Just a quick note that we’ve noticed that the latest version of Safari (1.2.4 (v125.12)) sometimes seems to allow pop under ads that we and other sites serve to appear even though “Block Pop-Up Windows” is checked in Safari. This never happened with any other version of Safari that we know of – and the network ad code (Fastclick) that we are using seems to be unchanged. It is happening to us on one of our recently updated machines (Mac OS X 10.3.8, Build 7U16, Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12).
MacDailyNews serves one pop-under ad per browser session per 24-hour period. We do not, have not, nor will we ever, run pop-up ads. You shouldn’t see more than one per 24-hour period per browser session from our site.
In the days before Safari, Mac users received these pop-under ads. Since Safari’s “Block Pop-Up Windows” feature, Mac users have gotten used to surfing without such ads. All along, MacDailyNews has continued to run such advertising to satisfy our need to actually pay our web host for the bandwidth we use. Before this issue with pop-under ads reappearing, the nice thing was that mainly the MDN visitors using Windows and Internet Explorer to visit the site were being served their daily allowance of one pop-under ad per day. Of course, they are used to receiving these types of ads and never even mentioned our pop-under ad. Oh, and the three Mac OS X users who are still using MSIE for Mac were seeing the daily ad, too. Thank you for your support.
So, the once per day pop-under ad has been running here as usual, you just might have forgotten it thanks to Safari’s ability to block it. It doesn’t seem to be happening to all Safari users, either. Please let us know what version of Safari (use “About Safari” under the Safari menu) you are using if you are suddenly receiving our pop-under ads even with Safari blocking enabled. Some users have also informed us that using the “Reset Safari” option has cleared up the issue.
We have not changed any code on MacDailyNews. If anyone has additional information, please let us know.
[UPDATE: 11:06 am ET: We have replicated the issue with Firefox v 1.0 on the Mac. This would indicate that it is not an issue with Safari. It is also happening on other web sites, not just MDN. We are investigating to see if the network ad service’s code has changed. We’ll let you know what we find out. If you encounter ads while visiting other websites that also aren’t blocked when they should be, please let us know below. Thank you.]
[UPDATE: 2/20, 1pm ET: The silence from the network ad service(s) is deafening. Or maybe they didn’t get our 50+ emails? Anyway, until we understand exactly what’s going on and/or Apple fixes Safari’s pop up blocker to once again effectively block our pop-under ads for users that desire to block them, we will not be serving pop under ads. We’ll work to make up the lost revenue in some other way.]
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Safari’s and Firefox’s Pop-Up Blockers broken? [UPDATE] – February 20, 2005
You think wrong, becauser it’s been happening to me as well, but I use Firefox. Not daily, but every few days I do get popups.
Uh, it happens with Firefox as well.
I use the Newsfire RSS app, and I think it is putting in a pop up ad. Its always for the Moto Razr.
It’s annoying nevertheless
The following post is about to get me lynched, but I have to let you guys know, that I do not get any popups.
Now you may ask what system I am using, and I would be ashamed to tell you that it is a 466MHz G4 with OS 9.2 running IE 5.17. (We will be getting new Macs this year and then finally I won’t be 4 generations behind all my fellow Macatics
Same here.
I still use Mozilla/5 (not Firefox) on Windows, and generally use Camino 0.8.2 on Mac. No pop-ups or -unders with either of those.
No “pop ups” here. Using latest version of Safari (1.2.4 (v125.12)
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Yeah for me!
with Firefox, I mean
Its funny, I think right after I updated Safari I had a few popup adds come through, but after I reset Safari I’ve been popup free.
Sorry, but your suggested solution does not work. I reset Safari and emptied the cache twice and each time the pop-under ads appeared as soon as I connected to MDN. I am running Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) under OS X 10.3.7.
I am wrong, it has nothing to do with NewsFire.
Recently I started getting an occasional popup on Safari version 1.0.3 (v85.8.1).
I haven’t seen the pop-up problem on Safari, but I have been getting errors where Safari says it can’t open something. Switching to Camino solved the issue for me. Since updating to 10.3.8, I have had connectivity problems with Mail, Safari, iTunes Music Store, Cyberduck, and others have reported problems with Tomato Torrent, and some more I forget. Something is amiss in OS X networking is all I can think. C’mon Apple. I’d love you more if you didn’t break my Internet.
