Re: Hah!
@nematoad
Regarding 3rd party services 'enhanc[ing] functionality', well, some of it is indeed for the visitors. a CDN can certainly make for a quicker and more responsive experience as well as faster downloads of files.
Other third-party tools can be javascript libraries used to build portions of the site, such as jQuery, wForms/qForms and js Charts or DateJS and these can definitely be used to 'enhance' a website. That's subjective, of course, and a prettier menu does not necessarily equal a better experience but a website with well-built forms with good validation that are able to parse information in all the myriad ways that people may enter it, well, that is good for everyone.
Other examples are pre-built engines for things like eCommerce, which can offer a far broader range of payment options and, generally, better security than many smaller sites could offer on their own.
Yes, many third-party services benefit people other than visitor but it's far too general a statement to say that all third-party services do.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
