The Times: Tech column - Deafeating the online ad blitz/Personal jetpacks
By David Rowan
YOU would be pretty annoyed if, while sitting enjoying The Times, an uninvited ruffian sat behind you throwing advertisements over each article you were reading. Then, if that failed to distract you, he let you close your newspaper only after making you carry an equally large advert in its place. Or maybe a dozen of them, springing up in every direction until they hemmed you into your seat, powerless to avoid sales pitches for miniature webcams or hardcore porn.
The intrusion would be intolerable. So why should you put up with website owners' latest ruses to generate revenue? In search of ever-more obtrusive ways to attract your attention, they are giving up on traditional banner ads, instead opting for "pop-ups" and "pop-unders" that multiply over and under your browser window, "floating" ads that walk across the text you're trying to read, and "scripting", programs that alter your computer's settings and redirect you to porn sites. But there are ways to stop the onslaught.
It's not advertising that is the problem: the discreet single pop-up and the brief screen animation are highly efficient ways to pay for content that would otherwise disappear, and congratulations to anyone who can sell ads in the current climate. No, the issue is one of balance and, to some extent, the control that some rogue sites seek to usurp your web-browsing experience. If you want to regain control, try the following programs. They are generally free to download, and mostly work by filtering HTML code or disabling JavaScript commands that trigger these pesky invaders. They might make it slower to surf, and not all work well across all browsers or on Macs, so test them. And let me know how you get on.
PopUp Killer
http://software.xfx.net/utilities/popupkiller/index.html
One of the most popular programs, six-year-old PopUp Killer looks out for pop-ups and zaps them before you see them. You can set it to limit the number of browser windows you have open and - the highlight - to make noises when it scores a kill.
Pop-Up Stopper
http://www.panicware.com/ product_dpps.html
The free version claims to save bandwidth by blocking unwanted windows, particularly those annoying "pop-unders" that load under the page you're viewing (Yahoo!, we're talking about you). You can upgrade to a Pro version that comes with an Internet Explorer toolbar and gives you more say over what is blocked.
WebWasher
http://www.webwasher.com/en/products/wwash/download.htm
An alternative generally favoured by Mac and Linux users, this one isn't recommended for Windows XP users. It's very popular, having been downloaded almost 3 million times.
Proxomitron
http://proxomitron.org
A wide-ranging free program that blocks everything from pop-up ads to animated Gifs. It also helps to prevent sites recording where you have come from. Its creator's motto: "Don't be slave to some webmaster's whims."
++++
Remember the Segway, last year's overhyped scooter that was destined to revolutionise passenger travel? So passé. Today's hot transport gadget is the personal jetpack. Millennium Jet, a company in California, is convinced it has the answer to traffic jams in its SoloTrek, "a new kind of flying machine that you step on, strap on, and fly". The gas-powered mini-helicopter is still in development, but the prototype has been successfully tested at 2ft (the company's boss stayed up for 19 seconds), and a military version is promised next year.
(The Times, February 13 2002)
YOU would be pretty annoyed if, while sitting enjoying The Times, an uninvited ruffian sat behind you throwing advertisements over each article you were reading. Then, if that failed to distract you, he let you close your newspaper only after making you carry an equally large advert in its place. Or maybe a dozen of them, springing up in every direction until they hemmed you into your seat, powerless to avoid sales pitches for miniature webcams or hardcore porn.
The intrusion would be intolerable. So why should you put up with website owners' latest ruses to generate revenue? In search of ever-more obtrusive ways to attract your attention, they are giving up on traditional banner ads, instead opting for "pop-ups" and "pop-unders" that multiply over and under your browser window, "floating" ads that walk across the text you're trying to read, and "scripting", programs that alter your computer's settings and redirect you to porn sites. But there are ways to stop the onslaught.
It's not advertising that is the problem: the discreet single pop-up and the brief screen animation are highly efficient ways to pay for content that would otherwise disappear, and congratulations to anyone who can sell ads in the current climate. No, the issue is one of balance and, to some extent, the control that some rogue sites seek to usurp your web-browsing experience. If you want to regain control, try the following programs. They are generally free to download, and mostly work by filtering HTML code or disabling JavaScript commands that trigger these pesky invaders. They might make it slower to surf, and not all work well across all browsers or on Macs, so test them. And let me know how you get on.
PopUp Killer
http://software.xfx.net/utilities/popupkiller/index.html
One of the most popular programs, six-year-old PopUp Killer looks out for pop-ups and zaps them before you see them. You can set it to limit the number of browser windows you have open and - the highlight - to make noises when it scores a kill.
Pop-Up Stopper
http://www.panicware.com/ product_dpps.html
The free version claims to save bandwidth by blocking unwanted windows, particularly those annoying "pop-unders" that load under the page you're viewing (Yahoo!, we're talking about you). You can upgrade to a Pro version that comes with an Internet Explorer toolbar and gives you more say over what is blocked.
WebWasher
http://www.webwasher.com/en/products/wwash/download.htm
An alternative generally favoured by Mac and Linux users, this one isn't recommended for Windows XP users. It's very popular, having been downloaded almost 3 million times.
Proxomitron
http://proxomitron.org
A wide-ranging free program that blocks everything from pop-up ads to animated Gifs. It also helps to prevent sites recording where you have come from. Its creator's motto: "Don't be slave to some webmaster's whims."
++++
Remember the Segway, last year's overhyped scooter that was destined to revolutionise passenger travel? So passé. Today's hot transport gadget is the personal jetpack. Millennium Jet, a company in California, is convinced it has the answer to traffic jams in its SoloTrek, "a new kind of flying machine that you step on, strap on, and fly". The gas-powered mini-helicopter is still in development, but the prototype has been successfully tested at 2ft (the company's boss stayed up for 19 seconds), and a military version is promised next year.
(The Times, February 13 2002)
posted by David Rowan at Wednesday, February 13, 2002
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