Slashdot Mirror


Google Tests Ads That Load Faster and Use Less Power (bbc.co.uk)

Slashdot reader Big Hairy Ian quotes a report from the BBC: Google says it has found a way to make ads load faster on web pages viewed on smartphones and tablets. The company said the ads would also be less taxing on the handsets' processors, meaning their batteries should last longer. The technique is based on work it has already done to make news publishers' articles load more quickly. But it is still in development, and one expert said Google still had questions to answer. The California-based company's online advertising revenue totalled $67.4 billion last year...
The technique limits the scope of JavaScript, and "provides its own activity measurement tools, which are said to be much more efficient," according to article. A Google software engineer explains that this technique "only animates things that are visible on the screen," and throttles animation to fewer frames per second for weaker devices -- or disables the animations altogether. "This ensures that every device gets the best experience it can deliver and makes sure that ads cannot have a negative impact on important aspects of the user experience such as scrolling."

118 comments

  1. and hosts file is worse than adblock by NotInHere · · Score: 2

    apk is clearly wrong on this.

  2. Longer, Faster, Harder by Ginguin · · Score: 1

    We want to track you for longer, which we can't do because ads drain your battery. Don't worry, we have our customer's best interests in mind. *wink*

    Love, Google

    --
    "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a targeted advertisement" - Adam Harvey
    1. Re:Longer, Faster, Harder by davester666 · · Score: 1

      Hey, if we include less content, there's both room for more ads, and the ads can send more code as well!

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  3. Trump 2016 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Google is going to join altavista very soon.

    1. Re:Trump 2016 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once Trump exposes that company as a CIA/NSA front, you betcha.

    2. Re: Trump 2016 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah like it isn't obvious and therefore needs more exposure...

      The only difference will be that without Hillary in office they will no longer be untouchable.

    3. Re: Trump 2016 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Atleast we have some comfort knowing it will be quick and painless for them, unlike poor yahoo that had to suffer on life support for over a decade.

    4. Re:Trump 2016 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trump's going to make Altavista great again! And Yahoo, is going to PAY US for the firewall!

      Now where's my medication...

    5. Re: Trump 2016 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well he's not almighty but he can help us to prevent Killary from occupying the Whitehouse again, and for most of us that's enough under these circumstances.

      Do take some meds though, you sound like you need them.

  4. I can load them even faster by ark1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    with uBlock origin

  5. Too bad by eksith · · Score: 1

    Too bad I keep JS disabled at all times on mobile for "Best experience"

    --
    If computers were people, I'd be a misanthrope.
    1. Re:Too bad by antdude · · Score: 1

      Too bad that breaks a lot of web sites. :(

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    2. Re:Too bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair, most of them are broken on mobile anyway.

    3. Re:Too bad by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Webpages that don't work without JS ARE broken in the first place. The least I'd expect is some kind of minimal functionality, if you can't provide that, ok, it's fine.

      NEXT!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. the best experience it can deliver by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The ads come with built-in ad blocker?

  7. Boooo google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Back in the day, Google played an important role in showing that relevant ads were better than animated interruptions, punch the monkey banners, sounds coming out of www pages unexpectedly, etc. Now they're optimising performance of the same crap they were making obsolete.

    It's sad but the www was ruined by ads, like email was before it, like TV, radio and printed media.

  8. Here's an idea by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A Google software engineer explains that this technique "only animates things that are visible on the screen," and throttles animation to fewer frames per second for weaker devices -- or disables the animations altogether.

    Here's an idea - how about disabling animation by default, and regardless of device? Annoying animated ads are what drove me to completely block them in the first place.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Here's an idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here's an idea

      Don't bother. Google hasn't listened to user feedback since they became a mega corp.
      They (wrongly assume they) know what's best for you.

    2. Re:Here's an idea by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      They make no such assumption. They simply don't care. And why should they? The numbers spell it out in spades. What marketing says, goes. They read the reports, and then say, "Good work, let's see if we can push a little harder, eh?" They block the complaints like we block the ads. They don't see them. What few get through go straight to the trash, accept the NSLs from the FBI, of course. Those people have a hot line.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    3. Re:Here's an idea by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      The problem is they are in an echo chamber. They only get feedback from people who don't block them altogether, so they cannot know what people who do know how to block their annoying ads want.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:Here's an idea by wvmarle · · Score: 2

      You're not the only one. I don't use my phone much to browse the web, but I do play games and those flashing ads (preferably between the image and its negative for maximum contrast) are really annoying, totally distracting.

      It's not the ads that drive me to use an ad blocker. I don't mind ads, I know websites and games need to get their revenue somehow.

