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This is like a commercial for forking Firefox to build highly efficient ad blocking into the browser. It's sad that the most-demanded feature on every browser,

This is like a commercial for forking Firefox to build highly efficient ad blocking into the browser. It's sad that the most-demanded feature on every browser, as evidenced by plugin downloads, is ad blocking. However, all the major browsers are produced by companies with their hands in advertising, and this conflict of interest has resulted in this feature request going unfulfilled for a over a decade. Fork 'em.

DenisM 13y ago
I don't think we can block ads in mainstream browsers because ad providers will just work around the blocks. Plugins provide defense in numbers against suck workarounds, making ad blocks actually effective.
- __david__ 13y ago
  This doesn't make sense to me. Why can't ad providers work around the blocks in adblock? And why could they work around those same blocks if they happened to be integrated into the browser itself? Take popup blocking as an example. That's integrated into the browser and has almost completely eliminated the annoying popup ad.
  - pbhjpbhj 13y ago
    >Why can't ad providers work around the blocks in adblock? // It's not really a work around but some sites do block your [full] access and say to turn off your adblocker if you want access to the [additional] content. That said I don't think it makes much difference to the matter at hand.
  - DenisM 13y ago
    Defense in numbers - there can be more plugins than there can be browsers. Creating a new plugin is much easier than creating a new web browser. Besides, fewer people have installed the ad block than those who have browsers. This make for smaller incentive to develop workarounds, compared to situation where everyone has some sort of block.
Steuard 13y ago
What business model do you envision for the web, then? Sure, my own websites are ad-free, but they're purely hobby projects and I don't feel like the (small?) income would be worth the personal discomfort of "selling out". For those who can't afford to develop and host good content for free, what's the solution?
- 205guy 13y ago
  I think this is the biggest problem in the Internet sphere right now. It has been in the backs of everyone's mind for 20 years, but with no other solution available, the Internet has been financed 100% by ads. I often dream of a world where x% of my ISP bill is paid out in micropayments to the content providers (think about it, we pay ISPs for infrastructure that would be worthless without content, and they get all the cont for free). But that ignores actual bits, so in the end I wish there was a protocol for me to pay for the content I want, and in exchange the provider would give me ad-free content. Now imagine I could choose (or have a browser setting) what level of payment vs. ads I want on each website. I realize it can't be that simple, the economics of the Internet (from end to end) are much more complicated.
varkson 13y ago
IE contains a general purpose blocker. You just download an ad list from the Add Ons site and it does it all in browser.
Shorel 13y ago
Old Opera presto had integrated ad blocking. What it did not have, is an auto updated blacklist. But the actual ad blocking was fast and effective.
- acqq 13y ago
  Still my preferred desktop browser! It's also almost 3 times faster runs bellard.org/jslinux

DenisM 13y ago

I don't think we can block ads in mainstream browsers because ad providers will just work around the blocks. Plugins provide defense in numbers against suck workarounds, making ad blocks actually effective.

__david__ 13y ago
This doesn't make sense to me. Why can't ad providers work around the blocks in adblock? And why could they work around those same blocks if they happened to be integrated into the browser itself? Take popup blocking as an example. That's integrated into the browser and has almost completely eliminated the annoying popup ad.
- pbhjpbhj 13y ago
  >Why can't ad providers work around the blocks in adblock? // It's not really a work around but some sites do block your [full] access and say to turn off your adblocker if you want access to the [additional] content. That said I don't think it makes much difference to the matter at hand.
- DenisM 13y ago
  Defense in numbers - there can be more plugins than there can be browsers. Creating a new plugin is much easier than creating a new web browser. Besides, fewer people have installed the ad block than those who have browsers. This make for smaller incentive to develop workarounds, compared to situation where everyone has some sort of block.

Steuard 13y ago

What business model do you envision for the web, then? Sure, my own websites are ad-free, but they're purely hobby projects and I don't feel like the (small?) income would be worth the personal discomfort of "selling out". For those who can't afford to develop and host good content for free, what's the solution?

205guy 13y ago
I think this is the biggest problem in the Internet sphere right now. It has been in the backs of everyone's mind for 20 years, but with no other solution available, the Internet has been financed 100% by ads. I often dream of a world where x% of my ISP bill is paid out in micropayments to the content providers (think about it, we pay ISPs for infrastructure that would be worthless without content, and they get all the cont for free). But that ignores actual bits, so in the end I wish there was a protocol for me to pay for the content I want, and in exchange the provider would give me ad-free content. Now imagine I could choose (or have a browser setting) what level of payment vs. ads I want on each website. I realize it can't be that simple, the economics of the Internet (from end to end) are much more complicated.

varkson 13y ago

IE contains a general purpose blocker. You just download an ad list from the Add Ons site and it does it all in browser.

Shorel 13y ago

Old Opera presto had integrated ad blocking. What it did not have, is an auto updated blacklist. But the actual ad blocking was fast and effective.

acqq 13y ago
Still my preferred desktop browser! It's also almost 3 times faster runs bellard.org/jslinux