IE9 & EasyList

[IE9 User]

Firstly my apologies if this is in the wrong forum, I couldn't find anything dedicated to the IE9 list.
To the topic!

As some of you may know IE9 RC1 was released yesterday and I started fiddling with tracking protection. I found a list of lists: http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/Brows ... fault.html and noticed EasyList. I installed it asap hoping it was my easy path to an inbuilt adblock. Unfortunately (and I don't know if these are teething issues or not) it doesn't actually block anything, or at least it feels that way.

The most common ads I come across are google and doubleclick, none of which were blocked. I ended up having to install the first 3 lists. The combination of the 3 lists seems to be doing the job of my dream for an inbuilt adblock in IE. But... I'd rather only use the one list. I don't know how efficient IE9 is at truncating duplicate entries (if it does), so it would be better to just stick to the one I've known for so long.

So... how do I help fix this? Is it a known issue?

[Khrin]

This because this list isn't EasyList, but EasyPrivacy.

[IEUser]

I thought EasyPrivacy was EasyList + extras? Anyway, why does microsoft advertise "EasyList"? Would it be possible to have the full list available as a tpl feed?

[Ares2]

I thought EasyPrivacy was EasyList + extras?

That's the way it is intended. Therefore the IE tracking list isn't going to be as good as it could be (it lacks in blocking the tracking stuff that would already be blocked by the adblocking list).

Anyway, why does microsoft advertise "EasyList"?

If that's true, that will have to be fixed.

Would it be possible to have the full list available as a tpl feed?

Not completely as the list relies on some advanced fuctions that only Adblock Plus offers. But a more or less usable list *could* be possible.

[IE9 User]

Thanks Ares2, I guess the way it's advertised here: http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/Brows ... fault.html is slightly misleading.

I think I speak for every ex adblock user when I say, the full blocking list as a TPL feed would utterly rock. It would probably also secure the dominant TPL feed.

[Ares2]

Thanks Ares2, I guess the way it's advertised here: http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/Brows ... fault.html is slightly misleading.

OK, the logo is misleading and the "EasyList forum link" doesn't help either. Maybe we can do something about that.

I think I speak for every ex adblock user when I say, the full blocking list as a TPL feed would utterly rock. It would probably also secure the dominant TPL feed.

Well, the best adblocking will probably remain limited to the best browsers. JK. As said, maybe a basic list can be created, stay tuned.

[Michael]

I am able to contact Microsoft to request alterations to the description of EasyPrivacy Tracking Protection List, but I cannot think of a more suitable method of presenting the subscription. The first sentence explicitly states that it is EasyPrivacy as opposed to EasyList which is being provided...

The script that I wrote is set to automatically convert every subscription in the repository, which are then available under the easylist-msie.adblockplus.org subdomain with the file extension "tpl". Therefore https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/easylist.txt is located at http://easylist-msie.adblockplus.org/easylist.tpl and https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus. ... sylist.txt is available in its converted form at http://easylist-msie.adblockplus.org/ea ... sylist.tpl. Although all element hiding rules and those with most options will be rejected, meaning that DoubleClick adverts, for example, will not be blocked, the list should otherwise generally work. However, I should emphasise that we do not officially support TPLs other than EasyPrivacy due to these constraints.

[IE9 User]

@Michael,
Excellent news! I've added this list as well as the other 2 from MS and it seems 99% of ads are blocked! With the exclusion of google which I can block myself.

On another note, IE9 seems to collapse elements by itself, so I'm not sure about the issue with rules.

@Ares2, I haven't used IE in 10 years, Microsoft is on a role lately with good products.

[MonztA]

@IE9 User
How did you add EasyList? I'm not able to find a dialog or similar to add lists on IE9 RC1.

[funkydude]

@IE9 User
How did you add EasyList? I'm not able to find a dialog or similar to add lists on IE9 RC1.

I've made a page to easily add it thanks to this thread: <DEAD LINK REMOVED>

[ReBoot]

Thank you a big lot! I've been waiting for this for soo long!

Edit: Would you mind putting that on the main EasyList page?