      It's the flashing bits on a web page that are very distracting, it's the pop-up ads that block my view of what I want to read (those apparently unblockable "sign up for our newsletter" ones are also a constant source of irritation), it's the pop-unders that are almost as irritating, it's the floaters that move around and ask you to chase them down before you can start reading what you came for, it's the flashing and moving banners above the game I'm trying to concentrate on.

      Incidentally, ad blockers take away all those annoyances. That they take away the ads as well, that's collateral damage. I don't mind ads not being there.

    5. Re:Here's an idea by hawk · · Score: 1

      I've never blocked anything just for being an ad.

      I do block anything that blinks or moves, including those carousals on news sites, and those bouncy-floating sidebars.

      The consequence is that I see so few ads that I' surprised when one happens.

      On the rare occasion I need a website on my phone, I use ghostly. I'm just plain not a product, and do not want to be tracked.

      hawk

  9. So they invented RAF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    That sounds like a textbook definition of requestAnimationFrame (like setTimeout/setInterval but doesn't run when not visible).

    https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/window/requestAnimationFrame

  10. How about no animated ads? by Dracos · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That would make batteries last much longer.

    1. Re:How about no animated ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about no ads?

    2. Re: How about no animated ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. I'd love to be able to read /. On my phone for more than thirty minutes without completely killing my battery.

    3. Re:How about no animated ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, from $67 billion/year ad revenue to $0 just to appease a few freeloaders? Simply make ads non-annoying and palatable.

    4. Re:How about no animated ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Simply make ads non-annoying and palatable.

      No such thing. Pretty much by definition, advertising is annoying and unpalatable in order to get your attention and convince you to buy shit you don't want.

      How about getting rid of advertising entirely and the enormous industry of waste and bullshit (marketing) that goes along with it?

    5. Re:How about no animated ads? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      But then marketing people would be unemployed and would have to go extinc...

      You have a point, ya know...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    6. Re:How about no animated ads? by tepples · · Score: 1

      How about getting rid of advertising entirely

      How about sites go behind a paywall so you don't have to read them? We could start with...

      To continue reading this comment, donate to my PayPal account

    7. Re:How about no animated ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The web has turned to shit anyway so I'd be fine with that.

  11. Something off the rails by Etcetera · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Something has seriously gone off the rails when an ad/image designer either a) cares directly, and/or b) has insight into device power management and usage.

    You're doing it wrong.

    How about devices, firmware writers, OS writers, library writers, and application writers (browsers in this case) focus on the power management and we keep remote content creators out of the loop. If you need end-to-end awareness of things like this, it's a sign that your different layers are unable to make sane design choices or write sane platform specifications internally. It's also a sign that you don't care about leaking data far and wide to things that should have no need for that info. (cf. Uber and pricing changes when your battery is low.)

    1. Re:Something off the rails by 110010001000 · · Score: 3, Informative

      It is pretty sick as well how people tolerate ads. Jesus Christ. Block all ads people. You aren't "freeloading". The corporations don't give a shit about you.

    2. Re:Something off the rails by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately, ads aren't just a thing for uncaring corporations. They're often the only viable model for people who don't want to make a business model to support their site/service, and don't have the cashflow to sustain it themselves (yes, it can cost a fair bit, especially if you're spending a significant amount of time maintaining the site instead of working so you can pay for it). And no, volunteers don't keep the world going. They definitely help, but people tend to assume they help a lot more than they actually do.

    3. Re:Something off the rails by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about devices, firmware writers, OS writers, library writers, and application writers (browsers in this case) focus on the power management and we keep remote content creators out of the loop.

      How many of those things do you think Google creates? All of them?

    4. Re:Something off the rails by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Ok, then put out "disable ad-blockers if you want me to continue delivering content" and if people really want your content, they will.

      There are also various ways to get people to actively pay for your content, and guess what: People do actually do that, crazy as it may sound to some.

      Sorry, but for FAR too long unscrupulous advertisers have bombarded the people with ads. They should not be surprised that people defend themselves against it.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    5. Re:Something off the rails by tepples · · Score: 1

      How many of those things do you think Google creates? All of them?

      Uh, yeah. Google makes the Android OS and supervises the Nexus phone brand, and it briefly owned Motorola Mobility. Perhaps Etcetera's gripe is that Google owns both the Android business and the DoubleClick and AdWords businesses.

    6. Re:Something off the rails by wvmarle · · Score: 1

      Last time I checked for my phone (and that was pretty recent) all adblockers required root access to even work. That requirement is for most people enough to put them off (even for me and I'm far more tech savvy than average). Installing an ad blocker for a web browser is a lot easier, but it's not the browser I use much on my phone, it's the apps, and that's where the ads annoy me most.