I use Safari last version and I do not have that problem. Even with MacCentral, that places a pop-up window every time it refreshes, that window is blocked.
I have a TiPB 400Mhz with Mac OS X 10.3.8 and Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12). Which build of 10.3.8, I don’t know, sorry.
Popups are also appearing for me using Firefox on a Windows 2000 system at work and also on my PB (10.3.8) using Safari (1.2.4 (v125.12)). Both are set to block popups.
So this issue occurs across browsers and across platforms.
Interesting why this is happening, but not the end of the world. I thank MDN for at least recognizing this issue.
Neil
I keep my software updated, so I’m using the latest Mac OS X and Safari. I’ve never had any unwanted ads or pop-ups from MDN. I am using the Pith Helmet plugin, as well. Turning that off and refreshing MDN did not generate any pop-ups. I may have to leave Pith Helmet shut off longer for a proper test.
I am occasionally having this problem as well. I use Safari 1.2.4 on OS X 10.3.8.
So far only MDN has served any ads to me.
No pop unders on Safari (10.3.8), but noticed that lately Firefox on my XP machine has been allowing ocassionally pop unders, even though it’s checked block pop ups.
Perhaps someone found a hole on the code to disable pop ups?
Ditto BigmacX on windows 2000, it’s a recent development.
It would be ok if they would change the damn IQ test once in a while, I am getting as smart as that guy I used to argue with a year or so ago.
It’s also been happening with Camino here, though just the once per day as expected.
No pop-ups. Safari 1.3 (v168)
I haven’t had any pop ups on this site using any version of Safari. However I am using Pith Helmet and suspect that is what prevents them for me.
In Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) I’ve been getting pop-up ads from several web sites that I never got pop-up ads from before. At least 3 or 4 different sites.
Been recieving pop-under ads for the past week now in both safari and firefox no matter what i try to do hey seem to keep coming. I read on spymac’s forums it was a new type of scripting that the ads were using that fools the pop-up blockers.
It’s been happening to me before 10.3.8.
No pop-ups lately and I’m using a Ti PB 500 with Safari (1.2.4 v125.12). I did get a few pop-ups a couple of weeks back but no more.
Good luck with nailing this curious problem, MDN.
I have been getting pop unders from your site for a couple of days now, and this morning I started getting them from other sites that I check daily as well, I use Safari 1.2.4(v125.12).
Safari 1.2.4 (125.12)
Just reset Safari and the popup appeared.
Firefox 1.0
Firefox notified me that it had blocked the popup but the bugger got through anyway.
I get the Pop Under with firefox in win98. (I just ordered a 17″ iMac). I see when it arives.
Just starting receiving the pop-unders on MacDailyNews two days ago. But just once a day. I’m running Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12), and haven’t ran the 10.3.8 update as of yet, since I run MySQL databases.
I had forgotten that MDN had had the pop-ups, I just assumed it was some coding from a particular ad server. While, I’m 95-98% ad free with Safari, I have gotten other occasional pop-ups in Safari, generally ones inadvertently triggered by clicking on a link, that then spawns multiple windows. I just don’t revisit those sites (namely some of the more aggressively lyric sites). But MDN has never been a real problem.
Here’s the source code for the pop-up. Maybe someone who knows something about html can tell how it’s defeating the blocking.
<html>
<head>
<title>Win Cash on Jackpot!</title>
<script source=”javascript”>
function KW(){
if(navigator.appName!=”Netscape”){
setTimeout(‘window.close();’,50);
}
}
</script>
</head>
<body bgcolor=”ffffff” link=”0033CC” vlink=”0033CC” leftmargin=0 rightmargin=0 topmargin=0 bottommargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0>
[url=”
[/url]
</body>
</html>
Getting them here – on safari and on firefox and on camino and on ie
Pop under ad only appears for me if I disable Pith Helmet on my latest release of Safari. Looks like the ad companies have been busy scripting.
