I literally haven’t seen anyone even mention it anywhere on the internet as if it never existed, when it comes to Ad blockers I always see uBO recommended with absolutely no mention whatsoever of ABP why? What makes it better than ABP? What happened to it? or maybe I’m wrong and ABP is not as well known as I think it is.

I have been using ABP for many years until someday don’t remember when I switched to uBO because I read that it is “the best ad blocker”.

I maybe need a history lesson as everything on the matter seems so vague to me and the whole situation is super weird

  • Doug [he/him]
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    -11 year ago

    I’m totally with you there. JavaScript ads are not ok. But that’s not what the quoted statement said. It said “all ads”.

    I see this a lot with the ad blocking crowd. Especially the ones that will run over to tell you how you’re doing things wrong if you’re not using their preferred method (usually ubo). It’s not enough to block problematic ads because all ads, simply be existing, are problematic.

    But then they won’t offer anything else either. They want all the content of the internet served up to them for free.

    I’d love to live in a utopia where we can all freely share everything. Until that happens I’ve got a family to feed and bills to pay. So does everyone else.

    • immibis
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      21 year ago

      @Doug another perspective is that there’s nothing wrong with wanting everything for free.

      • Doug [he/him]
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        -11 year ago

        There’s absolutely something wrong with taking steps to get everything for free as it’s going to come at the expense of someone. Companies and the rich are unwilling to absorb any costs when they can get away without, and they usually can.

        Who are you willing to pass the cost of your consumption on to?

        • immibis
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          21 year ago

          @Doug would you like to play at a handicap against the rich? Or are you willing to copy their tactics and play even?

          • Doug [he/him]
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            01 year ago

            We’re all playing at a handicap against them all the time.

            I grew up beyond poor. I don’t need a reminder of how big that gap is.

            No, I’m not willing to employ their tactics. I’d rather help those worse off than me succeed than elevate myself on their backs.

    • immibis
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      21 year ago

      @Doug do you think that Nintendo has a right to lock down its consoles so you can only play licensed Nintendo games? This is basically the same thing.

      In the usual situation, Nintendo has a right to try to lock down my console and I also have a right to try to unlock it. This is also the situation we have today with adblockers.

      • Doug [he/him]
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        -11 year ago

        That’s not at all the same situation. To even get close to similar we’d need to assume that we’re getting either the console or the games for free. Even then it’s still quite a road to even imperfect analogy.

        In the current situation we buy every piece of that puzzle and are still locked out of modifications through obfuscation, proprietary knowledge, and security measures. So that makes the analogy even harder to sell.

        It’s more like ordering a package and being upset about the company’s name appearing on the box/label/receipt.

            • immibis
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              01 year ago

              @Doug the right of a provider of a thing to lock it down vs the right of a consumer of a thing to unlock it

              • Doug [he/him]
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                11 year ago

                It’s not a matter of locked vs unlocked. It’s a matter of payment.

                A website also isn’t really a product. When you go to a store you see the things they want you to see. If you go to a restaurant you’re greeted in the way they choose to greet you and are exposed to how they choose to decorate.

                But at the core someone has to pay the bills. If you buy a product you pay for it. If you visit a website that serves ads instead of charging that’s what pays those bills. If you’re refusing to even see them you’re handing that cost to someone else

                • immibis
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                  01 year ago

                  @Doug This concern has no bearing on what happens downstream of you. The question is whether you can lock your product to gather more money to pay your bills with, and whether the person who consumes your product can unlock it meaning you don’t get as much money but they get an unlocked product.

                  • Doug [he/him]
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                    11 year ago

                    It absolutely has bearing. It’s directly related to how we consider our fellow humans.

                    It’s also not simply a question of more money. It can absolutely be a question of any money.

                    Is it ethical to consume a product or service put out for sale, in one method or another, to the public without paying for it?

                    If a local farmer sells eggs at a farmer’s market would you take one and eat it? Why or why not? Does the number of eggs he has for sale change your answer? What if others are also doing so? You did say there’s nothing wrong with trying to get everything for free before, didn’t you?