  12. We especially need this in video features by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    Ads in videos, whether pre-roll or interstitial, make a lot of free content possible. But why do so many of the ads stutter and freeze, requiring restart of the vid from the beginning?

    1. Re:We especially need this in video features by wvmarle · · Score: 1

      Then you get to watch the ad twice, why?

  13. Network spyware is remote so thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eric Schmidt for green Pentagon spyware.

  14. "limits javascript" in order to load faster.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    hmmmm... let's expand on that and get rid of the scripting and tracking completely. then the ads will load even faster.... but then, might as well get rid of the damn things completely. there. problem solved. pages load faster, lightning fast at this point. mobile devices last longer on battery. and finally, since it's really all about the page load times and battery life (ya right), lets eliminate all unnecessary scripting, especially scripting that is used for navigation or to display the fucking page content itself. it is entirely possible to build a "responsive" "mobile first" page without any scripting. really, it is. javascript is a crutch for the weak and unskilled (designer)

    1. Re: "limits javascript" in order to load faster.. by BlytheBowman · · Score: 1

      Here is an article about increasing page bloat, especialy "mobile" pages: https://www.soasta.com/blog/pa... This was written in 2015 so I imagine things have gotten a bit worse in the past year.

  15. My battery lasts fine by MrL0G1C · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My battery lasts fine, it's bandwidth that bothers me, reduce that instead.

    --
    Waterfox - a Firefox fork with legacy extension support, security updates and better privacy by default.
  16. Yeah! by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 2

    Oh boy, faster ads, just what I've ALWAYS wanted!!

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
    1. Re:Yeah! by real+gumby · · Score: 1

      Oh boy, faster ads, just what I've ALWAYS wanted!!

      Oh I don't know: If that 30-second pre-roll add flashes by in two frames I'd be perfectly contented not to block it.

  17. Didn't Google already do this years ago.... by BlytheBowman · · Score: 2

    ...only it was in the form of text only ads? I wish ad companies would do text only with a "Click here to learn more about Brand X", but this probaly won't attract the dullards who need shiny, sometimes flashing/seizure inducing ads to get the 2 brain cells they have to rub together. :| (another reason ads on tv are typicaly 30 seconds long when you think they should not have to be longer than 5, maybe 10 seconds long to convey the same message.) I do admit, this new thing sounds pretty impressive from a tech/programming standpoint

  18. You can load them even faster... by gweilo8888 · · Score: 0

    ...by not browsing websites whose content creation you are not willing to support. It costs a lot of money to create quality content, and most people are not willing to pay a cent out of their own pocket for it. By blocking the only remaining avenue for content creators to earn a living from their extremely hard work, you are helping put them out of business, or at the very least to replace them with more poorly-written clickbait drivel. I'm sure you won't concede the point, but the simple fact of the matter is that it's wrong.

    1. Re:You can load them even faster... by bigfinger76 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Will you entertain the idea that ad networks are potential vectors for malware?

    2. Re: You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's why I feel always guilty when browsing. I'm glad google is doing something. I'm eagerly waiting the day when I can finally uninstall ABP.

    3. Re:You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get off my Internet, newbie.

      I can remember when the 'Net lacked ads. It was great, and there was plenty of content.

      Go out of business? Good. They're not needed.

      Advertising is wrong. So suck on that lemon.

    4. Re: You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That day is today! Get ublock origin if you like in browser blocking, and never use abp again!

    5. Re: You can load them even faster... by cryptizard · · Score: 1

      That's not what he meant.

    6. Re:You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bullshit. Most content is user created these days. For free.

    7. Re:You can load them even faster... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      content creators

      If you want me to care about "content creators", you're going to have to call them something other than "content creators". I find that appellation irritating in the extreme. It says absolutely nothing about what they've done to deserve my money.

      I mean, I work very hard on adding value to Slashdot with my shitty comments, so I am also a "content creator". So pay me my money, motherfucker. GIVE ME MY GODDAMN MONEY.

      https://youtu.be/0N4b2dmLZII

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    8. Re:You can load them even faster... by Panoptes · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "By blocking the only remaining avenue for content creators to earn a living from their extremely hard work, you are helping put them out of business"

      I'm more than happy to put sites that depend solely on advertising derived from third-party ad-feed companies out of business. These, more than any other cause, are the monstrosities that have ruined the web experience for so many people and given any form of advertising a bad name.

