Summary: I've made a list using a different approach on blocking ads than the current subscriptions.
Please don't try it if you don't know how to remove/disable subscriptions, I'm not 100% sure if the list is ready for "regular" users yet. For everyone else, here is EasyList-based
EasyNext: [url=abp://subscribe/?location=https%3A%2F%2Fares2.org%2Fabp%2Feasynext.txt&title=EasyNext%20-%20Alpha]Subscribe to EasyNext - Alpha[/url] / View
The results are pretty amazing imho, just try a site with ads that you know aren't blocked by the common subscriptions (no matter what language, content, etc) and see for yourself. Of course there is still a chance the list fails, so please, please tell me the site where this happens so I can try to fix it.
Full story: For the last few months or so, I've been trying to find the weaknesses in the existing Adblock Plus subscriptions and here is the most important problem that can be identified: None of the lists, neither on it's own, nor combined, can live up to my and many other user's expectations of blocking all ads. Of course we are trying very hard to get close to that goal, but the reality is that so many ads that slip through, either because they simply never get reported or even just because they do not fit the subscriptions policy, strategy, range of target sites, etc. Now that observation is pretty obvious and most of us know it, the interesting part is to find out what can be done about that - in case such a strategy exists.
The most common filter subscriptions nowadays use the same set of basic strategies (block by "bad" keywords in requests, block adservers, hide "bad" html elements and lastly block/hide per-site). This system as it is used right now, undeniably has some disadvantages so the goal was to solve those problems while not creating any new ones. Also, I tried to limit myself to the possibilities Adblock Plus already offers, rather than requiring to modify it or write a completely new program (I probably couldn't do that anyway ). With that in mind, I started to randomly test some new strategies, checked the results (mostly empirically) - and usually failed to achieve anything. Then I tried to put a little more stucture in the tests (like setting up a list of testsites with desired results, evaluate the results, comparing them to each other, use the best ones to check sites outside of the test array, etc) - and eventually had some success!
I will give a detailed explanation of all the new approaches asap, but it could take some time to convert my "notes" to understandable text.
EasyNext - Alpha (April fools)
*waits excitedly*Ares2 wrote:I will give a detailed explanation of all the new approaches asap, but it could take some time to convert my "notes" to understandable text.
Ok, just a heads up here.. on Neowin.net forums it blocks everything it seems for me. I tested it by disabling and (Neowin) works fine, enable it and the page is blank. Looked at blocked list and it's very crowded.
Edited typo
Edited typo
I am certainly interested to see your policy for the subscription and how it attempts to overcome known weaknesses with advert blocking, such as constant alteration of domains and incorrect item naming. I just hope this isn't an April Fool's Day joke as, if successful, elements of the EasyNext policy could be added to the EasyList policy. However, the subscription does appear to be very similar to EasyList and EasyList Germany combined, and I would therefore be interested to see exactly what has been altered.
The only thing I noticed on first look is that there aren't any whitelists.
Honestly I can't understand the sense of it... It uses the same functioning of EasyList, where are the differences?
The only significant differences (lack of whitelists, comments and the following rules) confirm my belief that EasyNext is an April Fool's Day joke. The subscription will always block all adverts, just all content as well. Don't forget to check the date...
EasyNext wrote:||$domain=~adserver1.apr.fst|~lanik.us
~adserver1.apr.fst,~lanik.us##body
I really need to buy a calendar... That's why today I've seen flying penguins on TV.
Well I bit on that one. LOL thanks for the laugh though.
Spoilsport.Michael wrote:Don't forget to check the date...
I was just very interested to see the revolutionary filters that removed all adverts regardless of the language or the content of the domain and was able to thanks to Meld...
Good old diff would have done too, it was meant to be seen.