Attention NoScript users

#1

Post by robin_reala » Fri, May 01, 2009, 10:58 PM UTC

Attention NoScript users
adblockplus.org

Re: Attention NoScript users

#2

Post by buugs » Fri, May 01, 2009, 11:06 PM UTC

It doesn't surprise me the extent some people go to to generate revenue in what I must think is a small market.

I am an adblock plus user and I must say it enhances my browsing a noticeable amount that when I am using a different browser or no adblock I notice and although this is not ideal for websites that make money off of ads I really dislike them.

Same can't be said for noscript I've stopped installing it on firefoxs I use and don't think I have it installed on any of my computers it just stopped being functional for me with firebug and adblock.

Re: Attention NoScript users

#3

Post by ableal » Fri, May 01, 2009, 11:18 PM UTC

My method for this madness may be useful to someone. I use two browsers:

A) Konqueror (aka Webkit/Chrome), with NO Java/Javascript/etc., for general reading and exploratory browsing. (Reads PDFs too, btw).

B) Firefox for the "usual suspects". No extensions. No Flash either, but that's me.

Problem solved. A surprising amount of the web works with A, some shops or social sites need B, I don't care about the rest.

Re: Attention NoScript users

#4

Post by dgallagher » Fri, May 01, 2009, 11:18 PM UTC

Just to re-iterate the article, NoScript runs ads on their website to generate some revenue. Adblock Plus normally blocks these ads, but NoScript whitelists itself (along with a few other partner developer websites) in Adblock Plus "without" end-user permission, and without making a genuine effort to notify users it's doing this. It hacks Adblock Plus from working on its sites, basically.

You can disable NoScript's "modification" to Adblock Plus by doing the following in Firefox:

1) Tools -> Add-ons -> Adblock Plus -> Preferences

2) Collapse the "Filter subscription: EasyList (USA)" list.

3) Uncheck "Enabled" for the "Filter subscription: NoScript Developer Support Filterset" list.

Now when NoScript installs an update, and loads its webpage full of ads, Adblock Plus won't be blocked from doing its duty. Unless of course NoScript re-enables the filter...

Re: Attention NoScript users

#5

Post by earl » Fri, May 01, 2009, 11:45 PM UTC

ableal wrote: post #3

My method for this madness may be useful to someone. I use two browsers: A) Konqueror (aka Webkit/Chrome), with NO Java/Javascript/etc., for general reading and exploratory browsing. (Reads PDFs too, btw). B) Firefox for the "usual suspects". No extensions. No Flash either, but that's me. Problem solved. A surprising amount of the web works with A, some shops or social sites need B, I don't care about the rest.

You should try flashblock, if you don't already know about it. Instead of loading flash you get a play button where the flash would have been and you can choose to turn it on if you want. It also supports whitelists, although annoyingly enough on the host of the flash, not on the website displaying the flash.

Re: Attention NoScript users

#6

Post by thorax » Fri, May 01, 2009, 11:49 PM UTC

buugs wrote: post #2

It doesn't surprise me the extent some people go to to generate revenue in what I must think is a small market. I am an adblock plus user and I must say it enhances my browsing a noticeable amount that when I am using a different browser or no adblock I notice and although this is not ideal for websites that make money off of ads I really dislike them. Same can't be said for noscript I've stopped installing it on fir…

> It doesn't surprise me the extent some people go to to generate revenue in what I must think is a small market.

I agree there, but (and I'm in the minority here) it actually surprises me the extent the developers went to block ads in such a small corner situation.

NoScript's behavior started out shady, but it feels like Adblock developers escalated it into some sort of weird war. A war against ads that appear only rarely and that only a small number of people probably noticed? Was that really necessary?

It seems like you'd just uninstall NoScript if it was a major problem seeing their update pages. I mean, someone specifically installed NoScript and it could be serving ads from their local machine if it wanted, right? Do I really expect AdBlock to try to protect me from other extensions to such a level?

I don't use either extension, but it bothers me that extension developers are turning this into a one-up-man-ship for something so minor in the scheme of things.

Re: Attention NoScript users

#7

Post by [deleted] » Sat, May 02, 2009, 12:49 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Attention NoScript users

#8

Post by mustpax » Sat, May 02, 2009, 1:50 AM UTC

Very revealing. I stopped using NoScript a while ago since it would not properly whitelist some sites. At the time I was wondering why the plugin was updated so frequently with very similar change logs each time. This post explains why.

Interfering with other extensions' internal state is simply unacceptable. Firefox should consider sandboxing the browser extensions. Maybe they'll get to that after they implement Chrome style robust per tab sandboxing.

Re: Attention NoScript users

#9

Post by just_the_tip » Sat, May 02, 2009, 2:39 AM UTC

mustpax wrote: post #8

Very revealing. I stopped using NoScript a while ago since it would not properly whitelist some sites. At the time I was wondering why the plugin was updated so frequently with very similar change logs each time. This post explains why. Interfering with other extensions' internal state is simply unacceptable. Firefox should consider sandboxing the browser extensions. Maybe they'll get to that after they implement Chr…

The plugin is updated frequently also because doing so lands itself in the Most Popular Add-ons chart. Giorgio has a history of pushing the limit to see what he can get away before backtracking when someone calls him out on it.

Re: Attention NoScript users

#10

Post by Nwallins » Sat, May 02, 2009, 4:27 AM UTC

thorax wrote: post #6

buugs wrote: post #2

It doesn't surprise me the extent some people go to to generate revenue in what I must think is a small market. I am an adblock plus user and I must say it enhances my browsing a noticeable amount that when I am using a different browser or no adblock I notice and although this is not ideal for websites that make money off of ads I really dislike them. Same can't be said for noscript I've stopped installing it on fir…

> It doesn't surprise me the extent some people go to to generate revenue in what I must think is a small market. I agree there, but (and I'm in the minority here) it actually surprises me the extent the developers went to block ads in such a small corner situation. NoScript's behavior started out shady, but it feels like Adblock developers escalated it into some sort of weird war. A war against ads that appear only…

> Adblock developers escalated it into some sort of weird war

Some hyperbole for sure. Nothing gets around the fact that NoScript overstepped very clear and natural boundaries.

If I had been the target, I would probably overreact as well. NoScript's behavior is nonetheless well worth pointing out and publicly shaming.