    9. Re:You can load them even faster... by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      Men, get a real job, you snooty DH ;). You know the kind of job you people sneer at and say it's only a training job that deserve less than the already shitty minimum wage. Want to express your creative talents, do it in your own time, out of your own pocket and like any busker, beg for money.

      Unsympathetic, yep, because to many rich geek/nerd arseholes do not give one fuck about those doing hard work, real fucking work, on shitty minimum wage, not being able to afford a reasonable place to live or much of anything else. You fuckers still demand access to their wallets. Ain't no limit on how rich anal tech types become and still greedily demand to be able empty the wallets of the poorest.

      No fucking protection for advertisements unless they stick to the rules, no fucking screaming, no fucking lies, no false association and no targeting people and absolutely no targeting of minors. PS fucking off with the psuedo celebrity bullshit would also be cool, I would rather pay for some quality in the product being sold than paying the bloated wage of some egoistic dickhead lying to me about how great the product is (which it would be if they had spent the money on the product instead of paying some egoistic dickhead to lie to me about that quality of the product because that quality is missing as they had to pay the dickhead instead).

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    10. Re:You can load them even faster... by Mashiki · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Of course they won't. And until the ad industry gets their shit together then this current scenario won't change and more people will move to block ads. They did this themselves and are doubling down on stupid instead of going "why are people blocking ads..." Oh right, because we fucked up and allow malware authors to ride along on our networks and screw people over.

      Sorry ad people, but using adblockers in some form is basic malware protection these days.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    11. Re:You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uhm.. quality websites with well researched articles are generally subscription based, and no... they almost never have ads.
      In the professional world they're called journals, and fortunately most are going open access so you won't need a subscription anymore.

      So how do they make money then? When the articles are submitted they charge a fee.
      So how do the writers make money then? They get funding through research grants, and the like. Some even do crowd sourcing now.

    12. Re:You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It puts the lotion on it's skin, or else it gets the hose again!

    13. Re:You can load them even faster... by smallfries · · Score: 2

      O'Really?

      When somebody puts a site on the web they are making it publicly available to anybody that wants to connect to it. Trying to to then impose constraints on how people access that content *after making it available* has no moral validity at all. The web was not invented to be "monetised", and fuck corporate apologists like you would try to rewrite history to make it so.

      --
      Slashdot: where don knuth is an idiot because he cant grasp the awesome power of php
    14. Re:You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By blocking the only remaining avenue for content creators to earn a living from their extremely hard work, you are helping put them out of business, or at the very least to replace them with more poorly-written clickbait drivel.

      In most cases, the poorly-written clickbait drivel is more laden with crappy (and often malicious) ads than the others, actually.

      So you are wrong there.

      I'm sure you won't concede the point

      Why would we? It's you who are wrong.

      the simple fact of the matter is that it's wrong.

      No. You don't get to unilaterally decide that. And - this is an actual fact, rather than one you just pulled out of your behind - most evidence indicate that you are wrong in all you just wrote. Now, if you are (or are in league with) producers of poorly-written clickbait drivel, highly dependent on letting any crap flow through your advertising channels, then yes, I can understand your frustration, and I am glad that you are frustrated. You and your ilk can't go out of business too soon. The Internet will thrive just fine without you, and everyone will be better off, except you.

    15. Re:You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahem, fucking paywall your site and if the content is worth then you'll have income. If you go out of business then the shit you're posting is the same clickait drivel 90% of the web is full of.

    16. Re:You can load them even faster... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      My worry is that it becomes an arms race. Advertisers looking for ever more intrusive and annoying ways to bypass ad-blocking. We have already seen attempts to detect ad blockers, and then ad blockers blocking the ad blocker blockers in response.

      In that sense maybe a standard API for adverts, that is extremely limiting and enforces good behaviour in exchange for not getting blocked, might be a good solution. Static images, maximum file size, no javascript, no ping backs, no cookies, maximum 10% of the page, served from the same domain as the rest of the content. That removes most of the scope for malware and the stuff that slows down loading and wastes battery.

      I'd have to give it a trial run, but I'd consider lowering my ad-blocking shields enough to allow that through.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    17. Re:You can load them even faster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck off dickhead.

    18. Re:You can load them even faster... by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      Brave gave them the option to get around this by not only paying people to see ads but to openly vet ads to make sure they're malware free. The major advertising companies turned their nose up at it, though he hasn't given up and is still fighting to get the system in place. I honestly expect that he'll manage with a bit of luck create a new ad network out of it. And with luck, will displace the existing companies.

