There is a small riot going on right now about a website called WhyFirefoxIsBlocked. This is a site that people are being redirected to and explains why some sites are blocking Firefox. I have reprinted this so called reason below:
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.
Let’s break this down and really look at what is going on here. First of all Mozilla has endorsed Ad Block Plus. Ad Block Plus is an excellent piece of software. It basically allows you to block web advertisements. This is something that many many other pieces of software do. There are many extensions for Firefox that already do this, and even more greasemonkey scripts that will do this very same thing. Ad Block Plus is slightly better at it, and allows you to customize what you block and don’t block.
“Software that blocks all advertisement is an infringement of the rights of web site owners and developers”. They can’t possibly be serious with that statement can they? If I don’t want to see ads, then I shouldn’t have to. Just like when I don’t want to watch commercials on TV, I get up and leave the room. Does this mean that not watching commercials on TV is an infringement on the rights of TV producers and sitcom developers?
“Accessing the content while blocking the ads, therefore would be no less than stealing”. Ok, to begin on this one I have to admit something. I never ever ever click on web advertisements ever. So why would it matter if I am viewing them or not? I’m not going to click on them, so why do I even need to see them?
“Millions of hard working people are being robbed of their time and effort by this type of software.” Time and effort? Is that a synonym for money now, because let’s be honest that is what we are really talking about. This single sentence is basically saying that people are not writing/publishing/pushing content for anything but money, and I personally find that very hard if not impossible to believe.
“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.” Good for you. Chances are, if you are blocking people from looking at your website because they might not see your ads then I probably don’t want to see your content anyway.
In summary this is just another ridiculous yell for help from all the people that are trying to turn the internet into their own personal gold mine. I’m sorry, but it’s just not going to work. The Internet does not work that way, and fortunately there are people who will defend this idea of a free Internet. I know that Digg, Reddit, del.icio.us, and many other social networking sites are just having an absolute blast with this right now.
Concur\’d!
I see it like this. If I\’m using firefox, then I\’ve downloaded it because I know or have been told its the best alternative. Or, alternatively, because I know extensions are great and can handle a flaw or two in exchange for that.
If I\’m blocked from using a website, then I will resent being forced to use an inferior alternative, even IEtab.
If I resent it, then I\’m NEVER going to click on your ads anyway.
In addition to that, if I\’m using adblock, I\’m not going to click an ad if I see it ANYWAY. If I were the type of person who clicked on ads, then I wouldn\’t be blocking them.
Not to mention, firefox has only made things easier. Its been possible to block advertising content through the use of a customized host file, since the dark days of arpanet.
Making your content public means other people have the right to view that content. These webmasters seem under the impression there is an agreement with their users regarding how they view this content.
A counter position that encompasses most of my thoughts on the issue. The one point I think catches my opinion the most, \
I just install Ad Block Plusafter reading about this site.
I dont use it to ads, because they are indifferent to me, but i\’m blocking static sites such as google-analytics and other sites that are tracking my surfing.
And Ad block Plus does the job good.
There are plenty of websites that have, for years now, blocked IE from viewing their pages. The only difference here is that instead of internet elitism, it’s a matter of advertising. Both parties are stupid but this situation receives more notice primarily due to the unwavering fanboy base that surrounds firefox.
A browser is just a browser. All the current, major browsers have their good points and their bad points. This stupid browser war is caused by people on either side that decided to be zealots about a piece of software.
Let me be INCREDIBLY blunt about this issue.
THE PEOPLE WITH ADBLOCK ARE THE ONES WHO DON’T CLICK ADS TO BEGIN WITH!!!
I’m an AdBlock user, and damned happy about it. I hate ads. I never click ads. They’re a waste of my time. I’m there for content, usually related to work. My machine goes through enough torture as it is. To try and load half a dozen flash ads that I’m going to ignore anyway is NOT on my agenda, thank you very much!
