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You mean something like this ? http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... It blocks more than ads too, as it includes scam & malware sites.

I've been using this hosts file for about 10 years. http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

A dose of your own medicine used against you, perfectly (AdBlock hacked) -> http://news.slashdot.org/comme...

* Had enough FAILING on your end yet? Keep coming... this is great practice!

(@ Annihilating TECHNICALLY WEAK wannabes... like you!)

APK

P.S.=> Want to make ads work for 1 site only? Rename hosts to hostsX for example while you're @ that site, it'll show its ads - then, when you're done there? Rename it back (a simple batchfile from MVPS does that for you in fact -> http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... ) - Clue: YOU FAIL YET AGAIN... as always!

... apk

I just don't understand how people that are a little bit tech savvy cope with ads. The first things I do on a new computer (mine or a relative/friend)is:

  - install Adblock Plus on all the browsers that support it;

  - tweak the host file to block know ads/malware domains
I haven't seen an ad in years, the web feels so quiet when you browse like that, without popups, flashes, animations, everyone crying for your attention...
Android? Rooted smartphone/tablet? No problem! Here is AdAway, basically tweaking the hosts file on the Android Linux, the same way that you do on a Windows PC.
Apple still eludes me, as my only iOS device, an iPad2 is not jailbroken, so I don't really know what's out there for it, so I still see lots of ads when browsing with it... Maybe that's the reason it's the device I do the least browsing with..

I recommend flashing your router with DDWRT if it is available to you, and then finding the walkthroughs to use that hostfile at the router level as an init script.
Even a cheap Netgear might do (research exact models on their official list first), if you want to slave it as an access point that will be blocking ads for everything on your home network. I personally have some quirks with the script where it is only running manually on every boot, but it is great to see even my way-outdated cheap devices fail to grab ads, without needing to configure each OS or browser-complement list too much.

Most of what browsers waste resources on (besides video streams, which are heavy) will fall into ad and tracking calls.
A central ad-blocking system really speeds up mobile browsing experience and probably has a small effect on bandwidth, battery live and my patience.

I just don't understand how people that are a little bit tech savvy cope with ads. The first things I do on a new computer (mine or a relative/friend)is:
  - install Adblock Plus on all the browsers that support it;
  - tweak the host file to block know ads/malware domains
I haven't seen an ad in years, the web feels so quiet when you browse like that, without popups, flashes, animations, everyone crying for your attention...
Android? Rooted smartphone/tablet? No problem! Here is AdAway, basically tweaking the hosts file on the Android Linux, the same way that you do on a Windows PC.
Apple still eludes me, as my only iOS device, an iPad2 is not jailbroken, so I don't really know what's out there for it, so I still see lots of ads when browsing with it... Maybe that's the reason it's the device I do the least browsing with..

Google analytics and ads are everywhere

Blocked in my 'hosts' file. See: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

Hmmm, as I recall, Microsoft shipped something which was so completely not Java as to be laughable.

They'd taken an existing language, which was intended to be cross platform, and injected (as they usually do) their own platform-specific functions ... and still tried to pass it off as Java.

But code written to use those extensions wouldn't run anywhere else. Which means Microsoft basically broke the language and the cross-platform intention.

The Microsoft/Java issue was about intentionally breaking compatibility by adding their own crap.

Now, contrast that to someone taking the exact same API interfaces, and implementing them properly for compatibility. Further, look at the fact that API interfaces from UNIX have been duplicated for literally decades in order to make something which uses the same interface and allows for code portability. The interface is what you publish to allow others to use it.

So, if you want consistency, you have to remember these are actually two different issues.

Microsoft didn't adhere to the published interfaces, and just decided to add their own. That was Sun's lawyers.

Now, Oracle is saying "you can't copy our API interface because it's super secret and copyrighted". This is Oracle's lawyers.

Google is saying "you're idiots, this is how programming has worked for decades".

So, we agree you should be able to adhere to the API interface for compatibility sake. We also don't think you should be doing what Microsoft did, and do their usual "embrace/extend/extinguish" crap.

And when they got told they weren't allowed to embrace and extend, they dropped it altogether and came out with .NET.

Oracle is actually making a different argument than Sun was at the time.

You forgot a step if you are running 8.*. If you only do what you have, then Windows Defender will reject your edits as being "malicious".

See here to fix that:

http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

Maybe I'm missing some thing here but it seems like a edit to a local hosts file could resolve this.

You're not the only one who uses hosts files like this. When Flash ads first appeared on Slashdot, I started blocking servers that send Flash ads. (I'll never buy Splunk because it was the first thing I ever saw advertised in a Flash ad.) I've since switched to click-to-play plug-ins for that, but I have written a few thoughts on how to make hosts file parsing more efficient than it currently is.

