Hey! Why did a bunch of the text turn white!
- Thread starter Gastric ReFlux
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Switch625
I don't care.
Hmmm. Must try AtGuard. I use ZoneAlarm, PopUp Stopper, and PurgeIE, along with Norton AntiVirus and CrashGuard. I track my bandwidth usage with NetPerSec. I rely upon PurgeIE to locate offending cookies and block them using the cookie manager internal to IE6. That still leaves me open to script exploits, which I get around by the laborious process of adding offending sites to IE's "Restricted Zone (where scripting is turned off)," which is a pain.
BTW, Starlifter, I would never recommend anyone using BlackIce Defender. It really isn't much of a firewall. The free version of ZoneAlarm is better.
BTW, Starlifter, I would never recommend anyone using BlackIce Defender. It really isn't much of a firewall. The free version of ZoneAlarm is better.
Pillager
League of Empire Loyalist
I recommend Outpost. From what I can see, it has a pretty effective firewall, plus ad blocking etc. There's a free version available for download at 2.5MB.
starlifter
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by TF:
I loaded your main page, with AtGuard on, as usual. For the first time, I decided to turn AtGaurd off, and see what happened. So I clicked it off, and forced a full page reload (Shift-Reload in Netscape). The result was an unholy mess. My 44KB bandwidth was jammed with Java and .GIF transfers, and the amount of time to complete the page download increased. A flasing and blinking ad appeared in that spot near the top of your main page... I thoroughly hate any ad that chooses to flash or animate. Those two popups decided they should appear and cover my chosen page, and on top of that, take the focus from the mouse. What a mess. I took a screenshot, and immediatly retreated to the safety of AtGuard.
As for the ad sites and getting "credit" for a presentation, I think most do get their credit (unless some geek wants to run an intrusive script on my system without permission, and communicate special codes back the the ad server), as the referral link still occurs and is tracked as a hit. The thing is that the final stage in the transaction is not completed.... the download of the .GIF, and my browser being aware of the Java & Java Script & Active X that would control, intrude, and even install spyware if it chose.
The ads you store in your own root and own subdirectories I allow to show though (e.g, the .GIF banner ad at the bottom of your main page that is stored in your \images directory), like these GIFs:
amazon_today234x60
468x60-sss-49
e3
cybbuild
linkworld
treefrog
twin88x31
I do castrate their animation (turn animation off), but allow them to present, because
(1) they do not pop up,
(2) they are small,
(3) they can be cached, and
(4) and I am assuming you track the number of downloads and get credit for them somehow.
If you don't get credit for themby download (e.g., you simply get flat rate for including them in your website), then let me know and I will block them too (since if you get no active credit, there is no reason to even view them for me).
Well, I disagree with your 1st statement. Here is why:
I loaded your main page, with AtGuard on, as usual. For the first time, I decided to turn AtGaurd off, and see what happened. So I clicked it off, and forced a full page reload (Shift-Reload in Netscape). The result was an unholy mess. My 44KB bandwidth was jammed with Java and .GIF transfers, and the amount of time to complete the page download increased. A flasing and blinking ad appeared in that spot near the top of your main page... I thoroughly hate any ad that chooses to flash or animate. Those two popups decided they should appear and cover my chosen page, and on top of that, take the focus from the mouse. What a mess. I took a screenshot, and immediatly retreated to the safety of AtGuard.
As for the ad sites and getting "credit" for a presentation, I think most do get their credit (unless some geek wants to run an intrusive script on my system without permission, and communicate special codes back the the ad server), as the referral link still occurs and is tracked as a hit. The thing is that the final stage in the transaction is not completed.... the download of the .GIF, and my browser being aware of the Java & Java Script & Active X that would control, intrude, and even install spyware if it chose.
The ads you store in your own root and own subdirectories I allow to show though (e.g, the .GIF banner ad at the bottom of your main page that is stored in your \images directory), like these GIFs:
amazon_today234x60
468x60-sss-49
e3
cybbuild
linkworld
treefrog
twin88x31
I do castrate their animation (turn animation off), but allow them to present, because
(1) they do not pop up,
(2) they are small,
(3) they can be cached, and
(4) and I am assuming you track the number of downloads and get credit for them somehow.
If you don't get credit for themby download (e.g., you simply get flat rate for including them in your website), then let me know and I will block them too (since if you get no active credit, there is no reason to even view them for me).
starlifter
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by Switch:
I have NAV & CG, but do not use CG because of some very techincal reasons that apply to my usage more than maybe an "average" user's. CG can actually cause more problems than it traps under certain circumstances.
I have an early version of Norton Internet Security, but never installed or tested it. The early versions had some bugs that did not get me enthsed about the product, and at the time, AtGuard and BlackICE Defender were working very well in tandem. At the moment, I don't run BiD since I don't mainain a braodband connection right now (just dial up).
