I normally don’t start pit threads, (although I have contributed to a few in my time…) but these “online casino” and “classmates.com” popups are out of control… They have so many legitimate sites spewing them all over the net. Many sites have a popup for every change of window on their site! Enough!
Since I’m at work, I can’t even install a popup killer (nor can I change the “hosts” file…
Anyway… that’s it… A pretty lame complaint, but there ya go…
I find it even more annoying because I’m a member of Classmates, and have found it to be a pretty good site–I’ve gotten back in touch with several old friends through it. Every time I get one of their popups, I think, “GODDAMNIT! Stop that! Don’t make me hate you!”
What I hate worse than popups, though, are those insidious pop-unders, that launch and immediately go into background. Don’t think you’re being sneaky, you fucks. I see your damn window.
Pop-ups are just irritating, so you’d think they’d be counterproductive advertising! Worse than both the pop-ups and the pop-unders are those that stay on your screen and can’t be x-ed out. You can’t do anything else on the screen, and you can’t even shut down the computer from the start menu, you have to do it from the wall jack. All the time I’m doing that, I’m not thinking ‘wow, what a clever marketing technique, I really must go visit that casino now! Making my computer crash and potentially damaging my files has really won me over!’ Homestead are the worst for these kinds of ads, so I avoid visit Homestead webpages now.
Dear Orbitz:
Your persistent harassment of me has ensured that I will NEVER purchase any airline tickets through you. I will pay more before I do.
I will use my consumerism to fight the crime against humanity that is pop-up advertisement.
P.S. I just LOVE how your pop-up is strategically positioned so that I have to move it to be able to check the X and flush you into oblivion.
QueenAl
Try ALT + F4 while the offending window is live, that should get rid of it.
One suggestion would be to change browsers. Opera allows you to reject pop-up ads.
Just a suggestion.
Here’s a simple way to eliminate a big chunk of ads using only the “hosts” file in your Windows directory. (With this file installed, your browser won’t look any further than your own computer for content located at known ad-servers.) Works with Linux, too.
Panicware has a nice, free solution, as well.
I’d love to know exactly how much bandwidth these two puppies have saved me.
airdisc - nice to see a plug for Opera. So much better than the rest! (Especially for reading the Straight Dope - I vastly prefer the way you don’t have to maximize links from threads.) Unfortunately, I think that most people who are put off by having advertising pushed in your face don’t try Opera for long enough to become enamoured with it, because of the banner ads in the unregistered version. Too bad – pages render noticeably faster, navigation is more sensible – (especially if, like me, you are in the habit of leaving 30+ browser windows open, and don’t want your task manager to get all cluttered up.) Ack- and built in support for resuming downloads-- and-- and-- and-- the smug feeling of superiority that comes of not having any more contact with Microsoft / AOL-TW than is absolutely unavoidable.)
Geez, how many anti-advertising gripes generate this much in the way of glowing product endorsements?
[sub]Download Opera Today! Serial numbers are easy to find.[/sub]
Do I have to reboot before this starts working? I just installed it and I still get popups.
Have you tried Proxomitron?
If you’re having problems installing it, just contact me on AIM at ejiant.
No need for a reboot – it’s just that the default mode is “don’t do anything.” Nobody knows why. Right-click on the icon in the taskbar, (the window w/ the little x,) and make sure that “Do not allow pop-up windows” has a check-mark beside it. (The “x” will be red if the program is actually doing anything, and grey if it’s just kinda chillin’.)
I have found some extremely annoying pop up ads on USA Today…the dancing AT&T Wireless phones and the cartoon car driving across the screen irritate the crap out of me. I especially love the indigo “skip ad” printed on a navy blue background that makes it SO easy to get to where I wanted to get to!!
What is really getting to me is on cnn.com. They play a full on coke ad on the side bar ad. It’s like a little realplayer ad when you load the page. This is far more annoying than a pop up could ever be.
I am now more determined than ever to never buy a Vanilla Coke.
SportingNews has ads that run across the web page too, so you have to let the stupid thing play out. That really gets to me, too.
I have to second this. It’s the greatest program in the history of all mankind.
What?
Me? Using hyperbole?
Never!
It really is awesome though.
Fenris