Alex P. Kowalski (APK) has long been an advocate of using hosts files for DNS blacklisting and acceleration, and his tool for Windows aggregates multiple sources over a million lines long. It also looks up the IP addresses for commonly accessed sites and caches them locally. He claims that his tool is more efficient than DNS because the operating system's hosts file parser allegedly runs in kernel space (fewer context switches) and the most commonly accessed sites (good or bad) are at the top of the list.

But lately, Windows Defender has been reverting the hosts file so that malware can't use the hosts file to redirect Facebook and the major webmails and "steal" users' credentials that way. You have to opt out of hosts file protection if you want to continue using APKware.

"check out an enhanced hosts file at http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200..." - by NeverVotedBush (1041088) on Tuesday March 17 2009, @01:42PM (#27228373)

I'm well aware of you using them in fact since I have 100's of quotes of folks from this site who use hosts for a variety of purposes - you're one of them, see above (love your nickname/handle here by the by - I'm the same).

(Kudos to you for being intelligent enough to realize they are a BETTER WAY of doing things from 1 single file for more speed, security, reliability, & more online...!)

APK

P.S.=> Sorry for the delay in response reply - just busy as all get-out here with real life & what-not! apk

The Win hosts file path +4 informative? This is informative! :) Block ads and other nasty stuff via hosts file on Win/Mac/Linux.

Fix your hosts .. your internet browsing will speed up tremendously.

http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 18 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

"Ad blocking hosts file, I use it as an adult ;-) http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho..." - by RJFerret (1279530) on Friday June 22, 2012 @01:15AM (#40407983)

"Yes. HOSTS files. Exchange HOSTS files. Manually merge and edit them." - by idontgno (624372) on Tuesday March 11, 2014 @05:12PM (#46457983)

"etc/hosts - 127.0.0.1 block.this.com (there are tons of blacklists, pick one or several and add an entry for each" - by technosaurus (1704630) on Friday June 22, 2012 @12:37AM (#40407683)

So what's that you said in your words quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 16 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

"After much gnashing of teeth, I discovered it was undetectable by any known virus checker I use (AVG, Malwarebytes, Spybot), so I had to dig deeper. It turned out that the malware was using any references to 127.0.0.1 (local machine) for it's hook. All I had to do was edit the HOSTS file and add the domain names of the miscreant with a reference to a different IP address that is known to be a deadend (you could, for example, use 127.7.7.7). When the malware couldn't execute, it couldn't disable the various malware detectors, and several files were then identified and removed." - by by CAOgdin (984672) on Tuesday June 04, 2013 @01:18PM (#43906343)

"HOSTS file http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho..." - by schwit1 (797399) on Friday January 17, 2014 @05:27PM (#45992149)

"^^^^^ EXACTLY!!! I've been using a hosts file for years. Best thing I ever did." - by mrbcs (737902) on Saturday January 18, 2014 @12:26AM (#45996149)

So what was that you said in your words quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 15 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

"Ads are also vectors for information gathering and tracking across the web, which is why it is perfectly justifiable to cut them off at the ankles, right in your hosts file." - by drooling-dog (189103) on Sunday March 17, @10:55AM (#43196845)

"The hosts file can be effective for all traffic from a single machine." - by P. Don (2867899) on Sunday March 17, @01:44PM (#43197711)

"It lives in C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts on windows systems at least up till win7. Here is an add-block hosts file: http://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverl... This info is brough by a Linux user... :-)" - by Yaa 101 (664725) on Sunday March 17, @10:42AM (#43196767)

"I do it on the /etc/hosts level on my dns server. You can find large lists of ad domains that can be added to your hosts file with 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0 to cause them to fail. This covers all machines on your network that use your dns server. The one I use is http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... however they have become slow with updating it. You might want to invest some time in looking for one that is updated more frequently." - by qwertyatwork (668720) on Sunday March 17, @10:39AM (#43196749)

"I also install a Host's file which does a good job at blocking ad's (I don't buy a platform that I can't install at least that)." - by dehole (1577363) on Saturday April 20, @12:21PM (#43504151)

So what was that you said in your words quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 13 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

"127.0.0.1's in my hosts file. Some shady ads do cause trouble, and similar methods can be used to block some troublesome non-ads." - by KingAlanI (1270538) on Friday November 23, @06:06PM (#42077587)

"I haven't seen an ad online since 2004 since I learned about Privoxy, and the hosts file modification" - by ksemlerK (610016) on Friday November 23, @10:29PM (#42079275)

"My frustration with ads in the in-game browser from the steam overlay led me learn about and begin using hosts files." - by Scorch_Mechanic (1879132) on Friday November 23, @10:30PM (#42079283)

"I have a scheduled process (twice a month) to download (and rename and properly place) this fine file: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... Entirely free, works VERY VERY well." - by NealBScott (1168201) on Thursday November 29, @10:39AM (#42130127)