Keep in mind that AtGuard 3.22 was last revised in October of 1999, and is only marginally suited to even Windows2000 prebuilds. I do not jump on the MS Bandwagon and use every pre-beta OS like XP just because MS commands it. I use Win95, and have it huming better than most of the newest MS offerings because I understand it in great detail. Thus, AtGaurd is fine for me. i do not believe it can run error-free with XP and ME, and possibly even some "fixes" that can be applied in Win2k. That is why I recommend something like ZoneAlarm (plus some of my friends in the industry recommend it)... ZA is current, and up to date with it's programming for the latest MS blunders, which all small companies must be to keep their programs running with MS bug-ridden products. Everything can be made to run well in MS OSs, but you have to keep on top of it, esp. in the fast-changing (e.g, lots of fixes and patches) world of XP and ME in particular.
Ive never used Popup Stopper or PurgeIE. Are they good?
I have NAV & CG, but do not use CG because of some very techincal reasons that apply to my usage more than maybe an "average" user's. CG can actually cause more problems than it traps under certain circumstances.
I have an early version of Norton Internet Security, but never installed or tested it. The early versions had some bugs that did not get me enthsed about the product, and at the time, AtGuard and BlackICE Defender were working very well in tandem. At the moment, I don't run BiD since I don't mainain a braodband connection right now (just dial up).
starlifter
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by Joespaniel:
Eventually, I'm probably going to start using ZA, too.
Yup. You can see the UGO directory sources in the screenshot I posted yesterday.
That looks great! You nailed that ad! Let us know what you think of ZA after using it for a couple days. What speed is your CPU, and how fast is your connection tot he Internet? do you notice an overall speedup, slowdown, or no change when ZA is active? My whole system is faster with AtGuard active, as I found out yesterday. But a big part of that is my slow (450MHz & 44K) speeds.
Eventually, I'm probably going to start using ZA, too.
Switch625
I don't care.
Not a problem for me, as I use Win98. I shouldn't have any trouble with AtGuard. After purchasing the SE upgrade for Win98, I resolved that I would never again shell out money (which I can ill-afford) for another MS operating system.
Absolutely, but it would seem that you don't need them since you have AtGuard.
Popup Stopper just crushes popup windows. Nothing else.
PurgeIE dumps the internet cache of Internet Explorer, as well as clearing out all the tracking data that IE saves to your hard drive. Did you know that IE keeps track of EVERYTHING YOU DO on the internet? Did you also know that this data is kept in hidden and protected folders, so the average person cannot find it, nor could they delete it if they somehow did? PurgeIE takes care of all that. It will also clear out the history and typed URL records as well as helping manage cookies and deleting the ones you don't want. It's a great utility.
I'll have to look into that about CrashGuard. As for firewalls, the only firewall I will ever trust is ZoneAlarm. They were the first to do firewalls right, and I trust their product. The free version of ZoneAlarm is better than many products you have to pay for. That says it all for me.
starlifter
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by Switch:
Why? Because if they adversized the truth, people would not be so quick to take the "easy" way out and use half-baked systems. If your car worked most of the time, but had to be "upgraded" every 2 years for 50% of the MSRP, then the auto company wold not only be out of business and the people outraged, but the management thrown in jail. Why the difference? Because Autos have been around for about 100 years, and people understand them better. They are tangible... you can see it right away if a car is missing a wheel, or 3rd gear does not work, or the gas tank hold 1.3 gallons instead of 18.
In you case (98SE), AtGuard 3.22 should work fine. I really wish Norton/Symantec had continued to develop and support it.
In computer talk forum, there are some freeware file sharing programs that people have posted in the freeware thread that I'm sure can scour the world and locate just about anything. I just started testing them last month after PaleHorse76 and Blue Monday made some excellent posts about them (I'd never tried them before), and they work on more than just MP3s.
I personally think it is a wise thing to go with Win98 over WinME. BTW, MS owes you a working OS, since they do not advertise an OS that works 97% of the time, or crashes only twice a day, or has over 6,000 known and acknowledge, yet unresolved, errors, etc. etc.
Why? Because if they adversized the truth, people would not be so quick to take the "easy" way out and use half-baked systems. If your car worked most of the time, but had to be "upgraded" every 2 years for 50% of the MSRP, then the auto company wold not only be out of business and the people outraged, but the management thrown in jail. Why the difference? Because Autos have been around for about 100 years, and people understand them better. They are tangible... you can see it right away if a car is missing a wheel, or 3rd gear does not work, or the gas tank hold 1.3 gallons instead of 18.
In you case (98SE), AtGuard 3.22 should work fine. I really wish Norton/Symantec had continued to develop and support it.
