How do normal people use the internet… (Off-Topic)
by Cody Miller 
, Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 00:04 (3079 days ago)
…without an ad blocker? I was on a computer today that didn't have one, and it was completely unbearable! DBO was fine, but youtube was a nightmare. SIXTY SECOND unskippable ads before videos. Other websites were filled with so much shit! A bunch of times I had to dismiss popups, and overlays in the same window.
Even sites I would not expect to suck like arstechnica had giant ads taking up the entire backgrounds.
Literally. How does anybody without an ad blocker not want to just kill themselves?
I can't express how awesome it is to have Bungie.org ad free. Thank you Claude. Seriously. I don't remember it being this horrendous! Is this what money does to things? The internet wasn't this shitty in 1994.
People say ad-blockers are bad because that's how sites are able to stay online.
I say it's their own fault. If online ads had stayed unobtrusive, it'd be fine. But when it feels like a full on assault of my screen, I don't really care. It's a problem of their own creation, so screw 'em.
Completely agree with all of this. If everyone did little text blocks, I genuinely would not care. But these almost full-page ads full of rich content are just ridiculous. And seriously, who the hell is it that thinks auto-playing videos are going to win me over?
And by the way, it's not just a matter of annoyance. The way ads are structured in most places means that it's possible, if someone hijacks the ad provider, to get malicious code into legitimate, high-traffic websites. It's known as malvertising, and it happens more often than you might think. There was a pretty big one a couple of months ago. If you're running without an ad blocker, you're exposing yourself.
Side note to the link: Crypto malware can be seriously damaging, and the idea is not going away. If you don't have some sort of file backup system (ideally to something that is either off-premises or in "the cloud," or is removed when not in use), change that. NOW.
On Chrome or Firefox, I'd recommend uBlock Origin. It doesn't exist on IE as far as I know, so maybe Adblock plus. No clue about Safari, don't care ;)
On Chrome or Firefox, I'd recommend uBlock Origin. It doesn't exist on IE as far as I know, so maybe Adblock plus. No clue about Safari, don't care ;)
I tried switching to uBlock Origin a couple of months ago, and that turned out to be the thing that was causing some posts on DBO to disappear for me. No idea why. ABP works just fine.
Odd, I've never had that issue. But then I'm typically on Firefox, not Chrome, so maybe the bug doesn't occur in Firefox. Or maybe it's some weird interaction with another extension?
I use uBlock Origin on Chrome with no issues (that I'm aware of!).
Ads have killed my (aging) iPod
As theyve become more intrusive and memory-draining I've found there are a lot of sites I lterally cannot browse any more. I realise my 5 year old device is an outlier and it can't all be tailored for me, but it's infuriating (and counterintuitive - theyre not getting my pageviews any more) nonetheless.
Ads have killed my (aging) iPod
by cheapLEY , Thursday, June 23, 2016, 13:35 (3078 days ago) @ someotherguy
As theyve become more intrusive and memory-draining I've found there are a lot of sites I lterally cannot browse any more.
I basically just refuse to browse the internet on my phone (other than this forum, and Reddit, which I do through an app). It's just not worth the hassle.
Ads have killed my (aging) iPod
by unoudid , Somewhere over the rainbow, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 13:42 (3078 days ago) @ cheapLEY
When I get a pop up on my phone I just feel like throwing it against a brick wall.
So is DBO like... your personal blog now?
by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 00:44 (3079 days ago) @ Cody Miller
I don't know if it's a cry for help, or if it's just your best source of attention, but these off-topic posts are starting to get more and more common, man. Are you okay? Maybe you should play some Destiny. I'll only say "I told you so" a bit. ;)
So is DBO like... your personal blog now?
by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 05:17 (3078 days ago) @ Korny
I don't know if it's a cry for help, or if it's just your best source of attention, but these off-topic posts are starting to get more and more common, man. Are you okay? Maybe you should play some Destiny. I'll only say "I told you so" a bit. ;)
Ho Hum. Read the last bit pertinent to DBO. If it still bugs you, filter off topic posts.
Get off my case.