"a modified hosts file when I'm at home in Safari on my Mac, I haven't seen an ad in months, let alone one following me around." - by Anubis IV (1279820) on Thursday December 06, @06:28PM (#42210239)

"hosts is useful" - by crutchy (1949900) on Saturday August 25, @09:41PM (#41126337)

"Indeed, I have used modified HOSTS files myself at times to deal with specific sites." - by damn_registrars (1103043) on Monday January 21, @07:36PM (#42652623)

So what's that you said in your words quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 10 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

"HOSTS file FTW! This really is the best method. Its cross-platform and no matter what strategies the ad people try" - by gad_zuki! (70830) on Thursday February 05 2009, @11:40AM (#26737963)

"Recommendation 2: Go line and look for hosts files people have put available on the web. Copy it and save it. I once had a hosts file that was about 2 megs in size. Considering it is plain text that was a LOT of sites it blocked. It was my own little slice of heaven" - by furby076 (1461805) on Thursday February 05 2009, @11:48AM (#26738109)

"I have several notorious slow adservers in my /etc/hosts" - by jandrese (485) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:00PM (#20263547)

"If you're interested in populating your hosts file, check out http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200..." - by halcyon1234 (834388) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:43PM (#20264387)

"(Ads) they dont bother me at all c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts 127.0.0.2 analytics.google.com" - by Anonymous Admin (304403) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:15PM (#20263863)

"On top of noscript and adblock, I block complete domains with http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... And I also edit the css of the most visited websites with http://userstyles.org/" - by by houghi (78078) on Sunday September 23, @10:09AM (#41427821)

"I use the mvps.org HOSTS file as well, and have been very happy with it." - by drooling-dog (189103) on Sunday September 23, @11:39AM (#41428527)

So what was that you said in your words quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 10 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

"HOSTS file FTW! This really is the best method. Its cross-platform and no matter what strategies the ad people try" - by gad_zuki! (70830) on Thursday February 05 2009, @11:40AM (#26737963)

"Recommendation 2: Go line and look for hosts files people have put available on the web. Copy it and save it. I once had a hosts file that was about 2 megs in size. Considering it is plain text that was a LOT of sites it blocked. It was my own little slice of heaven" - by furby076 (1461805) on Thursday February 05 2009, @11:48AM (#26738109)

"I have several notorious slow adservers in my /etc/hosts" - by jandrese (485) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:00PM (#20263547)

"If you're interested in populating your hosts file, check out http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200..." - by halcyon1234 (834388) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:43PM (#20264387)

"(Ads) they dont bother me at all c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts 127.0.0.2 analytics.google.com" - by Anonymous Admin (304403) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:15PM (#20263863)

"On top of noscript and adblock, I block complete domains with http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... And I also edit the css of the most visited websites with http://userstyles.org/" - by by houghi (78078) on Sunday September 23, @10:09AM (#41427821)

"I use the mvps.org HOSTS file as well, and have been very happy with it." - by drooling-dog (189103) on Sunday September 23, @11:39AM (#41428527)

So what was that you said in your words quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 9 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

"If it's servers on your network you need, you could just stick a hosts file entry on their computers to resolve "webserver" to 10.1.200.34 etc." - by jafiwam (310805) on Wednesday May 13 2009, @02:51PM (#27941723)

"A logon script here loads a hosts file that null-routes a lot of known bad (spyware, etc) sites" - by i.r.id10t (595143) on Wednesday May 13 2009, @03:22PM (#27942211)

"check out an enhanced hosts file at http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200..." - by NeverVotedBush (1041088) on Tuesday March 17 2009, @01:42PM (#27228373)

"Instead of using a filter maybe a hosts file would work better for you" - by falconwolf (725481) on Tuesday March 17 2009, @01:36PM (#27228241)

"I maintain a large hosts file to kill traffic with any server I find to be suspect." - by BrokenHalo (565198) on Thursday February 05 2009, @12:02PM (#26738403)

"I modified my hosts file to black-hole all of the worst offenders with regards to ads/malware" - by orclevegam (940336) on Thursday February 05 2009, @02:02PM (#26740813)

"I've been using a hosts file since around 2003. It blocks out all those ads, popups, spyware,adware, stops alot of virii from calling home, you name it" - by cyberjock1980 (1131059) on Thursday February 05 2009, @11:30AM (#26737795)

So what was that you said in your words quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 8 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

"The hosts file is a popular, cross-platform way of blocking access to certain domains" - by maestroX (1061960) on Monday August 20, @03:43PM (#41058621)

"another cool trick is to set up a host file. http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho..." - by phrostie (121428) on Friday February 17 2012, @11:39AM (#39074805)

"I modify my hosts file directly. I don't need extra shit using resources." - by ElectricTurtle (1171201) on Thursday November 17 2011, @02:56PM (#38088942)