Edit 2: When I use EasyList + EasyPrivacy and turn my regular ad blocker off, I see all the space-taking Google ads. Is this intentional?

[arflech]

I wonder whether this is better than the version of EasyList TPL maintained by the maintainers of EasyList: http://quero.at/adblock_ie_tpl.php

[Michael]

I have not heard of this derived subscription previously, but would predict that a high number of false positives will result from the numerous "ad" rules and would question whether -d bwp.* search and -d feeds.* ~a/, for example, are valid, as my impression was that filters of this type must refer to the domain name.

[Kirce]

please add this to TPL list. I searched but i did't find this page. also pagead2.googlesyndication.com

[Michael]

We do not manage the list of TPLs and therefore cannot add this topic as a reference. Furthermore, we cannot block pagead2.googlesyndication.com in Internet Explorer because this would also prevent legitimate videos, for example, from being loaded, as the engine is unable to distinguish between different types of items.

[Ares2]

Furthermore, we cannot block pagead2.googlesyndication.com in Internet Explorer because this would also prevent legitimate videos, for example, from being loaded, as the engine is unable to distinguish between different types of items.

Does IE even filter flash subrequests? If not, adding the filter would be no problem.

[ReBoot]

We do not manage the list of TPLs and therefore cannot add this topic as a reference. Furthermore, we cannot block pagead2.googlesyndication.com in Internet Explorer because this would also prevent legitimate videos, for example, from being loaded, as the engine is unable to distinguish between different types of items.

You can block it. I have this blocked totally in my old ad blocker and missed no legitimate item ever. This domain is only and only used for ads (and maybe statistics which should be blocked just aswell).

[Ares2]

You can block it. I have this blocked totally in my old ad blocker and missed no legitimate item ever. This domain is only and only used for ads (and maybe statistics which should be blocked just aswell).

Unfortunately, it's not that easy. There are a few videos that don't work if you block it completely.

Example (Verifiable with Firefox, ABP and a filter like ||pagead2.googlesyndication.com^): http://obsvideo.nouvelobs.com/video/xhd ... _news.html

[ReBoot]

You can block it. I have this blocked totally in my old ad blocker and missed no legitimate item ever. This domain is only and only used for ads (and maybe statistics which should be blocked just aswell).

Unfortunately, it's not that easy. There are a few videos that don't work if you block it completely.

Example (Verifiable with Firefox, ABP and a filter like ||pagead2.googlesyndication.com^): http://obsvideo.nouvelobs.com/video/xhd ... _news.html

Either you are wrong or the example is just bad. I blocked pagead.googlesyndication.com completely on my machine and could view the video. So it's safe to block pagead2.googlesyndication.com and it seems like ABP is just doing something wrong ;)

[Ares2]

Either you are wrong or the example is just bad. I blocked pagead.googlesyndication.com completely on my machine and could view the video. So it's safe to block pagead2.googlesyndication.com and it seems like ABP is just doing something wrong ;)

The question is, how do you block it? For me, the video doesn't play no matter if I use ABP on Firefox or the hostfile (127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com). Have you tried a different video?

[ReBoot]

Either you are wrong or the example is just bad. I blocked pagead.googlesyndication.com completely on my machine and could view the video. So it's safe to block pagead2.googlesyndication.com and it seems like ABP is just doing something wrong ;)

The question is, how do you block it? For me, the video doesn't play no matter if I use ABP on Firefox or the hostfile (127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com). Have you tried a different video?

Hm, seems to be a cache effect. Now it shows a black screen.

[Ares2]

Hm, seems to be a cache effect. Now it shows a black screen.

If you used a dns block, that's most likely the case (hence I suggested to use ABP to test it. ).

Sites like that are broken by design imho (like all those sites that require doubleclick.net to have their videos working - which are way more numerous unfortunately), but we simply can't ignore those in a public list that is expected to "just work".

[ReBoot]

Understand, thank you for clarification.

[Michael]

Does IE even filter flash subrequests? If not, adding the filter would be no problem.