Magic word is ‘love’. As in ‘Don’t you just love ads?’ <sarcasm>
I have been getting the pop-unders in Windows FireFox (darned work PC) for a couple of days now. I was wondering if I clicked to allow pop-ups, but I checked yesterday and I hadn’t.
I just checked and it also pops under on my Windows 2003 terminal session.
Just updated from 10.3.6 to 10.3.8 a couple of days ago and that’s when the pop-up ad started to appear when visiting MDN.
Using Mozilla 1.7.5
Perhaps something in the 10.3.8 update modified some underlying OS X service that these browsers use?
I was able to replicate this using Firefox and Camino. I’m just glad it isn’t just me.
Could someone explain to me why this is such rocket science? Don’t pop-up ads just use a function in JavaScript that opens a new window? Can’t this function just be turned off? iCab allowed JavaScript functions to be turned off, and no pop-up ever got past it. You can’t use a function if it doesn’t exist. (And if it disables the occasional website, well, you turn it back on when you need to.)
You lame-Os should stop your bitching about pop-ups and just get a Dell so you can use Internet Explorer® like I do. No pop-ups at all for me on my Mom’s eMachine.
I’m amazed that you Mac zealots will pledge undying allegiance to Apple and all that is Mac (including this chat room) when even their bare-bones browser sucks so totally bad that it can’t block pop-ups.
Ha! Figured out a way to block the pop-ups. If you are using a firewall, block the following url:
http://205.180.85.40
All the ads are served from this address.
Enjoy!
Bill
I have a secure operation in blocking evil. So, I’m not getting any popups from Satan’s minions.
NoMacForYou – That would be the same Internet Explorer that does a great job of blocking pop-ups while at the same time liberally sprinkling your system with malware shite, right? No thanks. And you an keep your under-powered emachine. A travesty in its own right.
Magic word ‘data’. As in what you’ll lose if you continue to use an emachine.
There was a report on the web within the last few weeks, maybe at el Reg, that said new code was being written to avoid users blocking adverts.
Also I recall a report (possibly the same one) of advertising servers (doubleclick?) changing cookie prefs/contents so if your browser is set to refuse connections from a web site the advertisment served code to change the setting. This was reported as likely to be illegal – the server altering code on your computer without your permission.
Not a Mac specific problem. I’ve been seeing the pop-under on MDN for a few days now on my work box (Win98/Moz 1.7.5). Not seeing it on my Macs running Safari (latest version with Pith Helmet).
……and shiira.
I knew I wasn’t going crazy. For a second I thought I had adware, but then quickly realized that I was on a Mac. LOL. Duh. But yeah, after updating to 10.3.8, that is when the problems began. Apple must have tried to make Safari mode compatible with IE.
Joe McConnell
“It would be ok if they would change the damn IQ test once in a while, I am getting as smart as that guy I used to argue with a year or so ago.”
LOL. That’s going to go over most current MDNers heads. Whatever happened to Mr. “IQ of 142” anyway?
“Whatever happened to Mr. “IQ of 142″ anyway?”
Right here, bee-yotch.
Dave, I am sure he is counting his money and typing fast………….at the same time don’t you know!
Joe, I just spat all other my PowerBook. I’d completely forgotten his 80WPM typing speed.
I definitely had a pop-under ad this morning when using Firefox 1.0 (on my Linux box). Of course Ilooked to make sure my pop-up blocker was enabled, which it was.
over, not other.
The pop under adds started happening nearly a month ago and is increasing daily at lots of different sights.
I am on OS-X 10.3.5 using Safari 1.2.3 (v125.9
I think it’s some other way of defeating the blocker that has been developed by the add makers.
Glad to see that MDN posted this article.
I was getting pretty annoyed and it was making me think less of MDN.
I hope we see a fix soon.
Also get pop unders at http://www.macosrumors.com/ but nowhere else. All pop unders at MOSR only happened when a link on the site was clicked.
Trying to get some traffic over to that lame-o site, eh? Good luck with that.
I can confirm the MacOSR comment. To Gandfalf – how could code be changed on a OS X system? Would not that require a password? Just curious….