"The fix? Edit my Windows /etc/hosts file" - by mattbee (17533) on Sunday August 30 2009, @04:52PM (#29254321)

"Web browsing is really very fast, provided you turn off advertising. I set them up with a combo of Ad Block Plus on Firefox, and a customised hosts file. They can't believe the difference." - by VShael (62735) on Monday June 29 2009, @11:35AM (#28514655)

"you can also edit the hosts file if all else fails. We have a few (Vista) laptops where we needed to hardconfig LAN side server addresses in the hosts file" - by AndGodSed (968378) on Wednesday May 13 2009, @02:31PM (#27941353)

So what's that you said in your words quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 2 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates which you don't answer yes or no if you work for or have done work for them and their partners/customers, spammers), in your quoted words above:

---

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

"Better than an ad blocker, imo. Hosts file entries: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200... " - by TempestRose (1187397) on Tuesday March 15, @12:53PM (#35493274)

"^^ One of the many reasons why I like the user-friendliness of the /etc/hosts file." - by lennier1 (264730) on Saturday March 05, @09:26PM (#35393448)

"They've been on my HOSTS block for years" - by ScottCooperDotNet (929575) on Thursday August 05 2010, @01:52AM (#33147212)

"I'm currently only using my hosts file to block pheedo ads from showing up in my RSS feeds and causing them to take forever to load. Regardless of its original intent, it's still a valid tool, when used judiciously." - by Bill Dog (726542) on Monday April 25, @02:16AM (#35927050)

So what's that you said quoted above, raymorris?

"You post unwanted promotional messages. Unwanted promotional messages are spam. You are therefore a spammer." - by raymorris (2726007) on Saturday August 09, 2014 @11:56AM (#47637495)

Here's 1 of 20++ evidences in 100's on /. posting on hosts to the contrary (vs you calling others asking honest questions of you here if you work for or do work for advertisers and their affiliates), spammers, in your quoted words above:

"I want my surfing speed back so I block EVERY fucking ad. i.e. http://someonewhocares.org/hos... and http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... FTW" - by UnknownSoldier (67820) on Tuesday December 13, @12:04PM (#38356782)

"this is not a troll, which hosts file source you recommend nowadays? it's a really handy method for speeding up web and it works." - by gl4ss (559668) on Thursday March 22, @08:07PM (#39446525)

"I use a custom /etc/hosts to block ads... my file gets parsed basically instantly ... So basically, for any modern computer, it has zero visible impact. And even if it took, say, a second to parse, that would be more than offset by the MANY seconds saved by not downloading and rendering ads. I have noticed NO ill effects from running a custom /etc/hosts file for the last several years. And as a matter of fact I DO run http servers on my computers and I've never had an /etc/hosts-related problem... it FUCKING WORKS and makes my life better overall." - by sootman (158191) on Monday July 13 2009, @11:47AM (#28677363)

"I actually went and downloaded a 16k line hosts file and started using that after seeing that post, you know just for trying it out. some sites load up faster." - by gl4ss (559668) on Thursday November 17, @11:20AM (#38086752)

So what's that you said raymorris?

I use this on my Android device with AdAway with tremendous success. I also use Android Firewall with some custom rules to block annoying apps from trying to send my data through servers in China, Romania, etc.

Here's my AdAway custom lists:

http://adaway.org/hosts.txt
  http://hosts-file.net/ad_serve...
  http://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/...
  http://someonewhocares.org/hos...
  http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

Use these, and you'll have a nice, clean, tight setup. I also use Squid on my LAN, and my router is configured to send every packet through Squid (custom iptables rules on the router; a Buffalo Wireless running dd-wrt), and on the Squid side, I block about 12,000 separate ad URLs, domains and sites, so again, the experience for anyone on my segment, is nice and clean and fast.

The side benefit of Squid, is that I can see every single request, phone home, ping, malicious or otherwise, that my devices try to do, and I can permit, prohibit, redirect or block entirely based on schedule, as I wish.

You'd be surprised how chatty a standard iPhone and Android device are, without "training" on the Squid/AdAway side.

