Firefox Popups (1.5.0.4)

[bigaldoc]

First of all, thank you for your efforts to help me! I followed your instructions and added a step to rename user.js to user_old.js so Fx wouldn't introduce it into the mix and screw things up. I did the following in the prefs.js file:

replaced:
user_pref("capability.policy.policynames", "strict");
user_pref("capability.policy.strict.Window.open", "noAccess");
user_pref("capability.policy.strict.sites", "http://www.cnn.com");

with your suggested:
user_pref("capability.policy.policynames", "cnnstuff");
user_pref("capability.policy.cnnstuff.javascript.e nabled", "noAccess");
user_pref("capability.policy.cnnstuff.sites", "2mdn.net a.cnn.net advertising.com atdmt.com atwola.com doubleclick.net questionmarket.com");

Unfortunately, it didn't help. The small popup windows still appear after reading certain articles and hitting the back button to return to the front page. I didn't mention earlier that it doesn't happen with all articles you read but I've tried to make sure I click a different story each time to make sure that "repeat reads" is not a complication. But eventually I get several of the minimized windows.

There are a couple of oddities that I wonder if they have a bearing on my problem. After determining that it didn't work, I closed the browser to make SURE that the above entries are actually in the prefs file. They are there but I notice that Fx keeps saving the policynames line AFTER the other two lines, in spite of my moving it to the first position and trying again. Each time, when I close the browser and look at the prefs file, the policynames line is after the other two. I don't know if that means anything or not.

Also, while in the Fx browser, as I mentioned in earlier posts, doing an about:config does NOT show the capability.policy lines anywhere. So, I still wonder if Fx may be keeping it in the prefs file but not actually using it during its running. I should also mention because I'm also still trying to fool around with AdBlock, that I have it disabled while I'm doing these tests with the "capabilities" commands. I'm off now to see about Sinjin's most recent comments.

[jscher2000]

Al, I'm not sure what is missing.

> They are there but I notice that Fx keeps saving the policynames line AFTER the other two lines,
> in spite of my moving it to the first position and trying again.

Perhaps it is alphabetizing. You could change the policy name from cnnstuff to zcnnstuff in those three lines and test that theory. ;-)

> Also, while in the Fx browser, as I mentioned in earlier posts, doing an about:config does NOT
> show the capability.policy lines anywhere.

Me too. I think that is normal.

Could you: on the next pop-up, right-click, choose Page Info, and check out the source URL?

[jscher2000]

Sorry, please also add ads.cnn.com to that list of sites forbidden to execute JavaScript. Not sure how I missed that one.

[bigaldoc]

Well, so far there ain't no next popup, Jefferson. Whooee, I think we're getting there, but once again, I'll keep my fingers crossed. I added the ads.cnn.com to the address line and went back to reading. After MANY articles - no popup windows. I think you made an important suggestion and I don't know why I didn't think of it. If and when I get another window, I will try to find the source URL and see if adding it to the mix will help. Hoping against hope, I again thank you for sticking with me.

And Sinjin, I do plan to check out your suggested reading in just a minute or two or three...

[bigaldoc]

Hey Jefferson, it's Sunday afternoon and I spent my usual reading time on CNN this morning with nary a popup window! Looks like I've got it, with your latest suggested addition. I can't thank you enough for all the help. I've continued onward to another favorite news reading site, USA Today which also has some annoying popups, although not nearly as bad as CNN. Picking up on your suggestion earlier in this thread, I checked the URL of the first popup window and added its primary domain to my prefs file entries. Going back again after re-loading Fx I got another, different popup, so I added that one as well. The two I added were: ad.doubleclick.net and xads.zedo.com which I identified from the popup windows. So far that seems to have "tamed" the USA Today front page.

However, I can't resist asking how you "compiled" the addresses you suggested I add in the first place. Did you do it one at a time, as I just explained or did you refer to some master list somewhere?

Just to repeat something I think I've said in the past, this whole subject of popups is maybe a little different for me than most people. A lot of you simply block all popups and go about your business. But I don't like to do that as there are many web pages I frequent where that would hamper my dealing with the page. So I prefer to dig my heels in on pages that are a real pain in the <img src=/w3timages/censored.gif alt=censored border=0> and just deal with the other occasional ones that I can tolerate.

I now have the following extensions installed in Fx but not being used at the moment - see attachment. This is a somewhat slow, learning process for me and I appreciate all the tolerance of everyone. For someone who, up until a day or two ago, had NO extensions installed, this is a big change for me.

Correction: The above two addresses (in bold) did not stop the USA Today page from opening ads. After being closed overnight, my browser opened an ad from each one of the above. Oh well...

[jscher2000]

> I can't resist asking how you "compiled" the addresses you suggested I add in the first place. Did you do it one at a time,
> as I just explained or did you refer to some master list somewhere?

The initial list was from the NoScript pop-up list of domains from which the page imports scripts. This may well be different than the domains from which the ads are launched. I think that's why it isn't 100% reliable to go by the address of the pop-up itself. If it were that easy, no one would be able to serve pop-ups any more. <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15> To discover the script sources manually, you could try viewing the page source and then search for .js" which would indicate an imported JavaScript file. Because other file extensions could be used, this isn't guaranteed to find all of them, but it's a start.

By the way, some scripts for USA Today are served from js.usatoday.com so you could try blocking that one and see whether it relates to ads or something more critical (like video).

[bigaldoc]

Thanks again. Ain't it a shame we have to go through all this grief just to use the internet for what WE want to use it for! Why can't they just be satisfied with filling up the page with ads and hope I read them. Oh well, at least when I watch television I can go to the kitchen for a drink while the commercial is playing. <img src=/S/anigrin.gif border=0 alt=anigrin width=19 height=19>

[cbaldrey]

You can't do that! You're supposed to watch the ads, and go thursty! Don't you know people work hard at filling 30 second spots with information to make you hate .... I mean love ... their products??