Anti-Firefox crusader takes fight to new heights
By Sean P. Aune
A web site called Why Firefox Is Blocked is raging a one-site war against Firefox by publishing a script that allows web site owners to block the popular browser. It’s all because of an optional extension that not everyone uses.
Why Firefox Is Blocked showed up on the web earlier this month, and while we have only found one site using the provided script so far (more on that later), it is taking a very noble slant in its battle against the Internet Explorer alternative.
The site is upset by just one Firefox extension, Ad Block Plus, which is not written by Mozilla, nor is it built in to the browser software. As the name suggests, Ad Block Plus, allows you to block ads built into sites. Why Firefox Is Blocked is upset because the extension stops site owners from generating revenue. Because it can’t block just the extension, Why Firefox Is Blocked has launched a campaign to block Firefox all together.
While Ad Block Plus is currently the second most popular extension, users still have to actively search it out and install it.
There are some unsubstantiated claims on Why Firefox Is Blocked about Firefox’s current usage and why adding the supplied code will not harm your site:
Demographics have shown that not only are FireFox users a somewhat small percentage of the internet, they actually are even smaller in terms of online spending, therefore blocking FireFox seems to have only minimal financial drawbacks, whereas ending resource theft has tremendous financial rewards for honest, hard-working website owners and developers..
Looking at TECH.BLORGE.com’s own statistics, I can see that over 40% of our visitors are using Firefox to view the site. If we were to follow this site’s suggestion, 2 out of every 5 visitors would be blocked from viewing our content because an unknown percentage of them are using an extension.
The site also links to two sites with obvious biases against Firefox; Firefox Myths and a two and a half year old essay on Firefox as a religion. These links suggest this may go a little deeper than a simple noble fight against an extension that aids in the “theft” of a site’s services.
Looking into the WHOIS domain information for the site, it shows as being registered to a Danny Carlton of Catoosa, OK. A simple Google search on the gentleman’s name led me to JackLewis.net, and one more domain lookup later shows the owner of this site is the same as WhyFirefoxIsBlocked.com. Oddly enough, this is the only site we’ve so far encountered that blocks our copy of Firefox, which does not have Ad Block Plus installed by the way.
More searching and one may finally be on to some of the impetus behind his desire to see Firefox go away, and that would be his web design business located at DannyCarlton.com. DannyCarlton.com links to a number of sites that sport Google Adsense advertising, including Wikipedia is Trash and Tech Articles. Interestingly, these sites do load on Firefox.
TECH.BLORGE.com contacted Carlton to find out what his motivations were.
”This all boils down to Ad Block Plus refusing to allow site owners the right to block browsers using their plug-in. It’s about the freedom to control your own work,” Carlton told TECH.BLORGE.com.
Calton also said he’d been receiving emails from Firefox users, and that he wasn’t impressed with the people who had contacted him.
“Based on the emails and phone calls from Firefox users over the past 24 hours, Mozilla could serve their users best by offering literacy classes, since not one person who has emailed or called has demonstrated even a basic level of reading comprehension,” Carlton said.
“I’m sure there are some intelligent Firefox users out there (I know a few) but I am baffled why Mozilla seems to be most vocally represented by foul-mouthed crackpots and deadbeats.”
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Read more entries by Sean P. Aune.
August 18th, 2007
I have to admit that I don’t like Ad Block either but I would never go as drastic as blocking Firefox.
August 18th, 2007
There is a plug-in for firefox called User Agent Switcher that can make fire fox look like IE or Opera… just spreading the word…
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59
ALSO there are ad blocking plug-ins for every browser… I know you weren’t saying this guy was right.. I’m just posting this info everywhere I can…
August 18th, 2007
Well, JackLewis.net isn’t using user-agent sniffing to block Firefox… rather he is testing to see if the browser understands the document.all tag. which is an IE non-standard, but is implemented in browsers other than Firefox in order to read non-standard sites. You’ll likely need to make a Greasemonkey script to thwart that one.
August 18th, 2007
Quem não entende a web que levante a mão e bloqueie o firefox
Um idiota aí criou uma pagineta (link com camisinha) incentivando os donos de site a bloquear o Firefox, por causa da AdBlock Plus, uma extensão que permite ao usuário bloquear anúncios.
O cara que fez isso obviamente não entendeu ainda como funci…
August 19th, 2007
Lies and fabrications in the story…
1. I am not anti-Firefox. I am simply blocking Firefox as the only way to block AdBlockPlus
2. I am not waging a war against FireFox. I’m trying to keep people from stealing resources.
Even after explaining all that on the site, my blog and in several emails, you still failed to get the facts, and you have the unmitigated gall to refer to yourselves as “journalists”?