"Ad blocking hosts file, I use it as an adult ;-) http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho..." - by RJFerret (1279530) on Friday June 22, 2012 @01:15AM (#40407983)

"Yes. HOSTS files. Exchange HOSTS files. Manually merge and edit them." - by idontgno (624372) on Tuesday March 11, 2014 @05:12PM (#46457983)

"etc/hosts - 127.0.0.1 block.this.com (there are tons of blacklists, pick one or several and add an entry for each" - by technosaurus (1704630) on Friday June 22, 2012 @12:37AM (#40407683)

"Use the hosts file to block certain domains from being accessible." - by wickerprints (1094741) on Friday June 22, 2012 @12:57AM (#40407865)

"HOSTS FILES FTW!!!!!" - by noh8rz10 (2716597) on Tuesday September 03, 2013 @12:19AM (#44743131)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"After much gnashing of teeth, I discovered it was undetectable by any known virus checker I use (AVG, Malwarebytes, Spybot), so I had to dig deeper. It turned out that the malware was using any references to 127.0.0.1 (local machine) for it's hook. All I had to do was edit the HOSTS file and add the domain names of the miscreant with a reference to a different IP address that is known to be a deadend (you could, for example, use 127.7.7.7). When the malware couldn't execute, it couldn't disable the various malware detectors, and several files were then identified and removed." - by by CAOgdin (984672) on Tuesday June 04, 2013 @01:18PM (#43906343)

"HOSTS file http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho..." - by schwit1 (797399) on Friday January 17, 2014 @05:27PM (#45992149)

"^^^^^ EXACTLY!!! I've been using a hosts file for years. Best thing I ever did." - by mrbcs (737902) on Saturday January 18, 2014 @12:26AM (#45996149)

"Slashdot was surprisingly one of the first sites I saw that showed an SWF ad for Splunk log analysis software, and whatever server was serving it was the first to get 0.0.0.0'd in my hosts file." - by tepples (727027) on Friday January 17, 2014 @06:24PM (#45993041)

"most ads can be killed with a simple hosts file." - by MightyYar (622222) on Friday January 17, 2014 @06:13PM (#45992891)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"It lives in C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts on windows systems at least up till win7. Here is an add-block hosts file: http://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverl... This info is brough by a Linux user... :-)" - by Yaa 101 (664725) on Sunday March 17, @10:42AM (#43196767)

"I do it on the /etc/hosts level on my dns server. You can find large lists of ad domains that can be added to your hosts file with 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0 to cause them to fail. This covers all machines on your network that use your dns server. The one I use is http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... however they have become slow with updating it. You might want to invest some time in looking for one that is updated more frequently." - by qwertyatwork (668720) on Sunday March 17, @10:39AM (#43196749)

"I also install a Host's file which does a good job at blocking ad's (I don't buy a platform that I can't install at least that)." - by dehole (1577363) on Saturday April 20, @12:21PM (#43504151)

"I find that between my hosts file, my local firewall policy and my router's firewall policy, running apps and browsing the world wide web is a pretty zippy and painless experience. For the few places that fail to run correctly, I just don't go there." - by Em Adespoton (792954) on Tuesday April 30, 2013 @05:11PM (#43594963)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"I haven't seen an ad online since 2004 since I learned about Privoxy, and the hosts file modification" - by ksemlerK (610016) on Friday November 23, @10:29PM (#42079275)

"My frustration with ads in the in-game browser from the steam overlay led me learn about and begin using hosts files." - by Scorch_Mechanic (1879132) on Friday November 23, @10:30PM (#42079283)

"I have a scheduled process (twice a month) to download (and rename and properly place) this fine file: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... Entirely free, works VERY VERY well." - by NealBScott (1168201) on Thursday November 29, @10:39AM (#42130127)

"a modified hosts file when I'm at home in Safari on my Mac, I haven't seen an ad in months, let alone one following me around." - by Anubis IV (1279820) on Thursday December 06, @06:28PM (#42210239)

"hosts is useful" - by crutchy (1949900) on Saturday August 25, @09:41PM (#41126337)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"I have several notorious slow adservers in my /etc/hosts" - by jandrese (485) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:00PM (#20263547)

"If you're interested in populating your hosts file, check out http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200..." - by halcyon1234 (834388) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:43PM (#20264387)

"(Ads) they dont bother me at all c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts 127.0.0.2 analytics.google.com" - by Anonymous Admin (304403) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:15PM (#20263863)

"On top of noscript and adblock, I block complete domains with http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... And I also edit the css of the most visited websites with http://userstyles.org/" - by by houghi (78078) on Sunday September 23, @10:09AM (#41427821)

"I use the mvps.org HOSTS file as well, and have been very happy with it." - by drooling-dog (189103) on Sunday September 23, @11:39AM (#41428527)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"I have several notorious slow adservers in my /etc/hosts" - by jandrese (485) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:00PM (#20263547)

"If you're interested in populating your hosts file, check out http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200..." - by halcyon1234 (834388) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:43PM (#20264387)

"(Ads) they dont bother me at all c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts 127.0.0.2 analytics.google.com" - by Anonymous Admin (304403) on Friday August 17 2007, @01:15PM (#20263863)

"On top of noscript and adblock, I block complete domains with http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... And I also edit the css of the most visited websites with http://userstyles.org/" - by by houghi (78078) on Sunday September 23, @10:09AM (#41427821)

