Ads BGone - Ad Free Surfing FireBird/AdBlock -

Author

All Replies

Bobby_Peru
Premium
join:2003-06-16

Ads BGone - Ad Free Surfing FireBird/AdBlock -

AdBlock -Add Filter
AdBlock -Blockable Items List
AdBlock y
AdBlock -Add Flash
AdBlock Preferences
AdBlock - Options

Ads BGone - Ad Free Surfing: FireBird/AdBlock -
Some early general impressions.

Since the introduction of the proxy WebWasher Classic (free for home/school use), it has been quite a few years since regaining control over surfing content, with an estimated 99.9+% block rate over unwanted PopCrap, and the downloading and display of very very few ads of any kind.

For PopCrap, NetScape 7.1's (free) site specific filter is very effective, as is FireBird's (free), and they have actually taken over this particular scrud filtering duty from WebWasher Classic (WWC).

The undesirable content that very rarely makes it through is used to add to WWC's Filters (the url of the source is added to the "URL Filter", and/or the Dimensions are added to the "Dimension Filter".

For these many years surfing enjoyed at least three improvements:

1) Unwanted, distracting, annoying, ads were not suffered.

2) Speed was noticeably increased (more so on dialups), as Megs and Megs of ad spewage was not downloaded.

3) Security and Privacy were improved (filtering of scripts, and of tracking methods such as WebBugs, Referrers, Cookies, Prefixes)

Of course Proxomitron is a vastly more powerful tool, and is html 1.1 compliant, though it's "complexity" has so far daunted many (myself included) from further exploration, and recommendation to most "average" users.

The problem with WWC is that it has not been updated in quite some time, and so, as hpguru

has pointed out, it apparently still is not html 1.1 compliant. This would account for recent noticeable slowing of some site's page loads when WWC is utilized, even though it is preventing the downloading of many unwanted images.

The advent of FireBird's built in Filtering, when combined with FireBird's plethora of amazing small programs that each user can choose to add, or not, called Extensions, - or Extension Room- (and from within FireBird Tools--> Options ---> Extensions --> Get Extensions) increases the configurability and control in these areas.

___________________________________________

Built in to FB-
Java: Tools---> Options--> Web Features ---> Java Advanced;
Cookies: Tools---> Options ---> Privacy ---> Cookies
PopCrap: Tools ---> Options --->Web Features ---> Block Popup Windows.....
Block Images: Right Click Context Menu; Tools ---> Options ---> Web Features

One Extension-
TabBrowser Extensions (TBE)
Tools ---> Tab --->TBE Preferences ---> Advanced ---> New Windows Opened By JavaScript
__________________________________________________

The down side is the increase in possible conflicts that this brings, and the time it takes to get it all "just right".

AdBLOCK TO THE RESCUE -

The recent rapid development, evolution, and maturation of AdBlock (or
Extension Room, or Texturizer) as represented by the current version ( Adblock 0.5 d2 nightly 35 -NOTE: Clicking here within FireBird (or Mozilla) may cause a prompt for download and install) shows great improvement, and heralds the possibility of the elimination of the need for an external proxy application (like WWC or Proxomitron) to still achieve the same scrud-free surfing goals. This should also decrease possible conflicts and the need to troubleshoot them, and simultaneously make fine tuning much easier, through the increased use of configuration options available directly within the Browser (both right click Context Menu, Drop-down menus, and buttons).

NO LONGER JUST HIDING -
Up until v0.4, AdBlock would only "Hide" filtered content. The ads would still be downloaded, just not displayed. While this solved #1 above by saving the user's eyes and brain from having to actually wade through the scrud, it did nothing to eliminate the decrease in speed (#2) , and in security and privacy (#3) that comes with downloading the scrud. The Extension BannerBlind, which "filters" based on dimensions, apparently still only "Hides" (future versions are planned to include actual download prevention). With the advent of download preventative filtering, AdBlock has finally matured into a tool that increases Speed, Privacy and Security (though tracking methods such as WebBugs, Referrers and Prefixes will apparently have to be addressed by user added Filters).

HOW TO FILTER-
To filter an image, simply right click over it, check the url in the New Filter field in the Add AdBlock filter popup for any wildcard or other helpful modifications, and click OK. (See 1st Screen Shot).

AdBlock's "List All Blockable Elements" (see 2ed Screen Shot) does just that, from which you can select and modify just what you want to add as Filters. It is available by Control-Shift-A, clicking "AdBlock" on the right corner of the Status Bar, or Tools ---> AdBlock ---> List All Blockable Elements. One quickly obvious drawback to this powerful feature, is the inability to select more than one url for listing or modification and listing, without being forced to first exit, and then return to this menu.

You can also enter Filters manually. All filters can be edited.

AdBlock now supports user configurable "scripts" to allow one to 're-write' how a page, or pages are viewed. I have not experiment in this area, and do not know it's limitations, or how it compares to the mighty Proxomitron, in this regard, but it sure looks promising!

FLASH CONTROL
AdBlock seems to be working quite well with FlashClickToPlay. If you choose to view a flash object by clicking the "ClickToPlay" Button, AdBlock places a small "tab" proximate to it (see Screen Shot #3), enabling quick filter configuration (Screen Shot #4).

AdBlock can Export and Import it's user configured Filters.

What is really promising is that through the use of scripts, and the plans for future implementation of "Bayesian" type filtering, AdBlock looks to be heading towards one very powerful tool!

SOME NEGATIVES
On the less desirable side, AdBlock's developer says (AdBlock FAQ) it will not incorporate Dimensional filtering, since BannerBlock already does. The developer also says it will not deal with animation control for "streamline" and other Mozilla-like mantra type reasons. This only winds up forcing the user to have to deal with closely related filtering configurations in numerous different menus.

There are still bugs in AdBlock itself, as there are in FB, but like FB for surfing, AdBlock has already achieved sufficient stability and maturation of development to be seriously considered as a primary Scrud Busting surfing tool.

WERE TO FIND HELP
"The Adblock Project Forum" is available for suggestions, questions and assistance from the developer.

SUMMARY
Overall, AdBlock is already very good, and if the past is indicative, will soon be great!


Wednesday, 09-Dec 22:08:00	Terms of Use \| Privacy Policy \| Hosting by www.nac.net - DSL,Hosting & Co-lo \| feedback \| contact over 10 years online! © 1999-2009 dslreports.com.republican-creole page compression OFF