# Why Aren't Pop-Up Ads Easier to Block? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710 "2003-03-12T01:36:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/21 "2003-03-12T08:26:43Z")
…and then the Opera user said “Pop-up what??” ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/22 "2003-03-12T10:27:22Z")
Apart from using pop up stoppers, another extremely effective option is to edit the hosts files under Windows and permanently block ad servers and suspect domains. Prevents websites from installing diallers and hijacking your homepage: [http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm](http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) ---
**Author:** ![kp\_72110](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e68b1a/32.png) [@kp\_72110](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kp_72110)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/23 "2003-03-12T12:05:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xash \* > \*\*Apart from using pop up stoppers, another extremely effective option is to edit the hosts files … \*\* Good info xash. I had heard about this one time before. From the site: “In many cases this can speed the loading of web pages by not having to wait for these ads, banners, hit counters, etc. to load. This also helps to protect your Privacy by blocking servers that track your viewing habits.” Does that mean these sites will not load at all? It seems to say that pages with hit counters will still load, but just won’t record that you hit the site. Is that correct? As I previously stated, I use Pest Patrol and have been quite pleased with it, so I wonder if this hosts file will add additional security or is it just overkill? I suppose when I get home I’ll check to see if perhaps that was one thing Pest Patrol created. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/24 "2003-03-12T12:44:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kp\_72110 \* > \*\*Does that mean these sites will not load at all? It seems to say that pages with hit counters will still load, but just won’t record that you hit the site. Is that correct? \*\* **kp** , let me attempt to make this as simple as possible: When you type an internet address in your browser and press enter, the browser displays the website you requested. But on the Internet, websites are indexed as numbers rather than names. So, [http://www.yahoo.com](http://www.yahoo.com) is actually [http://216.109.125.71](http://216.109.125.71) So when you type [http://www.yahoo.com](http://www.yahoo.com) into your browser, the browser has to make a query and convert the address into the number 216.109.125.71 . This number is known as the IP address. It then downloads the information from the site. The hosts file stores some of these numbers, while the majority have to be queried via the internet. Storing commonly accessed websites’ IP addresses in the hosts file cuts down the time required for the browser to query for the IP address through something called a DNS query. Typically it takes a few milliseconds to complete this query. So the hosts file (which is actually a plain text file that you can easily write in notepad) contains some of these website addresses and their corresponding IP addresses. e.g. 216.109.125.71 [www.yahoo.com](http://www.yahoo.com) That’s all. A simple line like that in a plain text file. So, the next time you type [www.yahoo.com](http://www.yahoo.com) in your browser, your browser skips the query and goes directly to [http://216.109.125.71](http://216.109.125.71) which is infact [yahoo.com](http://yahoo.com) Think of it as your phone book. You store all your friends’ numbers in it, instead of calling directory service each time you want to call up your friends. That’s exactly what a hosts file is. Now, you ask, how does it block ad sites and tricksters. Well, let’s say an ad is hosted on [www.adserver.com](http://www.adserver.com) Now, you load some crappy website and it has an ad on the page which loads from [www.adserver.com](http://www.adserver.com) Normally, this ad would display correctly, since your browser will query [www.adserver.com](http://www.adserver.com), find the real IP address, and load the ad. But, if you add the line : 127.0.0.1 [www.adserver.com](http://www.adserver.com) in your hosts file, this fools the browser into thinking that [www.adserver.com](http://www.adserver.com) is actually your own computer, on which it can’t find the ad file that the website requested, and the ad doesn’t load. Similarly, if [www.hitcounters.com](http://www.hitcounters.com) is where the hit counter is loaded from, a line like : 127.0.0.1 [www.hitcounters.com](http://www.hitcounters.com) in your hosts file, will prevent ANYTHING from [www.hitcounters.com](http://www.hitcounters.com) loading at all. The website I linked to makes your task easy by giving you a readymade hosts file. So all you do is copy paste the file into the correct Windows directory. No settings to change, nothing to configure, no software to install. The only drawback is that if [www.yahoo.com](http://www.yahoo.com) , for example, changes it’s IP address from the current number to some other number, and your hosts file has the old number, [yahoo.com](http://yahoo.com) will not load. This is akin to someone changing their phone number. So all you do is remove the line that contains [yahoo.com](http://yahoo.com)’s old number, and your browser will query for the new number. This is rarely required. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/25 "2003-03-12T15:25:42Z")
I’ve got the pop-up blocker distributed by Earthlink, and it worked wonderfully well for a couple of months. Lately, though, there seems to be a new type of ad that slips by it. The ones I’m speaking of don’t really ‘pop up’ they ‘float in’. The effect is as if they were always there, a .gif that happened to be somewhere off to the left (usually) of the viewable screen, and are now being ‘animated’ to move rightwards until they are on top of the viewing window. (Now, I have no idea if that is really what is happening: I do not speak html or java or anything. I’m saying that is what it looks like to me.) However they’re done, is there a way to block them? What is especially annoying is that some of these ads DO NOT have a ‘close this window’ type button, and can’t be ‘grabbed’ and moved, either. I’ve had them float in on top of text I have yet to read, and the only way I’ve found to be able finish reading is to surf off to another page and then come back, and hope I finish reading before that blasted ad floats back in again. If I can find one of those ads, I’ll post a link so you can see what I mean. (Didn’t think to take note before.) ---