"I use the mvps.org HOSTS file as well, and have been very happy with it." - by drooling-dog (189103) on Sunday September 23, @11:39AM (#41428527)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"you can also edit the hosts file if all else fails. We have a few (Vista) laptops where we needed to hardconfig LAN side server addresses in the hosts file" - by AndGodSed (968378) on Wednesday May 13 2009, @02:31PM (#27941353)

"If it's servers on your network you need, you could just stick a hosts file entry on their computers to resolve "webserver" to 10.1.200.34 etc." - by jafiwam (310805) on Wednesday May 13 2009, @02:51PM (#27941723)

"A logon script here loads a hosts file that null-routes a lot of known bad (spyware, etc) sites" - by i.r.id10t (595143) on Wednesday May 13 2009, @03:22PM (#27942211)

"check out an enhanced hosts file at http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200..." - by NeverVotedBush (1041088) on Tuesday March 17 2009, @01:42PM (#27228373)

"Instead of using a filter maybe a hosts file would work better for you" - by falconwolf (725481) on Tuesday March 17 2009, @01:36PM (#27228241)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"The hosts file is a popular, cross-platform way of blocking access to certain domains" - by maestroX (1061960) on Monday August 20, @03:43PM (#41058621)

"another cool trick is to set up a host file. http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho..." - by phrostie (121428) on Friday February 17 2012, @11:39AM (#39074805)

"I modify my hosts file directly. I don't need extra shit using resources." - by ElectricTurtle (1171201) on Thursday November 17 2011, @02:56PM (#38088942)

"The fix? Edit my Windows /etc/hosts file" - by mattbee (17533) on Sunday August 30 2009, @04:52PM (#29254321)

"Web browsing is really very fast, provided you turn off advertising. I set them up with a combo of Ad Block Plus on Firefox, and a customised hosts file. They can't believe the difference." - by VShael (62735) on Monday June 29 2009, @11:35AM (#28514655)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"Better than an ad blocker, imo. Hosts file entries: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200... " - by TempestRose (1187397) on Tuesday March 15, @12:53PM (#35493274)

"^^ One of the many reasons why I like the user-friendliness of the /etc/hosts file." - by lennier1 (264730) on Saturday March 05, @09:26PM (#35393448)

"They've been on my HOSTS block for years" - by ScottCooperDotNet (929575) on Thursday August 05 2010, @01:52AM (#33147212)

"I'm currently only using my hosts file to block pheedo ads from showing up in my RSS feeds and causing them to take forever to load. Regardless of its original intent, it's still a valid tool, when used judiciously." - by Bill Dog (726542) on Monday April 25, @02:16AM (#35927050)

"you're right about hosts files" - by drinkypoo (153816) on Thursday May 26, @01:21PM (#36252958)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

"I want my surfing speed back so I block EVERY fucking ad. i.e. http://someonewhocares.org/hos... and http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... FTW" - by UnknownSoldier (67820) on Tuesday December 13, @12:04PM (#38356782)

"this is not a troll, which hosts file source you recommend nowadays? it's a really handy method for speeding up web and it works." - by gl4ss (559668) on Thursday March 22, @08:07PM (#39446525)

"I use a custom /etc/hosts to block ads... my file gets parsed basically instantly ... So basically, for any modern computer, it has zero visible impact. And even if it took, say, a second to parse, that would be more than offset by the MANY seconds saved by not downloading and rendering ads. I have noticed NO ill effects from running a custom /etc/hosts file for the last several years. And as a matter of fact I DO run http servers on my computers and I've never had an /etc/hosts-related problem... it FUCKING WORKS and makes my life better overall." - by sootman (158191) on Monday July 13 2009, @11:47AM (#28677363)

"I actually went and downloaded a 16k line hosts file and started using that after seeing that post, you know just for trying it out. some sites load up faster." - by gl4ss (559668) on Thursday November 17, @11:20AM (#38086752)

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

APK

P.S.=> Continued in my next post, outnumbering your b.s. 110++:1 as the ratio in MY favor, proving YOU, wrong - so "argue with the numbers", troll... apk

I can't believe that slashdot users can't do this:

Download, extract, right click, install, reboot.

It is true that the default Windows/Linux hosts file cannot do wildcard matching. However there are some apps like Acrylic or angryhosts which may allow such wildcard functionality. These seem to be Windows only however. For Linux there may be other options like DNS Chef. I am not completely clear however whether DNS Chef would work for this.

Of course hosts file blocking lists like mvps and yoyo would have to be updated to support wildcards. I guess someone could write a simple program to wildcard every domain in those lists and then maybe the list maintainers could be convinced to maintain wildcard versions. I think this is the only way that this DNS based ad blocking can move forward.

Sounds very interesting, except for a few details of my own following-up. Here's the hosts file, from the parent thread that I originally replied to. When I follow and download your stuff, I end up with a .exe executable file, which seems like kind of an untrustworthy hassle to deal with, just to extract a simple hosts file, as I'm (mostly) on Linux (etc). At which point I ran out of time and interest.

