System-wide open source ad blocker for Mac, Windows, and Linux • Hacker News Board

Re: System-wide open source ad blocker for Mac, Windows, and Linux

#171

Post by rollcat » Wed, Dec 06, 2023, 12:37 PM UTC

lelanthran wrote: post #167

rollcat wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think too many techies are, much like yourself, contributing to the problem by refusing to move away from Chrome [...] Contrary to your assumptions, I've been quite vocal against the Chrome/Blink monoculture for a while. Unfortunately there is a legit case for it; several generations of "low-end" devices (anything older than 10 years basically), that are still quite capable and in common use, where the difference…

> Contrary to your assumptions, I've been quite vocal against the Chrome/Blink monoculture for a while. I apologise for my incorrect assumptions. What browser are you reading this on, right now?

elinks

Re: System-wide open source ad blocker for Mac, Windows, and Linux

#172

Post by Forgeties79 » Wed, Dec 06, 2023, 11:52 PM UTC

hnlmorg wrote: post #170

Forgeties79 wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plenty of people use their personal computers for work, even if I strongly advise against it lol

Well then they’re able to install and run Firefox. My point is the only situations where you have no control over browser installs are when the machine is locked down in such a way that you also cannot install root certificates.

Not necessarily. And there’s plenty of browser based software/services that do not work with Firefox or have a limited functionality with Firefox that are required for work.

I know back when I did more freelancing with podcast clients this was a constant problem. The OS folks were using could reek havoc if it wasn’t safari, edge, or chrome 90% of the time.

Re: System-wide open source ad blocker for Mac, Windows, and Linux

#173

Post by hnlmorg » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 7:14 AM UTC

Forgeties79 wrote: post #172

hnlmorg wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well then they’re able to install and run Firefox. My point is the only situations where you have no control over browser installs are when the machine is locked down in such a way that you also cannot install root certificates.

Not necessarily. And there’s plenty of browser based software/services that do not work with Firefox or have a limited functionality with Firefox that are required for work. I know back when I did more freelancing with podcast clients this was a constant problem. The OS folks were using could reek havoc if it wasn’t safari, edge, or chrome 90% of the time.

But again, you’d then just use Chrome for work and Firefox for personal browsing.

As it happens I lived through this in the early 00s with IE but back then I used Opera for personal browsing and IE for work.

Even in the very remote possibility that you can somehow make changes to root certificates but cannot install a second browser (and I’m being charitable here because there are literally zero reasons that would ever happen), it would still make more sense to update your local hosts files with a pihole-list block list rather than installing your own root cert and using a 3rd party tool to MITM all your web traffic.

I do get the appeal of this tool. I honestly do. But there are so many safer ways to solve this same problem.