Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update • Hacker News Board

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#521

Post by sky2224 » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:32 AM UTC

zulban wrote: post #361

I don't "bypass" Chrome when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Firefox. I don't "bypass" Windows when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Linux. No idea why so many "hackers" doing "bypasses" can't instead take action that is simpler, long lasting, and easier. Do people need to jerked around 50 times for 20 years before realizing it will keep happening and their "bypa…

I get what you're saying, but the problem is the software does 90% of what I want really well and I like that they do that 90% super well and I want to keep that.

In your Windows vs. Linux example, Linux just doesn't do a lot of things very well on the UI/UX side of things (e.g., window management, driver support, an out of the box experience). Knock Windows all you want, but it honestly does quite a few pretty important things very well.

So that's why I'll spend some time to resist the negative changes.

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#522

Post by pjmlp » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:35 AM UTC

duped wrote: post #514

pjmlp wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Web features being pushed by Google via Chrome, aren't standards, unless everyone actually agrees they are worthy of becoming one. Shipping Electron junk, strengthens Google and Chrome market presence, and the reference to Web standards, why bother when it is whatever Chrome is capable of. Web devs with worthy skills of forgotten times, would rather use regular processes alongside the default system browser.

There are no realistic alternatives to Electron. So calling it "junk" when its the baseline for "cross platform GUI application" is nonsense. I get that you don't like it, so go build an alternative.

The alternative already exists, processes using the system browser, for several decades now.

Or actually learn how we use to ship software on the glory days of 8, 16 and 32 bit home platforms.

Now I do agree there are no alternatives for people that only care about shipping ChromeOS all over the place.

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#523

Post by ronjakoi » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:35 AM UTC

chii wrote: post #520

zulban wrote: post #361

I don't "bypass" Chrome when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Firefox. I don't "bypass" Windows when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Linux. No idea why so many "hackers" doing "bypasses" can't instead take action that is simpler, long lasting, and easier. Do people need to jerked around 50 times for 20 years before realizing it will keep happening and their "bypa…

> use Linux except that for a majority of users, windows is where their applications are at - such as gaming, word processing, or some other thing. Sure there are replacements (somewhat) for each of those categories, but they are not direct replacements, and require a cost of some kind (retraining, or a substitute quality). This is esp. true for gaming, and it's only recent that gaming has made some inroads via the s…

Proton is available for desktop Steam as well, just pick your distro and go.

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#524

Post by debugnik » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:38 AM UTC

chii wrote: post #520

zulban wrote: post #361

I don't "bypass" Chrome when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Firefox. I don't "bypass" Windows when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Linux. No idea why so many "hackers" doing "bypasses" can't instead take action that is simpler, long lasting, and easier. Do people need to jerked around 50 times for 20 years before realizing it will keep happening and their "bypa…

> use Linux except that for a majority of users, windows is where their applications are at - such as gaming, word processing, or some other thing. Sure there are replacements (somewhat) for each of those categories, but they are not direct replacements, and require a cost of some kind (retraining, or a substitute quality). This is esp. true for gaming, and it's only recent that gaming has made some inroads via the s…

> (steamOS), which isn't available to a general PC

Most of its secret sauce is either in Proton or upstreamed into Wine, DXVK, SDL, etc. All available to a general PC.

Unless your focus is competitive online games, which often come with Windows-only anti-cheats, you've got a huge catalogue of great games playable on Linux distros. I did the switch about four months ago and I'm not missing Windows, the only pain point has been Nvidia drivers and I'll be solving that by switching vendors.

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#525

Post by johnnyanmac » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:39 AM UTC

fooker wrote: post #413

zulban wrote: post #361

I don't "bypass" Chrome when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Firefox. I don't "bypass" Windows when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Linux. No idea why so many "hackers" doing "bypasses" can't instead take action that is simpler, long lasting, and easier. Do people need to jerked around 50 times for 20 years before realizing it will keep happening and their "bypa…

Great, except firefox is pretty bad nowadays. Not their fault of course, with people not testing websites on non chrome derived browsers.

I've switched to Firefox 3 years ago now after using Chrome for a decade. The list of things I missed from chrome:

- Tab grouping, now added in Firefox as of a few months ago

- built-in translation services. Firefox is slowly introducing this, but its missing many languages. In the meantime, a translation extension works fine.

- Google products operating better... but the issue here is obvious and outside of Firefox's control.