I'm sorry, but I am really only interested in seeing hosts file code I can read and install myself. But perhaps I am missing something which you might care to clarify? Please forgive me if this is the case, and feel free to do so.

/etc/hosts

Install once, update if you care to, but it's not essential. Requires no configuration after installation, works for ALL browsers on your system with no setup, does not require the browser to "support" it in any way (i.e., extensions), never ever gets broken by browser updates, works on ancient computers with grossly out-of-date browsers. Works with ANY tcp/ip-based app on your system, really, so it lowers vectors for IM apps, Acrobat, etc.

The first computer I used it on was an 800 MHz G3 iBook with 640 MB RAM. Some people may say a large hosts file will slow down your computer, but I've never seen that happen myself in over a decade of using it on literally every computer I have.

It may not block EVERY ad like a dedicated extension does, but it comes really really close, and I like the fact that it works with all browsers and never requires updating. When I get a new computer, I put the hosts file on and pretty much never touch it again. A handful of sites (like hulu) will not work with an adblocker and it's a manual process to edit the file, but for unix types, that's not a problem. It blocks google's sponsored links so you may need to take that out too, for people who google "sears" and click the first (sponsored) link instead of the first actual link.

No reason not to do security in layers and use it WITH adblocking extensions, I suppose, but I've never felt the need to.

Adblocking Hosts file, doesn't matter which browser, even blocks MMO in-game store.
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

I don't use Adblock, but I've been using this for years. I rarely see an ad unless it's served directly from the site I'm visiting, and it blocks a lot of malware as well. It has something like 16,000 entries, but doesn't seem to slow things down at all.

Just block all the ads from your hosts file on your router that way all your devices will have faster internet.

http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt

Disprove the 17 points of fact hosts give users of them in added speed, security, reliability (especially vs. DNS security redirection flaws & being abused by FastFlux + Dynamic DNS using botnets along with their rogue dns servers), & anonymity (vs. DNS request logs or skirting DNSBL's you don't agree with). You use MORE POWER, cpu cycles, RAM, + other forms of I/O by STUPIDLY "piling on more" when a native part of the OS itself (hosts & the IP stack) can do the job MORE than adequately for all of the benefits noted above (that you can't disprove AND YOU KNOW IT, lol).

"I don't need to respond when you prove my case." - by Ash-Fox (726320) on Saturday May 03, 2014 @02:08PM (#46908877)

Yes idiot - you do: See my subject-line & face that challenge: PROVE my points on hosts wrong... you can't!

---

"I tried your hosts file solution, which in turn generated multi-GB text file to do the equiv of a wildcard block on a domain for your preferred platform (Windows) and it broke windows services preventing DNS resolution from working. Not simply 'just working' ." - by Ash-Fox (726320) on Saturday May 03, 2014 @02:08PM (#46908877)

HEY STUPID: It's widely KNOWN & DOCUMENTED that with LARGE hosts files you MUST turn off the local USERMODE SLOW dns clientside cache service in Windows...

I said THAT to you too, dumbo... funny you "conveniently" omit that... see http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... they even tell you THAT much...

APK

P.S.=> Using more complexity in a CLEARLY FAULTY IN SECURITY "solution" in DNS? Stupid... of course, you're more than welcome per my subject-line above to PROVE ME WRONG (& you can't, bullshitter that you are)...

... apk

It's more than YOU have, that's certain & it fixes your "choice' in DNS & its security issues in redirection issues (kaminsky flaw), vs. FastFluix + Dynamic DNS using botnets too ( & it also speeds you up for resolutions since hosts = 1st resolver queried, locally vs. remotely slower mind you, & in RAM, cached).

FUNNY YOU CAN'T DISPROVE THE 17 POINTS IN FAVOR OF CUSTOM HOSTS FILE USAGE IN GIVING USERS MORE SPEED, SECURITY, RELIABLITY, & ANONYMITY I enumerated here -> http://start64.com/index.php?o...

