Clearly, Google is serious about trying to oust ad blockers from its browser, or at least those extensions with fuller (V2) levels of functionality. One of the crucial twists with V3 is that it prevents the use of remotely hosted code – as a security measure – but this also means ad blockers can’t update their filter lists without going through Google’s review process. What does that mean? Way slower updates for said filters, which hampers the ability of the ad-blocking extension to keep up with the necessary changes to stay effective.

(This isn’t just about browsers, either, as the war on advert dodgers extends to YouTube, too, as we’ve seen in recent months).

At any rate, Google is playing with fire here somewhat – or Firefox, perhaps we should say – as this may be the shove some folks need to get them considering another of the best web browsers out there aside from Chrome. Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, has vowed to maintain support for V2 extensions, while introducing support for V3 alongside to give folks a choice (now there’s a radical idea).

    • DarkThoughts
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      481 day ago

      Just stop destroying the www by supporting this toxic monopoly. How in the hell are all of those coping tweaks easier than just switching the freaking browser?! It’s like Windows users claiming superiority when they have to have like 10 tools to tweak their operating system, with each year another new one being needed. At what point do you people realize how much you’re getting duped and how you are part of the problem that makes this possible in the first place?

      • @[email protected]
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        181 day ago

        I relate to your Windows comment. There was a point where I was that person with a bunch of different tools to modify my OS exactly how I like it, and then I realize I’m just doing more work. If I’m willing to do that work anyway, I might as well have an OS that is more malleable.

        • @iopq
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          424 hours ago

          Yes, same here. After turning off a bunch of services I noticed update stopped working, but I forgot how I turned off the firewall in the first place to make it work again… Never booted windows again except for that one time to change the polling rate of my mouse (windows only app)

      • Nougat
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        11 day ago

        How dare anyone suggest that there’s a way to accomplish something!

          • Nougat
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            11 day ago

            Yeah from one of those companies that pour tons of money into developing and maintaining a web browser without any way to recoup that expense.

            • @iopq
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              124 hours ago

              They recoup it through shipping a default search engine that’s Google in 90% of the world

              • Nougat
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                -122 hours ago

                So they’re just subcontracting the exploitation?

                • @iopq
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                  19 hours ago

                  I thought the complaint is that they couldn’t recoup development expenses

      • @[email protected]
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        01 day ago

        I’ve seen countless of those tweaks throughout the years. You can harangue the people using them all you want, but at the end of the day they’re hooked on a powerful drug. And they’ll do anything to keep their supply.

    • @[email protected]
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      151 day ago

      For those who may not want to click the link, this appears to show a workaround that enterprises might use to bypass the change.

      • Nougat
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        131 day ago

        No, enterprises would use the Google admin console as described here.

        The above is for a single machine, applied locally.

        • @[email protected]
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          41 day ago

          It looks like it’s the same flag to me. I mean, it’s entirely possible that administration could use a different path to applying the setting, but it has the same name.

          • Nougat
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            41 day ago

            Sure, it’s the same flag, but using the admin console would apply it to a group of computers. The methods in the github link are to apply it to a single computer.

      • warm
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        91 day ago

        Only until June 2025 apparently, leave chromium behind already guys.