      Any type of API like that I expect would be abused and exploited heavily.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    19. Re:You can load them even faster... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      It costs a lot of money to create quality content,

      ...and should I ever find a webpage again that contains some, I will gladly turn the adblocker off or even directly support them with my money.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    20. Re:You can load them even faster... by tepples · · Score: 1

      If user-created works are derivatives of other underlying works, such as fan art of video game characters or videos containing music, don't the authors of said underlying works need to be paid?

    21. Re:You can load them even faster... by wvmarle · · Score: 1

      As a content creator on Slashdot you already get the option of switching off ads.

    22. Re:You can load them even faster... by WorBlux · · Score: 1

      Yes the content can be good quality, but the ads are almost universally crap. And i think the subscription model is not very good as well, as many of the sites I visit, I read less than ten articles a month. Allowing a micro-transaction alternative would be great if you could get most of the sites on the same page, or at least a grouping of compatible pages. A monthly subscription fee is split over the sites you actually visit that month, with some bonus or incentive for higher levels.

      TLDR: If the business model is annoying, it deserves to die.

  19. How about Javascript ads? by Alomex · · Score: 1

    How about forbidding Javascript ads over 10K, instead of the not so uncommon 2MB javascript ads presently out there in the wild.

    1. Re:How about Javascript ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      How about forbidding Javascript ads over 10K, instead of the not so uncommon 2MB javascript ads presently out there in the wild.

      Assuming your not blocking them all, why not have a setting which states which kind of ads you will tolerate? Perhaps it could be as simple as 1) Simple text only 2) static images 3) Standard videos that do not auto play 4) everything. Each notch up would also include everything before it.

      Of course, I'm not sure how useful it will be. Are web sites paying attention to the do not track flag?

      Then again, you could no doubt just block everything other than what you will accept, but then by the time I go through that much effort, I'll probably have ublock origin installed. I have noticed of late that I'm using chrome more and just not caring, though if I did make the effort, I'd probably just load firefox which has ublock installed. Of course heavy blocking/filtering also tends to break some sites..

  20. I don't fscking want them in the first place... by advocate_one · · Score: 1

    tossers...

    I have a LIMITED dataplan... they waste MY bandwidth

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  21. I load them never by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I load them never. Adblock liberates internet...

  22. lowest power ads by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

    would be to have no ads at all.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    1. Re:lowest power ads by tepples · · Score: 1

      Have fun paying $5 for a month's subscription every time you find an article through a search engine or an article shared by a friend through email or social media.

    2. Re:lowest power ads by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

      I will have fun. LOTS of fun.

      Now if only I could pay a fee so I no longer had to deal with twits.

      --
      “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    3. Re:lowest power ads by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most search engines already churn out shit results for many topics, so adding paywalls into the mix won't change things much. I already have lots of fun wading through hordes of useless websites in order to find a simple piece of information. If anything everything becoming paywalled might actually be beneficial for this situation since they'd be forced to provide an actual product or service.

      It seems you don't want to face it, but the web has already gone into the shitter, so some radical measure like getting rid of ads might actually rustle enough change to lead to something beneficial, anything that breaks the current status quo would be an improvement. You probably visit less websites now than you did a few years ago and haven't realized it.

    4. Re:lowest power ads by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or I could just go to another site for free.

      The internet and web used to be an ad-free place and people still published stuff (often more useful) on it, so don't give me your entitled millennial excuse for why you don't want to get a real job and deserve your ad revenues.

    5. Re:lowest power ads by tepples · · Score: 1

      Or I could just go to another site for free.

      If several "another sites" in a row all have paywalls, anti-adblock, or other annoyances, how many such "another sites" are you willing to try to visit before giving up?

    6. Re:lowest power ads by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're preaching to the wrong crowd here. Most people on this site (myself included) actually remember a time when the Internet wasn't a corporate cesspit and would actually like to see the advertising, the sponsored content, the social networks and all that burn down to the ground. I'm already "giving up" on casual web browsing because that hypothetical scenario you propose is already a reality, the amount of web sites I go to has been dwindling over the past few years and I see no sign of improvement. Besides, the typical /.'er has niche interests and knows that if the mainstream ad-ridden web were to disappear tomorrow nothing of personal value would be lost.

  23. Re:I'll still block them by OrangeTide · · Score: 0

    Google capitalism and Hillary corporatism hardly seems leftist.

