Browser ad-blocking - a new tool

[RopeFiend]

If you click that blue POWER button, it disables uBlock on that site and the shield turns grey to remind you.


uBlock Origin has been around for a while, and I've been playing with it on Firefox for a few days now.  I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised.  It's doing a better job of removing crap ads than Adblock Plus did.  I can recommend the version for Firefox:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/

There's also a version for Chrome, but I haven't tried it yet so I can't offer an honest recommendation.  I presume it's similar code, but again, I haven't tested it.  YMMV.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm?hl=en

Here's the 'home' for uBlock Origin, such as it is: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock

They have a Wiki on it, but it's dead easy to set up.  I'm using it in the default configuration at the moment, though hopefully it'll be able to block a class of pop-ups that I haven't been able to squash with other means.  

The rat bastard advertisers are using DATA:TEXT/html;base64,xxxxxx URIs to obfuscate the destination of their IFRAMES and popups.  Normal means aren't decoding that, so the crap doesn't get blocked.

If you google it, uBlock Origin is NOT the same as ublock.org, so don't go there.

[tc]

That's the best one buddy, thanks and take care.

[IdleBoast]

I use adblockers, but what's starting to be annoying is some sites have started using pop-ups triggered by the adblocker;

We see you are using adblocker software - would you consider adding us to your white list?

We see you are using an adblocker - if you send us money, we wouldn't have to have adverts!

And I've come across more than one site where the entire site's content is actually disabled for anybody browsing with an active adblocker.

[RopeFiend]

I haven't hit any of those with uBlock Origin yet, but I've seen 'em before, too.  It'll be interesting to see if uBlock avoids that issue.  Right now people have specific code looking for Adblock Plus filter mechanisms, so they may not even know about uBlock. 

I can't tell whether the browser is any faster; if it is, it's a minor difference.  Hitting ad-rich sites (like newspapers) is a little less laggy than with Adblock from what I've tried.  If I'm lucky I won't get the dreaded "Firefox has frozen" issue.  That's usually caused by errant chunks of Javascript that cause the browser to gag and die.

I'm still primarily using Chrome, but I prefer the way Firefox handles security.  If I tell Firefox DON'T FUCKING TRUST THAT SITE, then it blocks every bit of crap.  If I tell Chrome the same thing, it'll still happily execute IFRAMES with shit from that site since they're coming from a different domain.  Chrome, how many times do I have to tell you UNTRUSTED??  'Untrusted' to me means PROBABLY TOXIC when I set that flag.

[ChirpingGirl]

You can't use the internet anymore without adblocker. I turned it off for five minutes and was nuked with so many pop ups and video ads that it made doing anything impossible. Using the youtube app on my phone is absolutely unbelievable. There are unskippable ads on every god damn video.

Whoever invented adblockers is a saint.

[RopeFiend]

I've been using uBlock Origin on Firefox for several weeks now, and I've left AdBlock Plus installed on Chrome.  About half or better of the sites that say "YOU MUST TURN OFF ADBLOCK TO VIEW OUR SITE" don't seem to know that uBlock is eliminating their ads.    
It's hit or miss, but more often hit.

Distressingly, it appears that AdBlock has caved in and is purposely allowing ads through if companies pay for the privilege.  Well, that's a shitty deal, and is a good reason to dump AdBlock (We're Cheap Whores, and We Sell Out).  

See an example comparison below between the two packages.

Here's AdBlock Plus (not doing a good job any longer, though it used to)


Note that I'd already blocked the ad images myself in my HOSTS file before I hit this page.

Or my new toy, uBlock Origin (successfully blocking all ads)



You don't need to beat me over the head to tell me that AdBlock Plus *isn't*.

[ChirpingGirl]

I've been using uBlock Origin on Firefox for several weeks now, and I've left AdBlock Plus installed on Chrome.  About half or better of the sites that say "YOU MUST TURN OFF ADBLOCK TO VIEW OUR SITE" don't seem to know that uBlock is eliminating their ads.    
It's hit or miss, but more often hit.

Distressingly, it appears that AdBlock has caved in and is purposely allowing ads through if companies pay for the privilege.  Well, that's a shitty deal, and is a good reason to dump AdBlock (We're Cheap Whores, and We Sell Out).  

See an example comparison below between the two packages.

Here's AdBlock Plus (not doing a good job any longer, though it used to)


Note that I'd already blocked the ad images myself in my HOSTS file before I hit this page.

Or my new toy, uBlock Origin (successfully blocking all ads)



You don't need to beat me over the head to tell me that AdBlock Plus *isn't*.

I noticed ads getting through. 

[RopeFiend]

With which blocker?  (you didn't specify) 

I've seen VERY FEW make it past uBlock Origin.  The example above with Depositfiles shows what I've seen on other sites - uBlock stops 'em, and AdBlock doesn't.

Ads that are hosted on the same site you're visiting are almost impossible to block, and that accounts for most that I've seen get by uBlock.  Third-party ads?  It's caught everything.

[ChirpingGirl]

With which blocker?  (you didn't specify) 

I've seen VERY FEW make it past uBlock Origin.  The example above with Depositfiles shows what I've seen on other sites - uBlock stops 'em, and AdBlock doesn't.

Ads that are hosted on the same site you're visiting are almost impossible to block, and that accounts for most that I've seen get by uBlock.  Third-party ads?  It's caught everything.

Adblock plus.