Adblock Plus by Erik Larkin (PCWorld Review April 2010)
If
you're bugged by Web ads, then Adblock Plus is for you. The well-designed Firefox
add-on quickly and easily blocks the vast majority of online ads.
The Adblock Plus add-on consists of two
parts: a utility to block images, scripts, and Flash; and a subscription component
that automatically updates its list of what to block. When you first install
the add-on you're prompted to choose a subscription source based on your home
country. Choosing a source doesn't require providing any information from you,
personal or otherwise-- it's there only to pull down a list of online ad sources.
You're prompted to choose a subscription
when you first install Adblock Plus, but for most users that will likely be
the only choice you have to make. After that, it largely just works.
If Adblock Plus does happen to miss an ad,
or if there's a non-advertising image you don't want to see, you can right-click
the image display to a new "Adblock Plus: Block image" option to add
it to Adblock's list. By default the add-on will block everything coming from
the same particular Web location but you can instead choose to block just that
one image or everything from that entire domain.
Since you only get a menu for Flash when
you right-click on a Flash object, Adblock Plus will display a small tab on
the upper-right of any such item when you move your mouse over it. Clicking
the tab offers the same block options as right-clicking an image.
A red stop-sign icon icon on the right side
of the Firefox navigation toolbar offers a route to other nice options. A left-click
displays a list of all the blockable items on your current page, with blocked
items listed in red. Right-clicking the stop sign allows for turning off Adblock
Plus for the currently viewed site or page, or disabling it entirely.
Adblock Plus does its job very well. It
works smoothly right away with no work required, and also offers advanced customization
options for those who want to dig in. If you want to stop seeing ads in Firefox,
this is all you need.
Note: use Firefox 3.5 or higher to view or download from following links:
Adblock
Plus
http://adblockplus.org/en/
Download
Firefox Adblock Plus
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/
Adblock
Plus Subscription Lists - these are free bundles of ads to be blocked automatically.
Recommended: Fanboy's List (English) or Easylist (English) - OK to use more
than one but don't overdo it.
http://adblockplus.org/en/subscriptions
Hammondsport Mac Users Group - Hammondsport, NY 14840 - www.hportmug.com