By not running Javascript, the user avoids the risk of malicious Javascript, and may even avoid the need for a "modern web browser"... and thereby the high complexity (=higher risk of insecurity) that comes with it. Keeping the user safe from malicious Javascript is a tall order for any browser to fill.

All that said, if I the user can get the information I want from the www without having to run Javascript and hence a "modern web browser", then I will always choose the non-Javascript option simply because _it is often faster and more efficient_, regardless of any possible security benefits.

Thankfully, I rarely need the "modern web browser", even for webmail. It is true that Javascript is frequently an impediment that stands between the user and fast and efficient computing but in my experience it is rarely a show stopper for the user who disables it.

To answer the OP's question: No, as a developer, I do not think you should care. Javascript is a fun language and people will pay you to write in it. For the Javascript developer, life is good. Carry on.