Gamespot implementing ABP counter measures [resolved]

[mdagli1]

http://uk.gamespot.com/video/937288/617 ... cutscene-1

I can't seem to watch the video when ABP is active, yet when it's disabled the video plays normal...

[rick752]

Seems to be working fine here. Are you using other subscriptions/filtering besides mine?

[mdagli1]

Look in the sig

All been manually updated and recently installed seamonkey 1.1.3

edit: btw, why does each subscription have 0.7.1+ under them, yet in in the help menu, it says 0.7.5.1 ?

[rick752]

Adblock Plus 0.7.1+ is the minimum version needed to run my subscriptions correctly. Any version less than that will not work properly and will display a red warning. That is just a 'MinVersion' tag in the subscription to activate the warning in ABP if it does not meet that requirement.

Make sure you update your filters regularly as things change on the internet very quickly.

[mdagli1]

Nope, still happening
in fact, it is also happening on the linksys website:
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellit ... 2086964B01

The links don't work under "more information", but it does when ABP is disabled.

[The Masked Marauder]

Under "More Information", the "Firmware" link works okay, but then it's a normal URL. I've confirmed that the image and PDF links don't work if ABP is enabled; their URLs are coming up as "javascript:void(0)". This would be a non-issue if Linksys would simply reference those files using normal links....

[rick752]

I am having no problems running the video there even with all ABP options enabled. Are you using NoScript?
I fixed the syscon problem in the Tracking Filter.

[mdagli1]

OK, for the video, it's something in the EasyList (been enabling and disabling each of the easy subscriptions)

http://motifcdn2.doubleclick.net/crossdomain.xml (type = other) gets blocked when EasyList is active

Could there be a knock on effect? like, if you block the first part of something, the rest won't load?
Because there seems to be things missing when EasyList is active compared when it's deactivated.
(No idea what, as there are so many items in the blockable items list)

edit:
I think I found it, when EasyList is deactivated, for some reason this appears in the blockable list:
http://uk.gamespot.edgesuite.net/d4/gsc ... 07_400.flv

Any idea what's going on?

edit2: wait a minute, what's "NoScript"? And how do I find out if I've got it installed?

[rick752]

I think I found it, when EasyList is deactivated, for some reason this appears in the blockable list:
http://uk.gamespot.edgesuite.net/d4/gsc ... 07_400.flv
Any idea what's going on?

Nope ... it is nothing of mine that I can tell. Double-click it to see where it is coming from.

Code: Select all

wait a minute, what's "NoScript"? And how do I find out if I've got it installed?

NoScript is an extension ... in your list of Firefox add-ons. Probably isn't the problem here though as you see to be blocking the actual flash video file (flv) inside the player with that other mystery string.

[mdagli1]

Dude, I'm using SeaMonkey 1.1.3
Could you please tell me about that browser...
Because it's not at all clear where the hell all my extensions are installed.

C:\Documents and Settings\Matthew Daglish\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\default\lzoij065.slt\archive
There is bugger all in or near that directory that's displayed in the SeaMonkey Local Install Settings.
All I see is ABP yet I know I have a lot more extensions like yahoo e-mail notifier. No idea where the hell that is installed.

I could quite possibly have "NoScript" installed but no idea how to confirm it if I don't know where it is on my PC.

[The Masked Marauder]

Dude, I'm using SeaMonkey 1.1.3
Could you please tell me about that browser...
Because it's not at all clear where the hell all my extensions are installed.

I don't use SeaMonkey, but in Firefox they're listed under "Tools > Add-ons". NoScript isn't something that you could install by mistake. If it isn't listed under add-ons, then you don't have it.

[mdagli1]

I think I might have install NoScript but have no idea if I have, nor to find the option of actually removing the damn thing or any other extension in that matter.

C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\SeaMonkey\defaults\pref
That directory seems to have a few script files listing most of the extensions. But no uninstall files exist besides for ABP (which is in another directory)...
about:config page doesn't help me much ether, but it does show what extension are installed, well sort of anyway...

Let's pretend for a moment that NoScript isn't installed, it still doesn't tell me why I am not able to see the video besides from EasyList being the main culprit.

[rick752]

We're just trying to find some kind of weird variable seeing that it is not an issue here in ABP or my filters ... like I said, "not an issue ... HERE".

NoScript can have some strange, inadvertent effects on ABP that changes the kind of blocks that ABP receives from certain sites. The maker of NoScript has just updated that extension to fix a problem that we had disclosed to him. It could also be something else but I really can't help if I cannot recreate a problem (I don't use NoScript)

[rick752]

Try whitelisting the one you told me about previously. Add this string to your ABP filters:

Code: Select all

@@motifcdn2.doubleclick.net/crossdomain.xml$other 

My "crossdomain.xml" address is served from another domain there and is NOT blocked. Must be the territory.
Try it and see if that is it.

[mdagli1]

well, I did a stupid thing and experimented with the NoScript thing and installed it. couldn't get rid of it so just done a complete reinstall of everything. (Even deleted all route directories when uninstalling)
And of course, forgot to backup my favourites so now trying to find them again...

Anyway, when whitelisted @@http://*.doubleclick.net/, about 4 EXTRA lines appeared:

Code: Select all

http://motifcdn2.doubleclick.net/dartshell.xml

http://ad.doubleclick.net/879366/DartShellPlayer7_3_04.swf

http://ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/gamespotuk.wii/;chan=wii;cat=videogames;dcopt=ist;sz=320x240;tile=5;ord=72499

http://uk.gamespot.edgesuite.net/d4/gsc/2007/07/169_aliensyndrome_gp_wii1_073007_400.flv

In that order. (If you block any of those, the next one bellow won't appear.)
Unblocking allowed me to watch the video.

[mdagli1]

For some reason it's working fine now...

[rick752]

If it works now, it may have been something that got stuck in your cache and has now (finally) cleared. Keep an eye on it and let me know. Glad it is working now.