[techtalk] RE: [grrltalk] webads

[JamesA.Sutherland]

On Sun, 15 Apr 2001 08:21:22 -0700, you wrote:

>From: grrltalk-admin at linuxchix.org
>> [mailto:grrltalk-admin at linuxchix.org]On Behalf Of James A. Sutherland
>>
>> >Blocking advertisements on web pages is no different than
>> changing channels
>> >on the TV when the ads come on. I have not been paid nor
>> contracted to watch
>> >the blasted things so I exercise my right to block any and all
>> advertising.
>> >I also exercise my right to block cookies from any site I deem
>> fit. In other
>> >words, I block all cookies that are used for anything other than direct
>> >shopping requirements.
>>
>> The original post was mine - I wouldn't really describe the character
>> as a "friend", though. We are both part of the Campaign for Unmetered
>> Telecommunications here in the UK, campaigning for flat-rate (i.e. not
>> charged per minute) Internet access and local calls, which is how we
>> "met" - we often argue about whether or not filtering ads etc is OK.
>>
>> My POV is that for the most part, we are free to do WTF we want with
>> an HTTP connection, within reason (no DoS attacks etc). If I want to
>> run a Perl script to e-mail me the front page of <insert news service
>> here> every morning, that's OK - no need for me to download any of the
>> images, advertising or otherwise.
>
>I completely agree. There's nothing saying you must use a web browser or
>that you must download any or all graphics, scripts, cookies, etc. from a
>site. I admit I am somewhat amused at the number of sites that throw
>javascript errors (typically 'document.x.y is null or not an object') after
>I started blocking all ads.

I'm amazed by the number which give errors WITHOUT you doing anything
"odd" - I've seen plenty which are spewing errors even under IE 5.5 on
Win98/ME with NO filtering! If the script doesn't even work there,
where on earth does it work?!

>On a complete different tangent, I never did understand how folks in the UK
>could tolerate metered service for local calls. It just seems so...
>uncivilized. Of course, I was born and bred in the USA so I come from a
>completely different background and point of view.

The USA has been a big help to us in that respect; the current
Moderator of the campaign is actually from TX. He got his first UK
'phone bill for Internet access, blew a couple of valves and joined
the campaign! In fact, CUT is a good example of how the Net can change
things; just gathering the information we needed to make formal
submissions to the regulator would be an enormous struggle without it!

(Interestingly, at the outset the "regulator" was simply LYING to the
public about unmetered calls, with unfounded claims about heavy Net
usage blocking 911 calls and so on... We managed to put a stop to
that, and now have unmetered Net access 24x7, and unmetered local
calls at evenings and weekends!)


James.