- various micro quirks from random sites I might find during research. Nothing functionality breaking, just clear examples where there was likely hard coded chrome user agent business.

- the occasional extension on Chrome that didn't have a Firefox port. This happened maybe 4 times total.

so, 2 things that are fixed (or close to), one anti-competitive measure, and the 2 smallest nitpicks I could imagine. I don't know what the fuss is that justifies Firefox being considered vastly inferior to Chrome these days. Even thsoe small issues are far offset by the ability to have proper adblock. Using Adblock on Chrome for my work computer is miserable.

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#526

Post by johnnyanmac » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:42 AM UTC

awaaz wrote: post #495

WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the number of website that ever gave me trouble on Firefox can be counted on a single hand Also important is that they tend to be Google assets like Gmail.

> Also important is that they tend to be Google assets like Gmail. Long time user of FF on Linux. Primary email is on Gmail and I've never had any trouble. Is there some particular feature that doesn't work?

Yeah, it's merely performance issues. If you used FF you don't notice it, but it's extremely apparent if you switched over from Chrome like me.

Nothing dealbreaking, and I get that this is all on Google. But it's one of the clearest examples of where FF falls short of Chrome.

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#527

Post by 0points » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:46 AM UTC

chii wrote: post #520

zulban wrote: post #361

I don't "bypass" Chrome when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Firefox. I don't "bypass" Windows when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Linux. No idea why so many "hackers" doing "bypasses" can't instead take action that is simpler, long lasting, and easier. Do people need to jerked around 50 times for 20 years before realizing it will keep happening and their "bypa…

> use Linux except that for a majority of users, windows is where their applications are at - such as gaming, word processing, or some other thing. Sure there are replacements (somewhat) for each of those categories, but they are not direct replacements, and require a cost of some kind (retraining, or a substitute quality). This is esp. true for gaming, and it's only recent that gaming has made some inroads via the s…

> except that for a majority of users, windows is where their applications are at - such as gaming, word processing, or some other thing.

Until you switch to linux you won't understand how inferior your windows setup always was.

It's hard for us to tell you what you are missing out on, you simply need to experience it.

I mostly game in a Windows 10 VM running on my Linux desktop computer. Single keypress to switch to Linux workspace.

This is not because Linux gaming is horrible broken, but rather it gives me a fully separate leisure desktop, and my main Linux desktop is work only.

It also gives me 100% compatibility, unlike wine.

> People who say "just switch" to linux hasn't done it for their family/friends.

When we say so here, we are telling you to switch.

Nobody should be forcing anything on friends/family.

I always suggest MacOS for friends/family for ease of support. I would never recommend Windows to anyone.

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#528

Post by patrec » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:49 AM UTC

zulban wrote: post #361

I don't "bypass" Chrome when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Firefox. I don't "bypass" Windows when they want to melt my brain with their business model, I use Linux. No idea why so many "hackers" doing "bypasses" can't instead take action that is simpler, long lasting, and easier. Do people need to jerked around 50 times for 20 years before realizing it will keep happening and their "bypa…

And using Google Firefox instead of Google Chrome is more than a temporary bag aid?

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#529

Post by johnnyanmac » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:50 AM UTC

duped wrote: post #514

pjmlp wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Web features being pushed by Google via Chrome, aren't standards, unless everyone actually agrees they are worthy of becoming one. Shipping Electron junk, strengthens Google and Chrome market presence, and the reference to Web standards, why bother when it is whatever Chrome is capable of. Web devs with worthy skills of forgotten times, would rather use regular processes alongside the default system browser.

There are no realistic alternatives to Electron. So calling it "junk" when its the baseline for "cross platform GUI application" is nonsense. I get that you don't like it, so go build an alternative.

Are we really trying to argue about cross platform GUI in 2025? This was solved decades ago. Just not in ways that are trying to directly appeal to modern webdevs by jamming a browser into every desktop application.

I don't even hate Electron that much. I'm working on a toy project using Electron right now for various reasons. This was just a bizarre angle to approach from.

Re: Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update

#530

Post by johnnyanmac » Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 6:53 AM UTC

brookst wrote: post #273

pjmlp wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A monopoly achieved thanks to everyone that forgot about IE lesson, and instead of learning Web standards, rather ships Chrome alongside their application.

Consumers never really pick products for ideological reasons, no matter how galling that is to ideologues

I think ads go well past "ideaology". very few like ads, and they have only gotten more persistent over recent years.