>> what does this function do and would I want to include it in my own HTML?
Depends on the actual source code for fixscale().
If it is like https://github.com/cbrandolino/camvas/blob/master/javascripts/scale.fix.js
Then, this code addresses an iOS device (iPhone/iPad) viewport issue.
The meta viewport tag works when the page is initially loaded.
However, when the user subsequently rotates the device their viewport (from landscape to portrait for example) their viewport will resize and will be overly zoomed in.
The scale.fix.js code fixes this problem.
You can call it like this:
<!--[if !IE]><!-->
<script>
fixScale(document); // fix current scale on iOS devices
window.onorientationchange = fixScale(document); // and when orientation changes
</script>
<!--<![endif]-->
That syntax looks odd, but it's correct. For details see: if-ie-not-working
Note that the way this is coded fixScale() is globally defined. You probably should look at the something like "module method" for a better way to expose your javascript functions.
On a side note, in order to prevent a jshint error (in scale.fix.js) you should change this:
scales = [.25, 1.6];
to this:
scales = [0.25, 1.6];
For other jshint tips see: http://lexsheehan.blogspot.com/2014/05/suppress-jshint-warnings.html