Re: Ignore Advertisements Feature

[Robert Mark Waugh <rmw@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I know I'll prolly get flamed for this, but:  Personally, this is not a
> feature I'd actually like to see added to the browser.  I think there are
> plug-ins out there to do this already, and though I know a lot of people
> would like to have the option...

I don't think that this change would ever be merged into the main source
tree.  You never know, though.

> if there's a browser that automatically stops advertising and
> it becomes widespread, that these sites will either a) Go under, or b) Start
> charging.  I doubt that they'll continue running advertising, since no one
> will be seeing them.
> 

Well, the technology both of us have talked about using to filter ads (image
placement and size and URL regex matching) are easy to get around.  I think
you'll find that if something like this ever got widespread, these companies
would just modify their placements and URL format to circumvent the most
popular settings.

> 
> You probably sit through the advertisement on TV, and you get that for free
> (basically), so what's so bad about it on the Net?  Personally, I think it
> could be MUCH more obtrusive than it already is.  You could have to click
> through a full 640x480 jpeg or Macromedia Flash movie to get to a site.
> 
> So, the bottom line:  Those sites & content have to be funded somehow.  And
> the annoyance is going to be taken out of you one way or another-- be it
> banner ads, or a monthly bill.  Which is the better deal?

Again, I don't think that it's going to ever become wide spread.  In addition
to the fact that it'll probably never be merged into the main source tree,
almost no one is going to have the sophistication to be able to define the
sort of parameters we're talking about to be able to effectively remove
advertisements.

Personally, ads don't bother me much.  I mostly built my ad filter proxy
server to strip out ie4 logos.  Although, I think it would be good if there
was some way for the Internet community to have a voice in what ads are
acceptable and what aren't -- animated ads that are so distracting you can't
read the document you're on are in bad taste and give me a headache.

That said, as you pointed out, we live in a capitalistic system.  If I'm
investing 40 hours a week into maintaining a site, I need to be able to feed
myself and keep a roof over my head.  www.yahoo.com isn't worrying to that
level, but I have friends who subsist off of their small company content
provider website.

As a matter of a fact, the less glorious aspect of my current position at
Netscape involves writing software to calculatie the ad impression rate on our
external servers.  So, my own job relies to some extent on people seeing
advertisements.

:)