    Hillary's VP pick, Tim Kaine, is well known to be in the pocket of the Virgina coal industry.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  24. Behind The Times by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Why the fuck are browsers animating content that you can't see and/or aren't in your current tab? Games have been using similar optimizations for decades. How about instead of masturbating on the UI, browsers make some fundamental improvements to their rendering engines? You don't need to study this stuff, it's common sense to not waste resources working on things you don't need or can't see the effects of. Browsers known when something is visible or not. Here's how simple it should be:

    OnWindowScrollBySomeAmount visibleSet, hiddenSet = getAnimatedObjs().filter(isVisible); visibleSet.resumeAnimations(); hiddenSet.pauseAnimations();
    OnSwitchTab: oldTab.pauseAnimations(); newTab.resumeAnimations();

    That's not the most efficient way to implement it but it would work. You'd also need a setting to allow the user to play videos+sound in background tabs so they can listen to something while browsing elsewhere, but GIFs should always be halted when not visible.

  25. Also in the news by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Consumers, on the other hand, are looking for ways to block ads faster and with less power consumption.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  26. Re:I'll still block them by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    If that's your reason, you're doing it wrong.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  27. View and click fraud by tepples · · Score: 1

    served from the same domain as the rest of the content

    Once this is the case, how will publishers* be able to reassure advertisers that reported impressions and clicks are real, not fraudulent?

    * In ad industry jargon, a "publisher" is the operator of a site on which ads are placed.

    1. Re:View and click fraud by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The view tracking needs to be on the back end, with some kind of trusted server (virtual machine) appliance or something. Or just accept that this form of tracking is unacceptable and they will have to rely on click-through rates and audits.

      To be clear, if you want my browser to display your content, you play by my rules even if it's inconvenient. The alternative is your ads get blocked, so take your pick.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:View and click fraud by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pay them by results - defined as "leads from this ad that converted into a bona-fide inquiry or sale (with 'sale' weighted quite a lot more than 'inquiry')" - not by views.

      That would incidentally put the onus on publishers to make sure that the ads they show are appropriate to their audience.

    3. Re: View and click fraud by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      How do TV shows prove they have that many impressions: Sampling and spot checking; should work well enough on the net as well

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
  28. "Happy god" or "author of works" by tepples · · Score: 1

    If you want me to care about "content creators", you're going to have to call them something other than "content creators". I find that appellation irritating in the extreme.

    FSF isn't a big fan of the term "content creator" either, which sounds too much like "happy god". So mentally replace these terms with the terms used in the actual U.S. copyright statute: "creator" becomes "author", and "content" becomes "works".

    It says absolutely nothing about what they've done to deserve my money.

    With the terminology issue hopefully out of the way: How do we encourage people to continue being an "author of a work of substantial length"?

  29. MC/Visa swipe fees by tepples · · Score: 1

    and like any busker, beg for money.

    The difference is that online transaction fees are a lot higher than those for a busker operating in person. Someone seeking online donations has to deal with the payment card industry's swipe fees, which can overwhelm the small donations that buskers tend to receive. Bitcoin isn't the answer either, as the Chinese mining cartel has driven up transaction fees to be near those of plastic by refusing to accept the years-overdue hard fork to increase the block size.

  30. Buying a month's subscription for one article by tepples · · Score: 2

    Uhm.. quality websites with well researched articles are generally subscription based

    :
    Which means readers end up turned away when they try to read one article that was found through a search engine or shared through social media. People have shown themselves unwilling to buy a whole month's worth of access just to read one article.

    1. Re:Buying a month's subscription for one article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then do as some electronic schematic repositories are doing and provide some number of free units of content per unit of time to non-subscribers, for example one or two downloads a day in the case of the aforementioned schematic sites. My need for those is very sporadic so that system works for me, while the people making a living off of electronics repair pay for unlimited access.

      People just looking to read one or two articles won't be turned away and badmouth you nor drain you of significant resources while you reap the benefits of a subscription-based audience.

  31. What "minimal functionality" for a browser game by tepples · · Score: 1

    Webpages that don't work without JS ARE broken in the first place. The least I'd expect is some kind of minimal functionality, if you can't provide that, ok, it's fine.

    I'm interested in implementing "some kind of minimal functionality" for a page on my website. Currently JSNES Arcade requires JavaScript for its core function of interpreting a video game and displaying its graphics. What "kind of minimal functionality" would be appropriate here?

    1. Re:What "minimal functionality" for a browser game by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      A button where I can download it and play it locally.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  32. Testing battery consumption of your ads by tepples · · Score: 1

    Something has seriously gone off the rails when an ad/image designer either a) cares directly, and/or b) has insight into device power management and usage.

    "I've designed an ad and tested it on my phone. Doing it this way makes the battery go from 90% to 85% in x amount of time while displaying the ad on loop; doing it another way makes it take twice as long." Now how is this insight "off the rails"?

  33. What happened to just having text ads? by Rexdude · · Score: 1

    I remember when the text ads next to Google search were touted as a good thing as they were unobtrusive and people clicked on them more often than on banners and popups. Having blocked ads for nearly 20 years now, I dunno what they're doing but have they started showing image and video ads too?

