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Been using uBlock Origin for so long I forgot what the raw internet actually looks like. Spent 3 minutes without an ad blocker last week when setting up a new m

Been using uBlock Origin for so long I forgot what the raw internet actually looks like. Spent 3 minutes without an ad blocker last week when setting up a new machine and nearly lost my mind. Google knows exactly what they're taking away from us - a usable web. They've just decided that our sanity is less valuable than their ad revenue. https://programmerhumor.io/programming-memes/browsing-without-adblock/ https://programmerhumor.io/programming-memes/browsing-withou... I feel really bad for less tech-savvy users who'll be stuck with this nightmare version of the internet.

mrgoldenbrown 2y ago
You linked to a crappy copy of an XKCD comic. Here's the orginal. https://xkcd.com/624/ https://xkcd.com/624/
- eru 2y ago
  Thanks for the link to the original. Well the crappy copy does come with some extra text. (No judgement from me on whether the extra text improves the comic here; just that someone might think it does, and there's no arguing about taste.) It's also interesting to see that XKCD itself explicitly supports eg hotlinking, and the license makes putting it into your own crappy creations rather easy. (Though I think the example linked to fails the 'attribution' requirement.)
  - rogual 2y ago
    They even edited the image to insert their own name.
justsid 2y ago
What boggles my mind is the fact that surely people working for Google also use Chrome. Are they not up in arms internally because of how awful the web is without ad blocker? I have the same experience as you, every time I set up a new machine or watch friends/relatives browse the web, it just blows my mind how bad the unfiltered internet is.
- tharkun__ 2y ago
  I wouldn't be surprised if the people that did care about that internally at Google either used something like Firefox or had their private build that can run uBlock or similar ;)
  - patrakov 2y ago
    In 2011, when I worked at Google (on ads, not on Chrome), I did use Firefox as my main browser. But back then, there was much less need for an ad blocker. I still remember asking my manager whether it was OK to click an ad (from a VPS provider) while browsing from the corporate desktop.
    - dogtierstatus 2y ago
      Did you get a response from your manager?
      - patrakov 2y ago
        Yes, I did, and he said it was as OK to click ads as to click any other link.
- csomar 2y ago
  > Are they not up in arms internally because of how awful the web is without ad blocker? You realize these people pay check depend on that, right?
  - bichiliad 2y ago
    Employees can disagree with their employers.
    - kikokikokiko 2y ago
      The list of things that can be done is way bigger than the liat of things that are in fact done in real life. A Google employee could voluntarily put his hands over an open flame, but it's just very improbable.
radicalriddler 2y ago
Yep. It isn't just a less usable web, it's a less safe web. But anything for those sweet ad dollars.
Sparkyte 2y ago
Makes you feel naked. I am running Firefox now, but there is a debacle on that now.
dumbledoren 2y ago
> They've just decided that our sanity is less valuable than their ad revenue. Precisely why it should be broken up.

mrgoldenbrown 2y ago

You linked to a crappy copy of an XKCD comic. Here's the orginal. https://xkcd.com/624/ https://xkcd.com/624/

eru 2y ago
Thanks for the link to the original. Well the crappy copy does come with some extra text. (No judgement from me on whether the extra text improves the comic here; just that someone might think it does, and there's no arguing about taste.) It's also interesting to see that XKCD itself explicitly supports eg hotlinking, and the license makes putting it into your own crappy creations rather easy. (Though I think the example linked to fails the 'attribution' requirement.)
- rogual 2y ago
  They even edited the image to insert their own name.

justsid 2y ago

What boggles my mind is the fact that surely people working for Google also use Chrome. Are they not up in arms internally because of how awful the web is without ad blocker? I have the same experience as you, every time I set up a new machine or watch friends/relatives browse the web, it just blows my mind how bad the unfiltered internet is.

tharkun__ 2y ago
I wouldn't be surprised if the people that did care about that internally at Google either used something like Firefox or had their private build that can run uBlock or similar ;)
- patrakov 2y ago
  In 2011, when I worked at Google (on ads, not on Chrome), I did use Firefox as my main browser. But back then, there was much less need for an ad blocker. I still remember asking my manager whether it was OK to click an ad (from a VPS provider) while browsing from the corporate desktop.
  - dogtierstatus 2y ago
    Did you get a response from your manager?
    - patrakov 2y ago
      Yes, I did, and he said it was as OK to click ads as to click any other link.
csomar 2y ago
> Are they not up in arms internally because of how awful the web is without ad blocker? You realize these people pay check depend on that, right?
- bichiliad 2y ago
  Employees can disagree with their employers.
  - kikokikokiko 2y ago
    The list of things that can be done is way bigger than the liat of things that are in fact done in real life. A Google employee could voluntarily put his hands over an open flame, but it's just very improbable.

radicalriddler 2y ago

Yep. It isn't just a less usable web, it's a less safe web. But anything for those sweet ad dollars.

Sparkyte 2y ago

Makes you feel naked. I am running Firefox now, but there is a debacle on that now.

dumbledoren 2y ago

> They've just decided that our sanity is less valuable than their ad revenue. Precisely why it should be broken up.