From: Mike Abdullah
I am occasionally having this problem as well. I use Safari 1.2.4 on OS X 10.3.8.
So far only MDN has served any ads to me.
what he said. my ad is for hyroderm skin cream
I got pop-ups with Safari and Firefox and Mozilla. Camino notified me and blocked it.
I havent had any issues with Safari..But firefox gets popups all of the time…
Using Safari 2.0 Pop-ups from fasttrack are hitting me to and not just from this site… grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
retro cat, I find the pop-unders annoying too. I wish MDN would stop serving them until this is fixed – since most of its regular readers hadn’t been seeing the ads anyway, and it’s got PLENTY of other ads (I count no fewer than TWENTY ad images on this page!) maybe, just maybe, it could scrape by with one fewer?
MDN Magic Word: below (so I had to enter “below” below)
Your (MDN) Pop-under-window is by no way more appreciated than a Pop-up-window!!!
You are bypassing Safari’s Pop-up-blocker as well. Shame on you!
Eeeek! I just finished reading all these comments, closed the window, and there was a popunder!
Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12)
I am on Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) and have not had any pop ups or unders yet. (knock on wood)
I also started getting popups at AppleInsider over the last day or so using FireFox on Windows. (I actually can’t tell whether they’re up or under because they appear on the other monitor, but if anything, I view pop-unders as less ethical and more annoying than pop-ups)
Been getting occasional pop-up esp. from the Drudge report website. Been happening for about six weeks to two months, probably since upgraded from 10.3.7.
R-
[Using Mac OS X 10.3.7 and Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) Indigo iMac]
i got a pop unders in Safari 1.2.4 last night. My first. that was before i upgraded to 10.3.8. I have not tried with the upgrade yet.
this morning using Win2000 Firefox, i also got my first popunder ever.
Never had any problems until the last couple of days.
it is you MDN. You guys have found a way to bypass the popup blockers from the browsers. Shame on you.
I only get pop ups on MDN – not other sites like CNN.
I get the pop-under in Safari (1.2(v125)) and Firefox (1.0), but not in Shirra (0.9.3), Camino (0.8.2), Mozilla (1.7.5) or Opera(7.5.0). Very strange indeed. OS X 10.3.8 DP G5.
I got one pop-under from MDN, but resetting Safari seemed to do the trick. Based on MDN’s post, though, I’m suspicious. Frankly, I’m skeptical about the 24-hour component they mention.
I have yet to experience this issue on Firefox – on my Macs or my XP machines – but I don’t use that browser nearly as much as Safari. BTW, I’m on 10.3.8 on all Macs and running XP SP2 (not that I want to) on my Wintel boxes.
Regardless, the comments on this issue indicate that it is clearly not a Safari-only problem.
I’ve noticed the same actually — funny thing is that I thought it was
my imagination. But yep, the block up feature has been broken on Safari.
I’m getting them here.
Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12)
X 10.3.7
Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12)
pop blocker not working, powerbook g3, 1 gb ram, 500 mhz, 10.3.8.
You asked: Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12). I saw the pop-under once, as you mentioned.
Magic word saw, as in I tawt I taw a puddy tat. Oh wait, that’s taw. I guess it means I saw the magic word. No, I saw the pop-under ad. I saw the light. I saw a way to make a funny joke about Steve Jobs’ saw. Steve sells saws served separately. hahahahahahahaha (snort) oh, dang, there goes my chocolate milk.
And only at MDN.
I’m [living] with it, but not liking it.
Yeah, I’ve noticed a handful of the “pop uder” ads in Safari, both the most recent update and the one before that, so it’s not totally new.
Not sure if it’s a Safari problem or a new way to “pop” without getting caught.
I have NOT noticed the same problem on OmniWeb’s pop up blocker.
Using Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) and I am getting the pop-under ads. This seems to have started with version 10.3.8. I tried macdailynews.com from a user ID that had reset Safari several times since update and still got the pop-under, so the theory that setting Safari fixes the problem did not work for me.
Yep, got my first pop up in a year right after reading about Safari’s blocker being circumvented!
No biggie.
I’ll just wait for an update – and boycott every company that ‘pops up’.
