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Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

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141–150 of 360 posts

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#141
post #16

Using YouTube only via Firefox with the uBlock Origin plugin works pretty well too. The simple solution without requiring any additional apps. Firefox has its own quirks which are discussed on Hacker News at length, but it's good enough. Actually, I've considered installing an older version of Firefox and disabling updates. But I feel that might pose security risks, and if at some point there's a novel virus requirin…

What is it about the new Firefox you don't like? I find Mozilla makes a lot of stupid anti-user changes, but at least most can be changed someone.

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#142
post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am already paying google enough with my personal information. They will not extract more value from me without putting at least a fight. I completely understand why people would pay, especially if there is no other option to not get ads, but I don't want to pay Google any cents for a service they would be happy to provide for free for influence. It has negative externalities (Google "lose" money and free video is..…

If you don't view any ads, Google doesn't make any money off your personal information. Essentially all data collecting only exists to tailor specific ads to people they think will find them relevant so they can justify charging more for them.

Sure, but they are still collecting anyway despite them having been unable to put an ad in front of my eyes for several years now. I understand they are probably just doing it "in case of", but the more paranoid part of myself is wondering if that's all there is.

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if everyone were to start using Vanced overnight, YouTube wouldn't be able to justify staying up indefinitely. I personally find categorical imperative arguments to be ridiculous. almost anything could be bad if everyone did them all the time. the reality is that adblocking, torrenting, and similar workarounds are used by a small subset of technically savvy users. most people just don't care enough to configure any…

> I don't feel any obligation to allow Google to use my own device and internet connection to serve me ad content that I don't wish to see. That's disingenuous because you're omitting the other half of the transaction: You are choosing, voluntarily, to consume the content that they are offering on their website. The implied arrangement is that you watch the ads (at least the first five seconds until the skip button a…

Google is so powerful they can basically mold their audience and is one of the most profitable companies in the world. I do not care if consumers want more control over their lives and do not wish to be propagandized by ads. Nor do I mind if they don't want to transfer more wealth to the fabulously wealthy.

The transactional relationship morality being posited is more appropriate for relatively equal parties, or for the stronger party to give the the weaker party. For the weaker parties to owe stringent obligations to the cosmically stronger party creates a positive feedback loop of oppression. You might reply, but that's how the economy works. You have now advanced one step in your understanding.

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#144
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never seen it actually "break". The only times it's not working is because YouTube changed something and you need to download a new version which works pretty good with the appropriate repo in F-Droid.

Did they fix that you have to update it only through GitHub?

I don't know when this was the case but it hasn't been since I've been using it.

I just added the repo to F-Droid: https://newpipe.net/FAQ/tutorials/install-add-fdroid-repo/

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#145

Asking this question in good faith and in the interest of a productive discussion: Can someone give me their reasoning for why to use this over just paying for YouTube premium? They're providing a service that you value and spend enough time on to warrant looking for a way to not have to view ads, and if everyone were to start using Vanced overnight, YouTube wouldn't be able to justify staying up indefinitely. It fee…

For me personally, and I know others as well, I can't stand ads, if it comes down to the end of the world or accepting ads, goodbye world. So naturally I go quite a bit out of my way to remove ads and build tools that remove ads, everywhere I can. With YouTube's current trend of doing the worst job possible (see removing dislikes) there is no way in hell I'm going to be paying them anything. I'm still waiting for good ways to pay content producers directly, how does one tip a tenth of a cent?

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#146

Asking this question in good faith and in the interest of a productive discussion: Can someone give me their reasoning for why to use this over just paying for YouTube premium? They're providing a service that you value and spend enough time on to warrant looking for a way to not have to view ads, and if everyone were to start using Vanced overnight, YouTube wouldn't be able to justify staying up indefinitely. It fee…

The official YouTube app is unable to play 2160p 60Hz video on my Android TV because it stutters and falls back to 1440p 60Hz. Doesn't matter whether I use the native app or the built-in Chromecast. NewPipe doesn't have any problems.

The official YouTube app also sometimes just decides that 480p is enough for everybody and refuses to play any higher resolution until I force-close the app from the Android settings multiple times. Since using NewPipe I have never experienced a video playing in another resolution than the highest available.

Plus, since Google/Alphabet is doing everything they can to funnel as much money away from the EU via various tax avoidance systems, I don't feel any shame. I try to donate to the creators via various channels, if one is available.

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#147

Asking this question in good faith and in the interest of a productive discussion: Can someone give me their reasoning for why to use this over just paying for YouTube premium? They're providing a service that you value and spend enough time on to warrant looking for a way to not have to view ads, and if everyone were to start using Vanced overnight, YouTube wouldn't be able to justify staying up indefinitely. It fee…

The same reason we all use(d) The Pirate Bay. Information deserves to be free, remember? We can distribute videos for free, you remember that, right? We can also pay content creators, who get ripped off by YouTube anyway. Ask them about that. Are you suggesting that HackerNews readers should also remove their adblockers? That we are bound by a Kantian moral obligation to be subjected to enticement and manipulation fo…

> We can distribute videos for free, you remember that, right?

Outside of a purely P2P system like Peertube, how would you distribute videos for free? Are there not server costs?

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#148
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I honestly don’t care about the creator. At least you’re honest

A very important life rule is to never, ever care about someone more than they care about you.

That's like, the opposite of the golden rule. Do unto others only if they'd do unto you.

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#149

Funny how people want content but don’t want to support content creators via ads or paying for YouTube Premium. The internet in a nutshell. Ironically if people weren’t so avoidant of paying for digital content, ads, and the subsequent tracking, would’ve never emerged.

Didn't the ads model emerge in part because in the early days it was really hard to pay for online services?

That might have been a reason. But ads were a known way of monetization. Long before the internet. And in the early days, before it grew to become its own thing old models were just done in the new medium.

Like newspapers. They had ads. So also had their digital versions. And hey. It was a fad. It would pass. A lot of execs did not take it seriously.

Why invest in a payment system for these few strange people online.

Re: Vanced: YouTube adblocker for Android

#150

Asking this question in good faith and in the interest of a productive discussion: Can someone give me their reasoning for why to use this over just paying for YouTube premium? They're providing a service that you value and spend enough time on to warrant looking for a way to not have to view ads, and if everyone were to start using Vanced overnight, YouTube wouldn't be able to justify staying up indefinitely. It fee…

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