Why is it hard for people to understand that there is nothing called "Free Lunch"?
Somebody was concerned, that adblock is ruining their revenue by blocking the ads (shown on the website). And at the same time, not providing the website owners, the ability to block adblock users. They created a site (if you are using Firefox you will not be able to see the website; use IE tab extension or any other browser to see the site.) The site tried to put up a genuine concern. They were targeting Firefox because it abetted adblock.
Now today I see a childish blog. David Peterson tries to counter the points put forward by whyfirefoxisblocked.com. He tries to give some apple and orange comparisons as well.
Now, how hard is it for people to ponder on "Free Lunch". Basically there is nothing called a free lunch. You have to pay for it. What you pay or how you pay is a different ball game all together. Its because of people like David Peterson, Richard M. Stallman came up with the phrase "Free as in Freedom and not as in Free Beer". I have a little advice for people who believe in Free Lunch and Free Beer. Why don't you guys open up a small place and provide Free Lunch and Beer to everyone? Or coming to more technical terms; why don't you guys open a site which boasts about ad free internet? I even dare Mr Peterson to open a website, and maintain it without serving any ads and without charging any subscription fees. Mr Peterson, does not himself serve an ad free blog, then how come he objects to something that he himself believes in?
Put your efforts where your mouth is. If you believe in ad free internet, stop serving ads on your blog. And even further, people who say that quality content generation, without incentive, can be sustained in the long term; I would like to point out safari. Safari is the ultimate resource, but with its own set of limitations. Safari does not include all the books published by O'Reilly, it also has a high subscription fees and after all this there is a limited set of books to keep in your shelf. Why doesn't O'Rielly allow free unlimited download of all the books?
How charming the concept of Robin hood might seem, but the concept is not everlasting. Robin hood was there to bring a balance amongst people, once the balance is restored, there is no room for Robin hood. People will make fun of one, who wants to be a Robinhood in a balanced society.
Coming to the freedom part, Freedom is not selective. Freedom is freedom for everyone, for every single human being, for every single living form. If Freedom was selective, i.e. freedom for some and not others, then what is the difference in freedom and tyranny? Adblock provide users, the freedom to see ad free pages, and robs the website owner with his/her freedom. Doesn't it sound like dictatorship?
The problem is not with Firefox, but the problem is with its promotion of adblock. If Firefox and adblock both existed independently there was no problem. And let me remind you, that if M$, instead of arm twisting OEMs, had promoted netscape, the web would have been a completely different place; there would have been no internet explorer as well as no Firefox. We are seeing these things happen because M$ chose to promote internet explorer.
Lets look at the scenario from Firefox's perspective. The default web page for firefox is google. This is because google pays Firefox; what google is actually paying is revenue generated through ads. Why doesn't Firefox make wikipedia as its homepage? It seems to me like Firefox pockets the ad generated revenue and then asks adblock to stop revenue generation for other small players.
The internet is fueled and made interesting be actual living people. And humans have a family to support, they have bills to pay, how can these people live without any incentive. I would call it even, if with the ad revenue I am able to pay the net connection bill, but adblock is not even allowing me to do this. The current status of Artificial Intelligence is not so good that it can keep generating quality contents without human intervention. Even if it was, computer hardware needs to be bought, and somebody needs to pay to the net connectivity and electricity consumed!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Kudos WhyFirefoxIsBlocked.com
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22 comments:
You overlooked one little detail. I'm not Firefox, I only use it. Why are all Firefox users punished for the behavior of the few?
Blocking ads has nothing to do with Firefox itself. Firefox does NOT block ads and there is no such option in its menus to do so.
But if some people want to write extra software for browsers (for MS Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera etc.) that serves that purpose, neither has that anything to do with Firefox.
As fas as I know, it is perfectly feasible to program adblocking software for most other browsers too.
It is just completely stupid that Firefox has been taken as a target for this childish shit throwing campaign. Now what's the real problem, I ask? That Firefox is growing so fast in popularity that those depending on the wide use of MS Internet Explorer are getting worried enough to use FUD tactics like that. Pathetic. Grow up and be responsible adults.
Most Firefox users do not even know about Ad Block. It is extra software that must be found online and installed. If somebody needs to do that they probably also have quite good reasons for it, and a right to do so too. It is good that such software exists considering the amount of malware, viruses, spyware, frustrating popups after popups, spam bots, and misleading and deceptive advertising all around the net.
Ad Block is also security software, sometimes necessary in order to browse the net safely.
Why should everyone bow down before advertisers? Nobody - including the advertisers - suffers practically at all if a few people use ad blocking software when browsing web.
Its because of people like David Peterson, Richard M. Stallman came up with the phrase "Free as in Freedom and not as in Free Bear".
Cool! I want a free bear! Where can I get one?
Cool! I want a free bear! Where can I get one?
Thanks for pointing out the typing mistake. It made me laugh once I realized the mistake.
Ah, I see... So now I'm a thief because I don't watch the ads? Interesting point of view. Now, I am a thief when I switch channels on TV when the ads start as well, right? Because that is the equivalent of adblock on TV.
One important thing - none of us viewers have signed a contract with the advertising company that forces us to watch the ads. Therefor we're not required to watch them, spend our bandwidth or desktop space on them. It's our choice whether we watch them or not, as much as it's the site's owner choice to put them on his site or not.
The second important thing is that the ads have no use for me. I DON'T find out anything useful from them. Instead of some useful information about product, they usually offer false information and impossible features of a product. That's the second reason I block them.
I'm not using any agent switcher. When I run into a site that asks me to remove the adblock extension, I simply leave it. Putting the ads on a site is owner's choice. If he wants to force me to watch, I prefer not to access his site at all. Simple as that.