APK

P.S.=> Here's more (another 6 ontop of the last 4 = 10/100 so far) of what I CAN show you, as to who uses hosts here on /. & why (every p.s. in our conversation will have more):

"Better than an ad blocker, imo. Hosts file entries: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp200... " - by TempestRose (1187397) on Tuesday March 15, @12:53PM (#35493274)

"^^ One of the many reasons why I like the user-friendliness of the /etc/hosts file." - by lennier1 (264730) on Saturday March 05, @09:26PM (#35393448)

"They've been on my HOSTS block for years" - by ScottCooperDotNet (929575) on Thursday August 05 2010, @01:52AM (#33147212)

"I'm currently only using my hosts file to block pheedo ads from showing up in my RSS feeds and causing them to take forever to load. Regardless of its original intent, it's still a valid tool, when used judiciously." - by Bill Dog (726542) on Monday April 25, @02:16AM (#35927050)

"you're right about hosts files" - by drinkypoo (153816) on Thursday May 26, @01:21PM (#36252958)

"APK's monolithic hosts file is looking pretty good at the moment." - by Culture20 (968837) on Thursday November 17, @10:08AM (#38085666)

"I also use the MVPS ad blocking hosts file." - by Rick17JJ (744063) on Wednesday January 19, @03:04PM (#34931482)

... apk

"I want my surfing speed back so I block EVERY fucking ad. i.e. http://someonewhocares.org/hos... and http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... FTW" - by UnknownSoldier (67820) on Tuesday December 13, @12:04PM (#38356782)

"this is not a troll, which hosts file source you recommend nowadays? it's a really handy method for speeding up web and it works." - by gl4ss (559668) on Thursday March 22, @08:07PM (#39446525)

"I use a custom /etc/hosts to block ads... my file gets parsed basically instantly ... So basically, for any modern computer, it has zero visible impact. And even if it took, say, a second to parse, that would be more than offset by the MANY seconds saved by not downloading and rendering ads. I have noticed NO ill effects from running a custom /etc/hosts file for the last several years. And as a matter of fact I DO run http servers on my computers and I've never had an /etc/hosts-related problem... it FUCKING WORKS and makes my life better overall." - by sootman (158191) on Monday July 13 2009, @11:47AM (#28677363)

"I actually went and downloaded a 16k line hosts file and started using that after seeing that post, you know just for trying it out. some sites load up faster." - by gl4ss (559668) on Thursday November 17, @11:20AM (#38086752)

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

That's 4 of 100++...

APK

P.S.=> Per my subject-line above? Addendum: Argue with the numbers... apk

You can see ads? I almost forgot what those were like... Perhaps you shouldn't be using the internet...

Gosh I guess, I've just reinstalled a now Win7 OS (clean) and using the basics, a 455 line HOSTS file from
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... and no ads (something works better as my old HOSTS file blocks too much).

You might consider using a hosts file instead of or in conjunction with. http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

It's well documented how to stop it (stop usermode slow faulty with large hosts files Windows dns clientside dnscache service) http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

Per my subject-line: My program accounts for that @ build time...

( & saves the wasted CPU cycles, RAM, & other forms of I/O wasted on the weak faulty usermode SLOW dnscache in Windows.)

Lastly:

DNS IS LOADED WITH FAULTS - huge ones, when set into recursive mode (and you have to do that for updates iirc) vs. the Kaminsky redirect flaw for well over 1/2 a decade now, even though a patch exists (but 99% of ISP's don't implement it - too much hassle in MX setup).

APK

P.S.=> I'll give Linux 1thing - it has NO SUCH FAULTS with hosts... apk

After an extensive discussion, I must strongly warn against using this tool. In fact, I strongly recommend running several virus scanners on it if you've downloaded.

Follow the discussion in my comments section if you want. The basic summary is that "APK" (always posting anonymously) make several claims that are objectively false and point to a horribly bad comprehension of the whole system, including a claim that hosts files would be case-sensitive (they aren't). With such basic mistakes, one has to doubt the quality of his tool.

In addition, his obnoxious link-spamming to the above comment indicates he's trying to get as many links as possible pointing towards his site, probably to drive traffic, possibly with malicious intent.

If you are interested in 3rd party managed hosts files, there are alternatives available. Google will get you some, this one is just an example and appears to be popular: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

Dear readers:

Please don't be fooled by this moron. He obviously has no idea what he's talking about, so beware of his tool, it can't be good.

1.) hosts files don't deal with full URLs, but with domain-to-IP resolution. They don't do "trailing material". Test this for yourself:
# ping "slashdot.org "
ping: cannot resolve slashdot.org : Unknown host

2.) DNS is case-insensitive. Test this for yourself:
# ping SLASHDOT.ORG
PING slashdot.org (216.34.181.45): 56 data bytes

(emphasis mine)

I would beware to install a tool from someone so ignorant about the basic elements of what his tool claims to provide. As he's obviously link-spamming, too, I would strongly recommend running a virus scan on his tool.

Whether or not his tool does anything useful at all I don't know. If you are interested in having a hosts file managed by a 3rd party, there are alternatives, like this one, for example: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho... - and Google will show you more.

No doubt he will respond to this with more nonsense. Caveat lector.

True.

That is why I advocate hosts blocking which allows my desktops AND mobile devices to block 90% of that ad crap.
i.e.
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ho...

--
First Contact is coming 2024. Are you ready for the answer?

I've been using a hosts file for years. Best thing I ever did.

Works across the system and not just a browser. Awesome. http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm