[gnaritas]

They're always needed so the JavaScript can be run through a compressor for production deployment without breaking the code.

Beyond that you're using curly braces when they're not strictly required, which seems inconsistent. I would expect either both all the time or both only when strictly necessary.

[timknauf]

Surely if the language specification calls semicolons optional then any compressor worth its salt should honor that? The YUI Compressor, at least, copes with semicolon-devoid Javascript just fine.

[gnaritas]

That's the sufficiently smart compiler argument. The fact remains you have more options available to you for minifying if you don't consider semi-colons optional, naming one compressor that can deal doesn't change the fact that most can't.