**Author:** ![Read\_Neck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Read\_Neck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Read_Neck)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/26 "2003-03-12T15:48:03Z")
StarvingButStrong I haven’t used Winblows in a year or so (I’m a Slack zealot.) but check this site for a solution. [http://www.bugnosis.org/](http://www.bugnosis.org/) ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/27 "2003-03-12T16:28:55Z")
I also recommend Mozilla. I have used it for a while and have not received popups or had problems with fancy site that call up windows on your command for logging in or filling out forms. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/28 "2003-03-12T19:25:40Z")
**Mozilla.** Not only does it _prevent_ (i.e. they’re don’t even get born, far less killed) 99% of popups, but it’s also an excellent browser. Beats the latest IE hands down. It’s worth it for the ability to open multiple browser tabs alone, I can’t imagine how I managed before them! ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/29 "2003-03-12T19:57:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tanstaafl \* > \*\*They exist. I use Popup Stopper which does almost _too_ good of a job at blocking them. It does not allow any additional windows to open unless you hold down the Ctrl key. This means that when I (for example) click on a link in a thread here on the SDMB it will not open unless I hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on it. Otherwise, it works great. \*\* Pop-Up Stopper: the greatest piece of shareware _ever!_ I think the drawback you mention is a small price to pay. I don’t have the program on my work computer, and I am CONSTANTLY assaulted by a barrage of pop-ups. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![ZomZom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zomzom/32/5620_2.png) [@ZomZom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZomZom)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/30 "2003-03-12T20:31:53Z")
Popup Stopper was exactly what I wanted. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/31 "2003-03-12T22:33:22Z")
I have seen Popups alright, but did anyone notice there is another one? these are called “Popunders”…when you close your windows, there they are & you can’t tell where they came from. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/32 "2003-03-14T02:13:35Z")
Popups? What’s a popup? Oh, you don’t use Mozilla! That explains everything. Mozilla can kill popups dead. ---
**Author:** ![bcullman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bcullman/32/8207_2.png) [@bcullman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bcullman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/33 "2003-03-14T04:49:29Z")
AS a web developer, I would recommend against turning off javascript. It does quite a lot of useful stuff. Only one of the calls in the whole scripting language (window.open()) can be used in a negative way (popup) but for the rest, it’s a damn useful language. any decent popup stopper call single out this one javascript call, and leave the reamaing javascript unharmed. plus, there are times when a popup window was what the website you are visting intended - ie not a popup add at all. A good popup blocker should be able to selectively allow popups when _you_ want them. For IE, I use AdShield. It’s free, blocks popus, plus banner ads, oth image style and flash ones too ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/34 "2003-03-14T05:52:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Read\_Neck \* > \*\*I haven’t used Winblows in a year or so (I’m a Slack zealot.) but check this site for a solution. > > [http://www.bugnosis.org/](http://www.bugnosis.org/) \*\* I think **StarvingButStrong** is talking about _interstitials_ … little animated ads that appear not in a new browser window, but the same one you’re using. Unlike banner ads, intersitials float around the screen, blocking the content of the page. The only way to turn them off is to wait for their pitch to stop, and then clock on what is usually a barely-visible “close” or “x” link. I don’t think there’s any program out now that blocks interstitials. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/35 "2003-03-14T06:05:50Z")
Huh? What’s a popup? Oh yeah, I use Netscape. (Heh heh hyuck. I sure am glad I’m the first one to make that joke.) No, actually, I didn’t even realize that I had popups turned off until I looked for it. Shows you how oblivious I am. And now I see that I can associate a sound with a blocked popup. Sweet! And I’ve found the perfect one… [http://www.stinsv.com/TNg/Data/popweas.wav](http://www.stinsv.com/TNg/Data/popweas.wav) ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/36 "2003-03-14T08:26:03Z")
Insterstititals are often entirely Flash-based and coded within the webpage you requested. Traditional pop-up stoppers can’t identify them or close them as a result, since there’s no really obvious code that flags them as a pop-up or as an advert. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/37 "2003-03-14T12:34:40Z")
**Elmwood** , even though you bear the bad news that there is no cure, I am at least relieved to know the proper name of the nasty things. Now when one comes sailing in I can curse at it properly. \ ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710/38 "2003-03-14T12:41:13Z")
Interstitials actually refers to any kind of advert that is inserted into the normal flow of editorial content. It’s not necessarily web-specific, and it’s not necessarily an advert that “floats” over the content. Splash pages are interstitials; ad pages that appear temporarily before redirecting you to the requested content are also interstitials. I’ve seen “interstitial” used to refer to television adverts at one major broadcaster I’ve worked at. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pop-up-ads-easier-to-block/160710.md?page=1)