VOGONS


First post, by DosFreak

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https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/10/08/h … g-goodbye-soon/

Over the the past year, we’ve been showing a message to those of you who use an ad blocker. This message basically says, “Hey, could you not?”. It then offers a few options: whitelist RPS in your ad blocker, become an RPS supporter to get access to an official ad-free version of the site, or ignore the message and continue reading the site anyway.

We are starting to take this third option away.

The security of my system is more important than some website that doesn't know how to fund itself without compromising it's users.
Guess this is another site I'll remove from my RSS feed.

I work in I.T. security, ads have been and continue to be a major contributor to compromising systems. These websites continue to pester people not to block ads, asking people to trust them when they don't even know what is running on their own sites and when an ad compromises our systems the websites offer nothing in return.

I long for the days when this filth wasn't polluting the internet. 🙁

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Reply 1 of 17, by DracoNihil

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Does RPS do that stupid thing where instead of serving the page content serverside, they make you have to load it clientside?

Because several sites seem to do that as a way to force people to enable JavaScript and invariably enable execution of the "anti-adblock" scripts.

I don't know who actively maintains the effort to "anti anti-adblock" but it can get real messy real fast...

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Reply 4 of 17, by appiah4

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DosFreak wrote:

I long for the days when this filth wasn't polluting the internet. 🙁

At least it's better than the days when javascript ads could automatically start playing audio and video.

It was particularly problematic when you were looking for cracks, nocds and the like on astalavista.box.sk, and there were all these porn ads EVERYWHERE.

The cacaphonic ambush of a dozen porn ads playing together probably made my neighbors envious.

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Reply 5 of 17, by VileR

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How about blocking ads using the /etc/hosts file instead of a browser plugin? I imagine that could defeat most (all?) script-based ad-blocker detection methods.

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Reply 6 of 17, by xjas

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I run a hosts file & it certainly doesn't. I get those messages all the time.

My solution: reload the page a bunch of times and try to hammer "stop" before the script runs. Costs them more bandwidth, sometimes gets me the content, sometimes doesn't. Eventually I stop visiting those sites altogether ensuring no more revenue from me for them. Mission accomplished??

There's a lesson to be learned there about deliberately making your site user-hostile in the name of chasing a buck. Shame nobody seems to have learned it yet.

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Reply 7 of 17, by DracoNihil

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eL_PuSHeR wrote:

I haven't noticed anything unsual while surfing PCG with an adblocker active.

PCGamer has a javascript that will maliciously redirect/hijack your browser to a sob page.

Though you can just blacklist all javascript and avoid the redirect entirely.

“I am the dragon without a name…”
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Reply 8 of 17, by keenmaster486

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They have to pay the bills. Come on guys, web hosting isn't free.

If they want to be charitable and provide a service out of their own generosity, that's on them. But nobody has a right to demand that they pay for the service just out of the goodness of their hearts.

Free websites are awesome, but let's not take them for granted. Nothing in life is truly free - somebody, somewhere has to either put in hard work to make it happen, or pay somebody else to do the work, or something. Websites don't grow on trees.

Nobody likes ads, of course. But if ads are the administrators' chosen method of paying their bills, we have no right to demand anything of them or get all whiny about it. What we have the right to do is stop using their website.

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Reply 9 of 17, by xjas

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Well, I have to pay the bills too, and I pay out the nose for a tiny drinking straw's worth of some of the most expensive, slow, and metered internet in the developed world. If you want to put ads on stuff you put out there for people to read, that's fine, but I get to control what comes down MY pipe (hah), and I'm not gonna provide you with revenue if you try to force your way in.

The script-based content blockers that kick in after a few seconds are especially offensive because I've already downloaded the content, it's used my bandwidth and is IN MY RAM, therefore I should get to see it.

I realize there's a lot of give-and-take here, but as I said above, I refuse to support the kind of knuckleheaded decisions that makes sites deliberately hostile in order to chase the last few cents on a buck, and would like the admins of said sites to figure out they're driving users away in the process. I'll happily pay for content I like, but not if you stick a megaphone in my face and start shouting demands.