Safari 1.2.4, OSX 10.3.8 & PB G4 (1.25MHz) – I have a real pop-up showing up in “Strategypage.com” – not behind, but in front.
At the same time some sites (professional medical) require pop-ups to function, so the togle is an absolute necessity.
Best of luck finding out what is happening.
sg
I read your site daily from my work PC…..A Dell with XP Pro and FireFox. I just noticed your pop under add this morning. I do no think it was there before.
Certainly not just a Mozilla issue. This page just gave me my second ever pop-up now in OmniWeb 5. And it’s definately a pop-UP at my end, not a pop-UNDER.
Tera, I am using OmniWeb and I am getting the pop unders. I got the occasional one before updating to 3.8 but they are becoming more frequent.
Tacitus
Ok, got the pop under ad also here. I’m using safari and it’s version is: 1.2.4 (v125.12).
PowerBook G4 1.5GHz, 15″, 512MB ram, 80GB hd model running Mac OS X 10.3.8 build 7U16
Double HA!! For those of you who cannot block sites by IP address but can block by keyword or domain name add media.fastclick.net to your keyword list. No more pop-ups, -unders, or anything!
Boy, it goes to show you show spoiled I am using Safari’s “Block Pop-Up Windows” feature. When I saw that pop-under ad, I thought I was being attacked!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12)
Mac OS X 10.3.7
I patched my Safari (1.2.4 on 10.3.8) with SaftLite. Forgive me if this is silly, but could that interfere with popunder blocking?
thanks
In the interest of helping MDN find the common ground…
I am not getting any pop-unders at all…
using an antiquated Ti500 (I hate all you people with new fast Macs)
system is 10.3.7 (haven’t put 8 in yet)
browser is Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12)
Did not do the latest upgrade but still receiving pop-under ads.
Safari 1.2.4 (v125.11) OSX 10.3.6
PowerBook G4 Aluminum.
Here’s the code from the MDN source that pops-under the ad. As you can see, it cleverly bypasses the normal Javascript pop-up routine:
<!– FASTCLICK.COM POP-UNDER CODE v1.7e for macdailynews.com –>
<script language=”JavaScript” type=”text/javascript”><!–
var doc=document; var url=escape(doc.location.href); var date_ob=new Date();
doc.cookie=’h2=o; path=/;’;var bust=date_ob.getSeconds();
if(doc.cookie.indexOf(‘e=llo’) <= 0 && doc.cookie.indexOf(‘2=o’) > 0){
doc.write(‘<scr’+’ipt language=”javascript” src=”http://media.fastclick.net’);
doc.write(‘/w/pop.cgi?sid=9769&m=2&v=1.7e&u=’+url+’&c=’+bust+'”></scr’+’ipt>’);
date_ob.setTime(date_ob.getTime()+43200000);
doc.cookie=’he=llo; path=/; expires=’+ date_ob.toGMTString();} // –>
</script>
<!– FASTCLICK.COM POP-UNDER CODE v1.7e for macdailynews.com –>
OSX 10.2.8 and Safari 1.0 (v85.5) YES!
Pop-ups… Pop-unders(?!)… is there really a difference?
Am I the only one that finds these annoying? In particular, I am amazed and upset that ANY software takes unwanted and undesired control over my computer’s OS to create windows. It is MY desktop, arranged and organized the way I want it. It is NOT the free and open domain of any asinine prick to create a window for their own use!! Why don’t you just throw a rock throw my livingroom window with this ad taped to it?! I feel it is a flaw of the OS and the browser to allow such a fundamental function of my computer to be controlled by an outside source. Placing a tacky ad in the middle of it only makes it worse!!
MDN: A “pop-under” is just as annoying. It STILL requires me to take unnecessary actions to eliminate a problem on my computer that YOU and caused!!! Your lame rationalization that pop-unders are somehow not as bad as pop-ups is totally moronic. Do you really think whatever minor benefit you may get from the rare few idiots that click on these ads is balanced by the thousands of viewers you are pissing off?
ANY Mac-focussed site that uses pop-ups is not any better than Microsoft, you BOTH utilize weaknesses in an individual’s computer system. MDN, take the high road and do what is RIGHT – NO POP-UPS/UNDERS AT ALL – and resist the urge to do something merely because you can.
