Advertisements on Web Pages

[Tim May]

On Tuesday, August 7, 2001, at 08:57 AM, Eric Murray wrote:

> On Tue, Aug 07, 2001 at 11:51:57AM -0400, Riad S. Wahby wrote:
>> Ray Dillinger <bear at sonic.net> wrote:
>>> Simple answer: turn off javascript and java.  It is generally not
>>> used except to make ads more annoying.
>>
>> Certain browsers (*ahem* Konqueror) allow you to just disable the
>> window.open() method.  That way, if a site requires JavaScript (some
>> do---even some useful ones) you can still avoid the banners.
>
> There are also a number of freeware ad filter programs, including
> one that I wrote (see www.lne.com/ericm).
>
> When I turn it off (it's not perfect and a few sites
> won't work with it on), I'm astounded by the number of ads
> that I don't normally see.


To all who have contributed ideas about turning off Java, blah blah, l 
wasn't really _complaining_ about my personal situation. I was noting 
the bizarre world of online advertising in which the right third of a 
page is filled with ads, the top third is filled with ads, and now there 
are pop-up windows covering the main page...and which pop-up several 
times.

I had just installed a new version of Explorer (5.1, a new build, for OS 
X) and hadn't turned off "animations" and "scripts." Now I have. Most of 
the ads have gone away, but still many are chasing the relevant text 
into smaller and smaller boxes.

My friends and I have been joking for a while about how we'll need to 
buy 22-inch LCD monitors, like the Apple Cinema Display, just to be able 
to see content that isn't advertising.

(I'm surprised no one has urged me to use Lynx. Is it still being used?)


--Tim May