Meanwhile you are contributing to the attack on my sites by zealots who seem to worship FireFox as a religion. Last night they used up 32g of bandwidth in defense of what they perceive is their cult. 22g of that was from 10 people who are now blocked.
August 19th, 2007
Sounds like you have some very inefficient pages there if 10 people were able to use up 32 gigs of your bandwidth.
Although… 32 gigs of bandwidth is still child’s play.
And really, if you’re that worried about your “resources” being stolen… you probably shouldn’t be on the Internet.
August 19th, 2007
looks like the http://whyfirefoxisblocked.com/
has been hacked wish i knew who did it id give them a few hundred dollars way to go
August 19th, 2007
With the sheer amount of add ons and scripts that are available to the open source browser we know as Firefox, you would think it’d be easier to just install a code to ignore or block Ad Plus. This man’s reasons sound like the fanatical ravings of the religious zealots that live in my local area. Don’t stereotype an entire user populous thinking that condemning the programming is going to help you start/win a battle against them. Not all Firefox users are thieves and pirates out to get you.
August 20th, 2007
Mr. Carlton,
There are no lies in this piece, and fabrications are a matter of perspective. If you are blocking Firefox, and actively promoting your method to block it, you are anti-Firefox.
We contacted you in a friendly manner asking you for clarifications, you chose to insult not only myself, but Firefox users in general. We were merely trying to provide you with the opportunity to better explain yourself and you instead chose to insult our intelligence. So we went with what we had.
In no way are we contributing to the attack on your site. We did not suggest any one do such a thing, nor would we. We have no control over what readers chose to do. If the New York Times ran an article on this and you got visitors from there, would you accuse them of contributing to the attack?
You created a newsworthy story, as a tech news site we did our job and reported on it. This was also filed under “Opinion” due to the fact we had to draw some conclusions from what information we did have.
Sean P. Aune
August 20th, 2007
Dear Mr. Carlton,
Alienating yourself from one of the largest web communities is not a good way to get more revenue.
The reason why people use AdBlock, FireFox, and others utilities is because web advertisers went overboard with their ads, with pop-ups, animations and sounds that made it annoying to visit otherwise informative and entertaining sites. We installed those utilities to get the information and entertainment back
As long as the ads keep it down and are nicely incorporated into the web page, I don’t mind them. As do most other people I know. There are ways to get revenue without offending the community.
August 21st, 2007
This man’s cruzade is stupid, if a user installs Adblock in Firefox so as to block ads, he would never click on ads anyway without an ad blocker. This is as stupid as starting a campaign against vegetarian for not consuming meat and hurting the butcher’s business…
August 21st, 2007
Mr Carlton you are foolish. You make lol. Do not waste your time on the net and find any better in your inconclusive life. Not only Firefox is blocked but also Safari and Opera and IE. Yo’re the major jerk ever.
August 21st, 2007
1/ Being aware of the existence of an alternative web-browser, 2/ knowing how to install it, 3/ actually caring to install and use it, 4/ and even installing and using extensions… I think it’s safe to assume that the typical Firefox user is more tech-savvy and spends more time online than the average web user (I sure do).
August 22nd, 2007
C´mon … blockit. Even if is the very last optioin, I´ll prefer to browse using lynx for browsing this banner-filled sites. Adblock is great!
August 22nd, 2007
Another one :
To the guy that hacked the whyfirefoxisblocked site:
PLEASE!!!: Create a banner, publish it on line. I´ll look at it and click it for 3 consecutives hours ( I promise it!). I´ll shut down my adblock just for your banner- :)
August 23rd, 2007
you should block all web browsers as an adblock style plugin is available for most, including IE like this one:
http://www.quero.at/
August 24th, 2007
Equating an ad-blocker to stealing is about as asinine as the accompanying argument about skipping commercials on TV with a PVR.
If anything, an ad-blocker is a form of anti-malware these days, due to the unscrupulous miscreants who operate in the fringes of cyberspace, preying on the computer illiterates of the world.
Also, I might point out to Mr. Carlton that creating browser-biased website code does nothing but infuriate those who do exercise their freedom of choice to use whatever browser they wish to use.
If you want a similarly asinine (and fallacious) argument used against you, here’s one:
“Blocking any browser that competes against IE is considered an Anti-competitive action by the website owner *and* Microsoft. Thus, you must be in collusion with them, performing an illegal act, which is punisable by law.”
Pretty stupid, isnt it?
My advice to him would be to take down the website and give up his idiotic crusade against those who would block his offensive advertising.
August 24th, 2007
I would also like to point out that censoring what you view is your own right, so if I wish to install a blocker to block content that I find objectionable in my browser (such as certain forms of advertising popups), it is my right.
It’s also my right to skip past the many feminine hygiene and viagra ads on television. I am greatly offended by them, and choose not to believe the pharmaceutical industry’s claim that a little pill is what I need to make me all better again for ANY problem.