In computer talk forum, there are some freeware file sharing programs that people have posted in the freeware thread that I'm sure can scour the world and locate just about anything. I just started testing them last month after PaleHorse76 and Blue Monday made some excellent posts about them (I'd never tried them before), and they work on more than just MP3s.
joespaniel
Unescorted Settler
Just installed Zone Alarm Pro, and there are zero pop-ups.
Have'nt seen a single one anywhere, even at RR home.
I did leave banner ads on though, at Thunderfalls request.
I have noticed no change in speed "turning pages" in the forums.
I have Road Runner cable, so its really fast.
My computer is a Chinese no-name (copyright rip-off) IBM compatible.
Unsure of the speeds, but 750 MHz/212 K sounds about right to me.
Its not TOO shabby.
So far, I'm very happy with ZA Pro.
The real test will come later, there are some sites I know with HEAVY pop-up content I want to test.
EDIT: It just killed a pop-up as I submitted this post!
Have'nt seen a single one anywhere, even at RR home.
I did leave banner ads on though, at Thunderfalls request.
I have noticed no change in speed "turning pages" in the forums.
I have Road Runner cable, so its really fast.
My computer is a Chinese no-name (copyright rip-off) IBM compatible.
Unsure of the speeds, but 750 MHz/212 K sounds about right to me.
Its not TOO shabby.
So far, I'm very happy with ZA Pro.
The real test will come later, there are some sites I know with HEAVY pop-up content I want to test.
EDIT: It just killed a pop-up as I submitted this post!
Ohwell
Deity
I won a free vacation to Cancun!
joespaniel
Unescorted Settler
Suuuuuuuuuuuure you did...
Switch625
I don't care.
Originally posted by Ohwell
See ya later! Don't forget to write!
... later Ohwell finds out that the vacation was to Cancun, Alaska, with it's scenic glaciers and unheated cabins. Also, no electricity or running water to spoil the beauty of the arctic wilderness...
joespaniel
Unescorted Settler
Ah. I played with my settings some more and disabled some of the warning boxes.
They were almost as annoying as the pop-ups.
Now its quiet. I like it!
OK, I'm off to pop-up hell (in some other, worse sites). The real test begins!
They were almost as annoying as the pop-ups.
Now its quiet. I like it!
OK, I'm off to pop-up hell (in some other, worse sites). The real test begins!
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I specifically said the ads in the *forum* are not bad, not the main site.
The popups on the main site are pretty bad, so for a while I had a link to panicware.com on the main page and told visitors to download popup stopper. I am not against using popup stoppers when surfing the site...For some reasons, popups are more tolerable if you use IE. For IE, those popups are pop-unders (i.e. minimized) and as you surf the site, the popups open in the same popup window so you only get 1 window. This is another reason why everyone should use IE 6!
starlifter
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Ahhh..... OK. I know the ad you are talking about now. I have always allowed that one, because it is out of the want and not intrusive. If I want to see it, then I can scroll down and look. That is good, and so I allow it.... here is the link, in long form:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=civilizationfana&path=tg/browse/-/909656
I do sacrifice bandwidth for it, but have figured it helps out somehow. And the ad is not offensive or intrusive, or excessively draining on load times, as far as I routinely notice.
Here is a typical Forum Screenshot of what I am referring to:
Thunderfall, do you get credit (or the host) for presentations of the ads that are stored in your \images directory (see my prior post for a list of some specific filenames)?
I would like to know, so I can accomodate as much in terms of unobtrusive ad hitcounts as possible. Since these particular ads are not tied to the source ad server, some mechanism would have to exist, presumabley at your end, to track their presentations.
Thanks.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=civilizationfana&path=tg/browse/-/909656
I do sacrifice bandwidth for it, but have figured it helps out somehow. And the ad is not offensive or intrusive, or excessively draining on load times, as far as I routinely notice.
Here is a typical Forum Screenshot of what I am referring to:
Thunderfall, do you get credit (or the host) for presentations of the ads that are stored in your \images directory (see my prior post for a list of some specific filenames)?
I would like to know, so I can accomodate as much in terms of unobtrusive ad hitcounts as possible. Since these particular ads are not tied to the source ad server, some mechanism would have to exist, presumabley at your end, to track their presentations.
Thanks.
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I am closing thread because we have two threads talking about the same thing.
All I can say is some of you spend too much time worrying about the ads. IMO the popups are the only annoying ones and a simple popup stopper proggy can handle the problem pretty well. Those un-intrusive ad banners should be left alone, because, like I said in previous post, is the only mean of revenue for gaming networks who offer free hosting for sites such as this one.
All I can say is some of you spend too much time worrying about the ads. IMO the popups are the only annoying ones and a simple popup stopper proggy can handle the problem pretty well. Those un-intrusive ad banners should be left alone, because, like I said in previous post, is the only mean of revenue for gaming networks who offer free hosting for sites such as this one.
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