Why FireFox Is Blocked!

[Adrian Wong]

Now, this is a really interesting piece on FireFox and ad-blocking - Why FireFox is Blocked. Do read it and let me know what you think.

The Mozilla Foundation and its Commercial arm, the Mozilla Corporation, has allowed and endorsed Ad Block Plus, a plug-in that blocks advertisement on web sites and also prevents site owners from blocking people using it. Software that blocks all advertisement is an infringement of the rights of web site owners and developers. Numerous web sites exist in order to provide quality content in exchange for displaying ads. Accessing the content while blocking the ads, therefore would be no less than stealing. Millions of hard working people are being robbed of their time and effort by this type of software. Many site owners therefore install scripts that prevent people using ad blocking software from accessing their site. That is their right as the site owner to insist that the use of their resources accompanies the presence of the ads.

While blanket ad blocking in general is still theft, the real problem is Ad Block Plus's unwillingness to allow individual site owners the freedom to block people using their plug-in. Blocking FireFox is the only alternative. Demographics have shown that not only are FireFox users a somewhat small percentage of the internet, they actually are even smaller in terms of online spending, therefore blocking FireFox seems to have only minimal financial drawbacks, whereas ending resource theft has tremendous financial rewards for honest, hard-working website owners and developers..

Since the makers of Ad Block Plus as well as the filter subscriptions that accompany it refuse to allow website owners control over their own intellectual property, and since FireFox actively endorses Ad Block Plus, the sites linking to this page are now blocking FireFox until the resource theft is stopped.

Netscape users can simply set their browser to IE mode to continue to enjoy the site that sent you here. FireFox users can use Internet Explorer, Opera or Netscape (in IE mode) to access it. FireFox users also have the option of using the IE Tab plug-in which uses the IE rendering engine to display pages, but also disables the Ad Block Plus plug-in.

If you are offended by the Mozilla Corporation's endorsement of dishonesty please contact the Mozilla Foundation and ask them to stop empowering internet theft.

[peaz]

Hmmm need a neutral ground for the poll not exactly don't know/don't care.

I think it should be left to the users to judge.
You can't blame firefox here since adblock plus does not come preinstalled with it. It's an addon that one need to explicitly go search and install. By doing so, they would knowingly choose to use that add on. I'm one of them and I use it to make sure I don't get all those porn ads when I check out 'security sites' for 'backdoors', and torrents. Oh and also if I happen to stumble over low quality 'blogs' that's just to earn money from adclicks.

But I've always disable it for sites with I support so that I can click on their ads.

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by peaz

Hmmm need a neutral ground for the poll not exactly don't know/don't care.

I think it should be left to the users to judge.
You can't blame firefox here since adblock plus does not come preinstalled with it. It's an addon that one need to explicitly go search and install. By doing so, they would knowingly choose to use that add on. I'm one of them and I use it to make sure I don't get all those porn ads when I check out 'security sites' for 'backdoors', and torrents. Oh and also if I happen to stumble over low quality 'blogs' that's just to earn money from adclicks.

But I've always disable it for sites with I support so that I can click on their ads.

Oh, that's not neutral enough? Any suggestions? I will modify the poll although you will have to revote.

[Mac Daddy]

On the sites I know and trust I can choose myself. For other areas we might come across I don't allow any pop ups including ads ... not sure if this helps Adrian been running Mozilla products since 2003 .. FF here now .. IE sucks _____

[Adrian Wong]

Well, on principle, we do not allow pop-ups or pop-unders. But I do think it's bad to block even regular ads.

[peaz]

Originally Posted by Adrian Wong

Oh, that's not neutral enough? Any suggestions? I will modify the poll although you will have to revote.

perhaps "I choose to unblock ads on sites I support"

And I've yet to vote

[Chai]

I don't block ads, I only block pop ups. There's a reason why IE has pop up blocker, not ads.

[PsYkHoTiK]

Pop ups I hate. Ads I don't block. its not right to access someone's materials and not see the ads. Costs the reader nothing and gets the writer something.

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by peaz

perhaps "I choose to unblock ads on sites I support"

And I've yet to vote

Done!

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by Chai

I don't block ads, I only block pop ups. There's a reason why IE has pop up blocker, not ads.

Hmm.. That's the thing. Why does FireFox allow ads to be blocked?

Not only does it go against everything the Internet stands for, it also prevents some other stuff like stats tracking from running properly.