I’m quite sure those of certain religious organizations would tend to agree with me on the right to block objectionable materials.
August 24th, 2007
All you have to do is disable JavaScript & Meta Refresh to get around the document.all tag.
I have a blog entry @ http://wp.pr0gr4mm3r.com/entrepreneurial/blocking-firefox-n00b-response-to-adblock/ that will show you how.
August 26th, 2007
Why doesn’t he just block lynx as well? Or, taking a productive approach, he could test for the existence of the ads after the page loads, and if missing, regardless of browser or potentially spoofed user agent, it could direct the user to a page explaining that ads were not displaying correctly, and aid the user in identifying the cause and offering solutions or work-arounds. The action he has taken was simply an attack on Firefox and peoples freedoms of choice. He has offended me directly and he knows it, but isn’t man enough to admit it. What a sad and pathetic being.
August 27th, 2007
Why does this guy keep getting attention? Jeez.
August 27th, 2007
I don’t care if this guy blocks me from his site. That makes it really hard for me to care about this issue at all.
August 27th, 2007
Let him block me, I don’t care. I’ll find sites that won’t block me. :)
August 28th, 2007
lol its not like people who use adblock are planning to click your stupid adds anyway
People who create website for the sole purpose of add revenue are the ones who are wrong and dont get how the internet works.
August 28th, 2007
OK, those of us who are intelligent and very busy trying to code, straighten out governments, and help people make good decisions about life and the universe are now diverted to this ’cause celebre’, but, only for these moments.
Absolute prosperity means that each person’s focus is on enlightenment, self-awareness. Worrying about what someone else chooses as their created universe in which to exist diminishes our own potential for absolute prosperity, un-limited love, and perfect peace.
By blocking some of you, Danny Carlton creates an opportunity for you to avoid the disappointment of breast and penile enlargement schemes that are obvious frauds.
You are perfect already, and need no fake affirmation from some unknown, remote, purveyor of snake oil.
The entire scenario is one of a bull running through a china shop. Stupid and arrogant of everyone who participates. Let it go, little minds, and attempt to elevate to become a creator.
Little minds gossip about others, normal minds talk of things, enlightened ones create the universe in which all potentials co-exist and choice is extant.
Thank you. Bless us in our hour of ecstasy.
August 28th, 2007
Something unusual, I appear to be able to get on dannycarlton.com on Firefox without switching my user agent or turning off meta redirect and javascript, has he given up?
August 28th, 2007
Ah yes wrong site sorry lol
August 28th, 2007
Mr. Carlton should get his math right. Let us assume that 40% of websurfers use firefox and 10% of them us the offending extension. The rest of the Firefox users still would be exposed to the adds. So in order to punish 4% of the surfers he steels 36% of the potential revenue of his own clients by incorporating his script in their websites.
August 28th, 2007
My biggest problem Is that, using linux, and firefox exclusively, I would be unable to view the sites, even If I desired to do so.
August 28th, 2007
The only reason I use Ad-Block is because I am kind of paranoid about the safety of my computer. I don’t like getting spyware, malware, or any kind of badware! I use Ad-Block for the same reason that I use NoScript, it blocks things that I don’t want anyway. If I didn’t get so many tribalfusion cookies (and others, that’s just an example) I wouldn’t be so worried. I just figure that Ad-block will keep my computer safer (I mean, it can’t hurt me right?).
Maybe I’m just ignorant about what ads actually do, but it also has the side effect of getting rid of those distractions that do nothing! The only time I will ever click on an ad is if my mouse slips and I accidentally click on one, in which case I will go back to the previous page and possible run CCleaner. Pretty much every ad I’ve ever seen is just some scam to rip you off of your money. Click here to get a free Ipod! Yea right…
August 31st, 2007
Don’t waste your time yelling at Danny here. He is a ‘hit & run’ poster and all his responses are the same. “You didn’t read it right … ” and “I have nothing against Firefox …. ” . Nothing against Firefox, Danny? You blocked it!!! Plus all of that info on you stupid whyfirefoxisblocked page just shows that you downright hate it … and its users!
Danny definitely will not post here now because I came in here. I am solely responsible for why he he did what he did and he is ducking any conversation with me like the plague. After all this hoopla subsides, he will be sorry he ever started this. He is now the internet’s “village idiot”. Well deserved!
-rick752
author of the EasyList subscription for Adblock Plus
November 7th, 2007
Well he sure figured out how to increase the popularity of the extension he hates. I just installed it myself.
Way to go Danny!
December 6th, 2007
THIS oughta get Danny fumin’ royally: http://wibiki.com/whatiswibiki.html
February 2nd, 2008
Thanks for sharing
April 22nd, 2008
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