I am not certain of the current state of affairs, but know that the Internet Explorer team intend that subrequests will be able to be able to be blocked eventually.

[Gingerbread Man]

How did you add EasyList?

Gear icon > Safety > Tracking Protection > Get a Tracking Protection List online...

That will open http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=211592 (confusingly enough, in your default browser), which then bounces you to the current TPL page. The descriptions are unfortunately virtually identical; I don't know how someone not familiar with EasyList is supposed to tell the two subscriptions apart. Maybe over at Microsoft they're simply not ready to outright admit they provide an ad-blocking list?

So how does this work exactly? For starters, why are the lists on an adblockplus.org subdomain? Did Wladimir have too much bandwidth lying around? Secondly, is this supported or not? Why does it appear in the IE gallery but not the EasyList homepage?

[Ares2]

So how does this work exactly? For starters, why are the lists on an adblockplus.org subdomain? Did Wladimir have too much bandwidth lying around?

Michael asked, Wladimir agreed.

Secondly, is this supported or not? Why does it appear in the IE gallery but not the EasyList homepage?

Michael will have to give you the official answer to this this, but imho it's far from being good enough to be supported, plus I'm not sure if anyone of us maintainers is willing to fix IE9 specific problems - only 2 of 5 have the technical requirements to do so (Windows as default OS).

[Michael]

EasyList TPL is not officially supported because it is incomplete as an advert blocking subscription (element filters and item types, for example, are not available in Internet Explorer) yet excessive as a list that removes tracking. There is also the issue of testing EasyList TPL with a large enough active community to have negligible errors and reasonably rapid reports of problems. However, if Microsoft wish to list the subscription we are not going to prevent them from doing so, although the description for EasyList TPL will be corrected once a contact has been established for the page.

[Gingerbread Man]

EasyList TPL is not officially supported because it is incomplete as an advert blocking subscription (element filters and item types, for example, are not available in Internet Explorer)

The former doesn't sound like a reason. Both your homepage and the Adblock Plus homepage list EasyList without element hiding, and I take it that's supported.

There is also the issue of testing EasyList TPL with a large enough active community to have negligible errors and reasonably rapid reports of problems.

You don't list it on your homepage. You don't have an IE subforum. How will you ever have a large enough active community? Better to have a subforum with nothing but tumbleweed blowing through it, then to leave IE users without at least an attempt at support, don't you think? The link to this site is after all prominently displayed under the subscription name.
I'm having a hard time grasping this arrangement. You convert your lists for use with IE. Wladimir hosts them for some unknown reason. Microsoft links to them. In case of problems with "EasyList Standard", Microsoft won't help and neither will you. It seems like IE users are getting the raw end of the deal in all this.

[Ares2]

A subforum won't help much if noone is interested in resolving issues. Unless one of the authors jumps in here and says he is willing to maintain it, I will just assume no one wants to.

Another possibility: Do you have enough time at your hand to volunteer?

[Michael]

Wladimir's partner offered the project the required hosting for Tracking Protection Lists after Wladimir had originally been suggested that we lacked the server capacity for the additional subscriptions. The Tracking Protection Lists themselves are automatically generated by a Perl script which converts from the Adblock Plus format to the required syntax for Internet Explorer. This script was set to automatically convert the entire repository for the sake of simplicity, not because I ever intended to promote EasyList in this form.

The reason for this decision was the name of the feature and a discussion with Microsoft representatives. Tracking Protection Lists are only intended and designed to remove tracking, not adverts, and I can see no reason why EasyList TPL is being promoted in this manner. The essential syntax, such as element hiding and item types, was purposefully omitted from the browser because the company did not want to support "very ad-specific features", which results in a very crude subscription, even more so than EasyList without element hiding. I have no explanation for Microsoft's apparent u-turn and am not prepared to specifically support an advert blocking subscription for their browser without due assistance from the Internet Explorer developers, which would be evident from the addition of the functionality that they are aware is lacking.

We will certainly attempt to suggest solutions to problematic pages in Internet Explorer, but a lack of interest, experience with the browser and, as I recall, debugging tools limits the development process.