So is DBO like... your personal blog now?
by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 12:21 (3078 days ago) @ Korny
edited by Kermit, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 12:27
Is your main function as an admin to critique DBOers for not posting on topic or not reading carefully enough or not knowing something you thought was obvious?
Seems like it. I expected consistent snideness from you before, but with great power comes great responsibility.
So is DBO like... your personal blog now?
by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 13:26 (3078 days ago) @ Kermit
Is your main function as an admin to critique DBOers for not posting on topic or not reading carefully enough or not knowing something you thought was obvious?
This is the first time that I recall pointing out that someone is being consistently off-topic with their posts, so if you can provide examples of me doing that, I'd understand your complaint.
As for the other two things, I really have no idea what you're talking about.
Karma maybe?
by ZackDark , Not behind you. NO! Don't look., Thursday, June 23, 2016, 00:52 (3079 days ago) @ Cody Miller
Have never used ad-blockers, but 99% of the Youtube ads are 5-second skippable.
I don't have an ad blocker
And according to Destiny Tracker, I've killed myself 152 times.
Top 2% here
by unoudid , Somewhere over the rainbow, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 11:10 (3078 days ago) @ Kahzgul
With 328 suicides....
Top 2% here
With 328 suicides....
Good show!
Honestly I was surprised I had so few. I'm a top 1% deaths overall guy, so I guess I'm more of a "suicide by guardian" kinda guy.
Top 2% here
by unoudid , Somewhere over the rainbow, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 16:03 (3078 days ago) @ Kahzgul
Honestly I was surprised I had so few. I'm a top 1% deaths overall guy, so I guess I'm more of a "suicide by guardian" kinda guy.
If they counted times I died by falling off a cliff and giving the other team the kill then that number would be so much higher for me.
+1000
by Claude Errera , Thursday, June 23, 2016, 16:35 (3078 days ago) @ unoudid
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Top 2% here
Honestly I was surprised I had so few. I'm a top 1% deaths overall guy, so I guess I'm more of a "suicide by guardian" kinda guy.
If they counted times I died by falling off a cliff and giving the other team the kill then that number would be so much higher for me.
Oh man, I had one of those last night that was so sad. I was playing my titan, which I never do, and I just borked the jump. Floated into a wall at waist level and just slowly floated down until I died. Some enemy hit me once as I hovered there and took the kill. So sad.
Well, I subscribe to Ars so I don't see ads
by Vortech , A Fourth Wheel, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 01:08 (3079 days ago) @ Cody Miller
But I take your point. the privacy and transmission/pageload/memory gains are all welcome benefits of content blocking too.
How do normal people use the internet…
by narcogen 
, Andover, Massachusetts, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 04:46 (3078 days ago) @ Cody Miller
I can't express how awesome it is to have Bungie.org ad free. Thank you Claude. Seriously. I don't remember it being this horrendous! Is this what money does to things? The internet wasn't this shitty in 1994.
Yes it was. Just in a different way. 56k modems that couldn't connect at full speeds over dirty copper lines, and a T1 cost $1500 a month.
It was shitty. Just different shitty.
Browsers are just going to have to start bundling ad blockers. Somebody disruptive will do it first, and then the others will follow, with apologies to content producers, on the basis that they have to do it to keep up.
How do normal people use the internet…
by stabbim , Des Moines, IA, USA, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 12:31 (3078 days ago) @ narcogen
I would almost expect Google to do it first, except that so much of their revenue comes from ads, they would have to except their own stuff. Which, on a practical level, I suspect most users would be ok with, because Google's ads are nice little non-intrusive text blurbs. But obviously, the antitrust charges pretty much write themselves...
Firefox Might Be More Likely
by MacGyver10 , Tennessee, Thursday, June 23, 2016, 16:19 (3078 days ago) @ stabbim
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How do normal people use the internet…
by Morpheus , High Charity, Monday, June 27, 2016, 03:40 (3074 days ago) @ Cody Miller
Honestly, I never get ads that bad. The longest ad I couldn't skip was 30 seconds, and Tapped Out will destroy that.
What I hate are those iPhone ads, that pop up when you're typing, or the ones that FOLLOW when you scroll, or have x buttons so tiny it's physically impossible to close without accidentally clicking on it. Gah.