Btw, do you hate it when your mailbox (not electronic one, but the actual physical one) gets filled with ad fliers and similar content? Ask yourself that question before criticizing people who throw such rubbish away on the Internet.
What an extraordinarily bizarre point of view.
The technical reality here is that a web page is a stream of text with embedded instructions for how the client software can go and fetch supporting data such as external JavaScript files, style sheets, and inline images.
The ability for the user to decide under what conditions they want their software to follow these instructions is a fundamental requirement for privacy, security, and accessibility on the web. It is also a clear issue of rights. This is my computer; it should follow my instructions above anybody else's.
In fact I will go further and say I should be able to (privately, without infringing copyright) do anything with that data: I should be able to remove arbitrary sections of the data, including text-based ads; I should be able to filter out objectionable content while my kids are using the web; I should be able to make web pages read like they were written by the Muppet's Swedish chef.
Do say that having the ability to do things like this is "dictatorship", while the demand that people should read what you tell them to read is "freedom" goes beyond Orwell, and into Lewis Carroll territory:
'"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less."'
The World Wide Web was not developed with advertising in mind. That some people eventually saw a reason to advertise on the web is fine; in fact it's great. But if it eventually becomes less feasible to make money that way, it is not the responsibility of society to guarantee people an income from web advertising.
If you come up with a scheme to make money and it doesn't work, that's your problem. You cannot then point at every reason it doesn't work and cry "Aha! That's theft!"
If advertisements are so ineffective that people want to block them, then the ads are not fulfilling their purpose and therefore are not worth anything. Instead of trying to push advertisements into the faces of web users who are going to ignore them anyway, the advertisers should be finding new ways to push their wares.
So if ferrari is issuing an ad saying their car can go 200 mph, it should be banned from the road because the speed limit is 70 mph?
I am not saying the website have an argument, because blocking ads does cost them revenue, BUT I as a user also have the right not to look at the ad, have a screen without blinking/screaming (sometime literally) ads, pop overs/unders etc. which are annoying as hell.
Firefox has Ad Blocker. But wait!
Internet Explorer (the 800 pound Gorilla) has the same type of add-on available. That's right. Does the same thing.
Less than 2.5% of Firefox users use AdBlock Plus (according the AdBlock website).
Verdict? You can't defeat the Internet. Attacking someone for their personal choice of browser, or plugins, is ridiculous. The lost revenue is a genuine concern, most definitely. Shutting out Firefox is laughable.
IE can do the same thing. Should website owners ban IE, too? Why not just take your website down altogether?
Oh, and the Firefox hate on that webpage was amusing. Very transparent.
I've never encountered a page blocked like this, but if I did I wouldn't blink an eye. I just wouldn't visit it. Same with any page that blocked IE if I happened to be using that. Or Opera. Or Lynx. Or Konqueror. That's like banning Fords or Hondas from parking at your store. Gimme a break, guys.
Rant over.
"I've never encountered a page blocked like this, but if I did I wouldn't blink an eye. I just wouldn't visit it."
Exactly, those blocking 'adblockers' are cutting off a small bit of their nose to spite their face.
Maybe if all the crappy spammy javacript ads in general -were blocked, more relevant ads would take their place?
" I even dare Mr Peterson to open a website, and maintain it without serving any ads and without charging any subscription fees."
I'm not Mr. Peterson, but that's exactly what I have. Once I get things fully working, it'll be primarily an ASP.NET/AJAX blog and testing grounds. With no ads. And no subscription fee. Why? Because I HATE ads with a passion. I use AdBlock, not to reduce your revenue, but because I DON'T CLICK ADS TO BEGIN WITH!! Why should I be forced to wait for some annoying flash animation starring a female who sounds like a slut advertising for iPod nanos? I have a video iPod, and I didn't buy it through an ad. I got it because I needed a good music player. Ads are worthless to me. The day I click an ad is the day my computer shocks me to death for my blasphemy. And notice, in the years I've been using Fx, I'm still around. Ads suck. And since I won't click them anyway, I don't want to wait for them to load. Anti-AdBlock people can kiss my ***.
Please learn how to use commas correctly. If you don't know english why should I listen to what you have to say?
Someone needs to invent a gratuitous comma blocker for the main post. Good lord.
Oh, come on, I don't, think that; it's that, bad! ,
I think you miss the point, the point is that nobody has problems with a few ads here and there, nobody gets aggravated when they're reading a magazine and they get to an ad, hell, I've even bought things because an ad in the magazine told me about them.
But stop and think, what if...
What if...
Before reading the magazine, you had to watch a 15 second video ad that took between 5-15 seconds to load.
You start reading the magazine, but when you're a paragraph in, one of the ad images, which is also taking up half the page, forcing you into an awkward reading pose, starts shouting at you to buy crap from them, finally you flip the page and a swarm of mini-pages (pop up ads) start flying out at you.
Would you.....
A. Give up reading magazines.
B. Try to find something that stopped the ads from ruining your hobby.
C. Buy a gun and shoot the people that thought all this greedy stuff up.
And while you're chewing on that, I guess they should also block Internet Explorer (since it has the IE7PRO ad blocker), Safari, Konqueror, and Opera (Which can both block ads with configuration files), and Lynx since it is a text browser and can't display ads at all.
a) You deserve some revenue for your hard work at running your site.
b) People who gets your contents without your ads is stealing from you.
You should seriously consider stop running a "free content site", run a "subscription site" instead. Even the donations schema could yield better results.
Interesting blog as for me. It would be great to read a bit more about this theme. The only thing I would like to see on that blog is some photos of any gadgets.
David Trider
Cell phone blocker
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