Unfortunately I think the whole ad-based content business model is a pyramid scheme and is going to come crashing down sometime anyway. I don't have a good solution for how to replace it.

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Reply 10 of 17, by appiah4

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keenmaster486 wrote:

They have to pay the bills. Come on guys, web hosting isn't free.

Neither is broadcasting but I can switch to another channel when the ads come up.

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Reply 11 of 17, by Dominus

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keenmaster486 wrote:

They have to pay the bills. Come on guys, web hosting isn't free.

Everyone knows they have to pay their bills. But when websites adopted aggressive ads, it was clear that at some point this will fail. The continous ad war to just make it more obtrusive is the reason adblockers came into fashion. And from that point on it became worse and worse.
Not even speaking of tracking...

Ad to that that the rps people have no idea what ads and scripts are even running on their site (read the comments in the first link - even their support-ad-free site tracks and displays something).

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Reply 12 of 17, by vvbee

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xjas wrote:
Well, I have to pay the bills too, and I pay out the nose for a tiny drinking straw's worth of some of the most expensive, slow, […]
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Well, I have to pay the bills too, and I pay out the nose for a tiny drinking straw's worth of some of the most expensive, slow, and metered internet in the developed world. If you want to put ads on stuff you put out there for people to read, that's fine, but I get to control what comes down MY pipe (hah), and I'm not gonna provide you with revenue if you try to force your way in.

The script-based content blockers that kick in after a few seconds are especially offensive because I've already downloaded the content, it's used my bandwidth and is IN MY RAM, therefore I should get to see it.

I realize there's a lot of give-and-take here, but as I said above, I refuse to support the kind of knuckleheaded decisions that makes sites deliberately hostile in order to chase the last few cents on a buck, and would like the admins of said sites to figure out they're driving users away in the process. I'll happily pay for content I like, but not if you stick a megaphone in my face and start shouting demands.

Unfortunately I think the whole ad-based content business model is a pyramid scheme and is going to come crashing down sometime anyway. I don't have a good solution for how to replace it.

The whole argument easily reverses to content producers asserting righteousness in forcing ads on people freeloading off their work.

Reply 13 of 17, by xjas

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^^ Not really, because the content is "publicly" viewable. I liken it to building an art installation in a highly-visible public place. You can put a coin box up with a sign that says "hey guys! This was expensive to build. If you like it please consider leaving a donation!", in which case a lot of people might actually leave a donation, or you can hire a couple huge dudes who constantly scan the crowd and get up in the face & scream at anyone who dares look at the installation or take a picture if they haven't sat through your time-share seminar first. Guess which one I'm going to walk away from with both middle fingers in the air.

If you want to put something behind a paywall, put it behind a damn paywall. Don't make it available "for free" but then yell at people if they only download the bits they want rather than the bits you want.

Corollary: I support several Youtube producers (mostly musicians) on Patreon. They're doing amazing stuff and I'm happy to spend a few bucks to get access to the extras. I also buy a lot of indie games after playing the demos.

Also, what Dominus said.

twitch.tv/oldskooljay - playing the obscure, forgotten & weird - most Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 6:30 PM PDT. Bonus streams elsewhen!

Reply 15 of 17, by xjas

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Yep, and I would rather pay for something outright with my wallet, than have my own attention turned into a commodity that others try to control for gains.

Like I said earlier, I realize this isn't an all-or-nothing argument, but I've already been driven away from a lot of internet services I used to enjoy by the relentless onslaught of ads & junk. It's gotten genuinely awful out there, and I honestly believe dealing with this shit is influencing people's thoughts & moods for the worse. There was a "reasonable ground" once, but we're long past that, and when it's this bad, I'm gonna fight back. And when someone tries to block my attempts to fight back, I immediately lose any inclination to help them make money off my visit. Give-and-take.

twitch.tv/oldskooljay - playing the obscure, forgotten & weird - most Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 6:30 PM PDT. Bonus streams elsewhen!

Reply 17 of 17, by Dominus

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Obviously they can't be trusted to remove trackers and all ads...

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