    --
    "..One hosts to look them up, one DNS to find them, and in the darkness BIND them."
  34. Downloadable version for which OS? by tepples · · Score: 1

    A button where I can download it and play it locally.

    Would it be acceptable if the downloadable version of a web application required you to run a webserver on localhost in order to serve the JavaScript files to your browser? Or if you meant a downloadable native app, for which operating system should this native app be produced?

    Would it be acceptable if the play button is available without charge but requires JavaScript to use, and the download button works without JavaScript but requires payment to obtain? Or what am I missing?

    1. Re:Downloadable version for which OS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or if you meant a downloadable native app, for which operating system should this native app be produced?

      In your previous example the application in question is native to the NES so it seems you've already made up your mind. Just provide the native NES ROM file and let the user decide where and how to run it, like emulators or actual hardware (official or clone) through reprogrammable cartridges.

  35. Re: What "minimal functionality" for a browser gam by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck your site with your little Google text ad at the top that I happily blocked. I then reverse engineered all your programs and rewrote them for all OS's. I will be uploading all the files to a torrent tonight. :P.

  36. CPALead by tepples · · Score: 1

    What you describe sounds like "cost per action". I've seen where that has gone in the past with networks like CPALead where sites require you to sign up for a free trial of something (with your credit card number so it can auto-renew) or download and install a Windows-only, binary-only application before a page will display.

  37. Pay for ROM by tepples · · Score: 1

    Would it be acceptable if the play button is available without charge but requires JavaScript to use, and the download button works without JavaScript but requires payment to obtain? Or what am I missing?

    In your previous example the application in question is native to the NES so it seems you've already made up your mind. Just provide the native NES ROM file

    Would it be acceptable if the play button is available without charge but requires JavaScript to use, and the "Download ROM for use in FCEUX or PowerPak" button works without JavaScript but requires payment to obtain?

    1. Re:Pay for ROM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's your product - you can do whatever you want with it and charge whatever you want for it. You don't have to provide anything if you don't want to. I don't see why it has to be 'acceptable' to do as you please with your own property.

    2. Re:Pay for ROM by tepples · · Score: 1

      Then let me express it a different way: If a resource were available in two forms, one without charge requiring JavaScript and the other without JavaScript requiring payment, would users be more likely to A. enable JavaScript, B. pay, or C. leave?

    3. Re:Pay for ROM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess it depends on how attractive/desirable your resource is to your target audience, and/or how much of your target audience is averse to JavaScript. IMO nerds might be harder to convince to go against their principles, but at the same time they might be easier to convince to pay for a niche product. I don't see a way to come up with a generalized answer to your question.

    4. Re:Pay for ROM by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Considering that there are quite a few options to play NES cartridges, I'd probably go for C.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  38. What "minimal functionality" for Cookie Clicker by tepples · · Score: 1

    Eliminating the NES from the equation:

    I imagine that Orteil, developer of the game Cookie Clicker, might be interested in implementing "some kind of minimal functionality" for a page on his website. Currently the game requires JavaScript for its core function of executing game rules and displaying its graphics. What "kind of minimal functionality" would be appropriate here? How could a game written in JavaScript be made downloadable? Are you referring to providing a zipfile with all game assets and then hoping the user knows how to override Chrome's default policy of not allowing XMLHttpRequest to the file: URL scheme? Overriding this policy requires closing all tabs and restarting Chrome with the --allow-file-access-from-files command-line option.

    Likewise with the game Pirates Love Daisies.

  39. Too bad you can't prove me wrong here then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can adblock+ do 16 things hosts do 4 speed, security & reliability:

    1.) Protect vs. bad sites (past ads)
    2.) Protect vs. fastflux botnet C&C servers
    3.) Protect vs. dynamic dns botnet C&C servers
    4.) Protect vs. DGA botnet C&C servers
    5.) Protect vs. downed DNS (reliability)
    6.) Protect vs. DNS redirect poisoned/downed dns
    7.) Protect vs. trackers
    8.) Protect vs. spam payloads
    9.) Protect vs. phish payloads
    10.) Protect vs. caps
    11.) Get past dns blocks
    12.) Keep off dns request logs
    13.) Speed up 2 ways (adblocks & hardcodes)
    14.) Work on anything webbound multiplatform.
    15.) Ez data edit
    16.) Block ads more efficiently in cpu/ram/I-O us

    * ANSWER ="NO" on ab+ or @ ALL

    APK

    P.S.=> Ab+ does less vs. hosts less efficiently (a 128-151mb memory hog http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte...)