This blocking of Firefox is pointless. Please note IE also has an ad blocker. And yet nobody’s making a fit about it. Note again, 80% of the population uses IE. Let’s do a bit of math here. If 5% of IE users block ads and 20% of Fx users block ads… IT’S THE SAME AMOUNT FOR BOTH!!! GET A FUCKING LIFE, FIREFOX BLOCKERS!!!
ok. now to finaly put that user agent switcher extention to work. gimme a list of blocked sites
Personally, if these millions of so called hard working people are relying solely on ad revenue in the hopes of becoming rich, then I have no problem blocking their ads that infringe on my right to utilize my bandwidth in any way I see fit.
This argument that accessing content while blocking ads is no less than stealing is itself no less than ridiculous.
Remember the days before ad blocking software was widely available? You couldn\’t go to a single website without getting inundated with pop-ups, pop-unders, bandwidth-hogging flash ads, etc, etc. Since then, numerous companies have addressed customer demand for a better web surfing experience, including Google, Symantec, McAfee, and others. And guess what? Quality content providers are still around and some have become even better. I guess when you\’re confident about your content quality you don\’t really need to bitch about how someone is \
This is beautiful. I love that the people profiteering from inconveniencing internet users are lashing out in a futile attempt at recourse now their cash cow is running dry. They\’re only going to marginalize themselves further.
In this day and age it\’s always nice to see freedom win.
LMAO, im using this and u tell me im stealing, i got question for those people, \
why do you all give a rats ass if a site wants to block firefox users fine more and more are switching to firefox everyday
if these idiots want to bitch about ad blocking so be it soon when firefox is more used than anything else they will be losing exposure period
The problem is that a lot of sites rely on advertising to support their work. By showing a few adverts on their site they can make a living without having to charge people for their work. As a result people viewing the site get the advice for free.
My making the adblock plugin so easy to use for Firefox, Mozilla are destroying that income for a lot of people.
This is nothing about turning the internet into a gold mine its about normal people trying to make a living through advertising.
stumbled upon this, stumbleupon’s filled with pages about this silly “firefox blocked” thing. just, everyone who wants to visit those particular sites, just install the user agent switcher plugin for firefox
on a side note, it seems you need to call stripslashes() on your comment text in your php, that’ll get rid of those slashes i see in comments above.
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People are just trying to get the word out about this injustice. That’s why you are seeing it all over SU.
I noticed the problem with my comments. I’m not sure how that happened. I’ll be taking a look at it pretty soon.
Oh come on.
1, I simply do ont fetch every content (e.g ads) from the site so I’m saving them bandwidth which is good for them.
2, I am proud subscriber of sites actually deliver real content instead of crap. And they do not use ads. They don’t have to.
my 2 cents.
I use both IE and Firefox, I don’t use ad block plugin, but that job is done by my ZA firewall.
Frankly, anyway they can try to block us… we can get around. Thats why Firefox rocks!
All I need is useragent switcher, no script, and adblock. =P
Does anyone know of a list of sites that are actually doing this? So far this looks like a one-man crusade.
The right to be protected from crappy advertising material is fundamental and everybody should appreciate the mozilla efforts to protection!!!
People have the right to choose if they want to see the bloody advertisements.
As long people are allowed to change their browser settings advertisers shouldn\’t be bothered.
Tv is enough about advertisements anyway.
Internet came out as communication system and will
be like this or it will became something else.
Something bad and inappropriate.
A more \
A more “annoying”(pop ups,malware,dialers etc) Internet experience is always a
less secure and that is something that everybody
has noticed!!!
And …
the more the advertisements are the more weak is the market
but in internet word, advertisemennts are much more independent from the market status. In other words many of the advertisements are online for years.In “real” world an advertisment can’t live so long .So why a user must not be able to stop those ads from being displayed in front of his eyes whenever he wants?
Remember Internet is not TV!!! In Internet world The user desires and the user decides !!!And that’s the way it must stay!!!