    ClarityRay defeats it

    Ab+'s bribed not to work by default http://www.businessinsider.com...

    AdBlock's SLOWER: http://superuser.com/questions...

  40. UBlock = inferior + inefficient vs. hosts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    UBlock can't do these as well as (or @ all) hosts do 4 speed, security, & reliability:

    1.) Protect vs. bad sites (past ads)
    2.) Protect vs. fastflux botnet C&C's
    3.) Protect vs. dyndns botnet C&C's
    4.) Protect vs. DGA botnet C&C's
    5.) Protect vs. downed DNS (reliability)
    6.) Protect vs. DNS poisoned dns
    7.) Protect vs. trackers
    8.) Protect vs. spam payloads
    9.) Protect vs. phish payloads
    10.) Protect vs. caps
    11.) Get past dns blocks
    12.) Keep off dns request logs
    13.) Speed up 2 ways (adblocks/hardcodes)
    14.) Work on anything webbound multiplatform.
    15.) Ez data edit
    16.) Block ads more efficiently in cpu/ram/I-O use
    17.) UBlock now uses hosts (no DNS benefits vs. dns issues) - poor imitation = "sincerest form of flattery"

    Hosts = native vs. illogically "Bolting on 'MoAr'" & not ClarityRay blockable like addons.

    APK

    P.S.=> Hosts (1st resolver) do MORE w/ less in fast kernelmode & before slow usermode addons

    Hosts ~3mb vs. UBlock = 64MB -> http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte...

  41. Re: What "minimal functionality" for a browser gam by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

    Readable source, developer blog, bug tracker and notes on same, lists of currently played games. There's a lot you can provide. I suppose for a minimal version, I would expect a static image, an auto refresh, and a link for every button in the new controller, talking to a node.js backend. Slow and unplayable, sure. But you could actually knock it out in a week or so. But, more realistically,new can distinguish between a web page, and a web application.

    --
    Your ad here. Ask me how!
  42. Re: What "minimal functionality" for a browser gam by tepples · · Score: 1

    Readable source, developer blog, bug tracker and notes on same, lists of currently played games.

    Wouldn't "Readable source" enable others to make available modded, rebranded versions, thereby requiring severe changes to a proprietary game's revenue model? Wouldn't a bug tracker need some sort of policy to keep bugs private to block cheating by reading and exploiting others' bugs? And by "currently played games", did you mean a list of instances of this game in progress, or did you mean other game products that the developersimfile have been playing over the past several weeks?

    But, more realistically,new can distinguish between a web page, and a web application.

    There appears to be a vocal minority on Slashdot who is of the opinion that "web applications" should never have existed in the first place, that apps should be made in Qt/C++ and not HTML/CSS/JavaScript.

  43. Re: What "minimal functionality" for a browser gam by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

    It seems to be a NES emulator. So, I actually meant "ROMs currently being played." Similar lack of concern about people hacking their own clients. And it is in JS, so it's totally modifiable already, but probably with minimized JS.

    I'm big on the "web applications should die in a fire." line of thinking. I've never been keen on running arbitrary code on my computer, even if it is sandboxed (build a perfect sandbox, and then, maybe). Also, it's pretty high cost in terms of overhead, downloading, ability to parse via computer, etc. Maybe if they didn't try to turn a bunch of web content into web apps, I wouldn't hate all web apps reflexively.

    There's also the SaaS, forced upgrades, inability to own your own software problem I have with it, so it's possible that even if used well, I wouldn't like them.

    --
    Your ad here. Ask me how!
  44. Re: What "minimal functionality" for a browser gam by tepples · · Score: 1

    It seems to be a NES emulator.

    As I wrote in this comment, I was hoping for a more general reply that didn't take advantage of the fact that this particular browser game operated by emulating an NES. For another browser game that does not operate by emulating a classic video game console, would I need to make three versions: one for Windows, one for macOS, and one for X11/Linux?

    So, I actually meant "ROMs currently being played."

    As I wrote in this comment, would you be fine with the following choices, or would you instead leave?

    • A. Play now without charge (requires JavaScript)
    • B. Purchase ROMs for use with emulator or PowerPak (requires PayPal or major credit card)

    I've never been keen on running arbitrary code on my computer, even if it is sandboxed (build a perfect sandbox, and then, maybe).

    If an application is available for download, it is also "arbitrary code". How do you run it?

  45. Re. oogle Tests Ads That Load Faster and Use Less by alifared · · Score: 1

    i hope so i need to work with google and add google ads to my site http://www.fiverralarab.com/ i will be happy if Tests Ads That Load Faster