The part that insults me with the latest pop-under ad is when I click it off, there is an announcer speaking about the product for the next minute which I have no way of stopping unless I close safari 1.2.4
Try using Camino as a browser…no pop-up
http://mozilla.org/products/camino/
Interfacelift.com now has the same juvenile and annoying practice as MDN. It appears the ad software made some code changes.
MDN – tear down the pop-under wall!
I now have three sites to un-bookmark.
version 1.2.4 (v125.12), i get pop ups on macosrumors.com also, only if it finishes loading though. All since the update. Ti 800mhz, 10.3.8, build 7U16.
Yes, I am seeing pop-unders here and at a few other sites.
I’m using Safari 1.0.3 (v85.8.1) on OS X.2.8.
As you’ve mentioned, it’s not Safari-related, nor OS X version related, nor is it even Mac-related. Any news on what those advertisers have done to bypass Pop-up blocking on various browsers & OS’s?
Thank you MDN. I wrote a complaint about this last night and today you have a huge article and discussion about it. I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll see articles on other sites that proclaim Safari broken. And that’s what i love about the Mac web. This seemingly minor annoyance (hey if I wanted pop ups I’d ask for pop ups/unders) hits a hot button with Mac users. We expect better, and damit we’re going to get better.
I tried your fix, Reset Safari too bad it didn’t work. I thought it might be NewsFire but others here said it wasn’t that. It now looks like Apple is going to need to do a Safari update. Maybe we can petition the Safari Blog. Don’t know the URL but I’m sure someone does.
Two ways to defeat:
1) Turn off javascript. (this works for me.) but not practical for all
2) -Delete your fastclick cookies.
-Quit Safari
-In date and time pref pane set your system date up a year (for instance to 2/16/2006) Make sure you have network time turned off.
-relaunch Safari load MDN and take the popup hit.
-lock your cookies file.
-Reset your date to current time.
Have fun browsing MDN fastclick popup free. The “future” cookie tells the java code that you already accepted the cookie for today and moves on.
Zac
Getting PUP-UP ads on MDN (and other places) now with FireFox 1.0 for Windows. Also, latest Safari also popping up ads, too.
I also have the ad sites from this site pointed directoy to 127.0.0.1 in my hosts file.
i sent an ‘bug report’ to apple from safari a short time ago. it’s been going on for awhile now from my experience. i’m using v1.2.4 (v125.12)
Alright
1) turn off javascript and no more pops.
If that is not practical lets have some fun with the cookie file.
2)
-Open up ~/Library/Cookies/
-duplicate the file that is there naming it Cookies.plist.original
-open up the file Cookies.plist in TextEdit.
-do a search for macdailynews (cmd-F)
-examine the date strings. look for 2005-02-1621:31:22Z
(it wont look exactly like that, but you are more interested in the year anyway.)
-change the year from 2005 to 2006
-you are specifically hunting for the cookies he and h2, there may be others, but those were the ones on my machine and seemingly ID’d by the above posted code.
-save the file
-relaunch Safari, happy FASTNET.COM free popup browsing.
What happens is that the time check calc will not trigger a return value in the range it is looking for, so it thinks that it has already hit you up.
HTH
Zac
Why don’t y’all just turn off JavaScript?
Magic word few, as in a simple solution few seem to embrace.
So no one here with Safari 1.3 (v168)?
No pop-ups nor pop-unders here.
i ONLY get a pop up when i come to MDN!! and it happens EVERY time i visit now, which is more then 3 times a day!!
VERY anoying!
I’m using Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) with 10.3.8 and your ad pops.
i got your pop-under ad through safari 1.2.4 after the upgrade to 10.3.8
I got a new unsolicited advertisement tab inside of firefox on my windows box.
I have gotten a pop under every time I went to the home page of MDN today. all in about 10 Min. I am getting way more than one a day like you claim I should be getting.
Logged onto MDN at work today – WinXP on a Dell – got the popups too. Then the blue screen of death. Rebooted and told I had to run yet more patches. Did that logged onto FT got blue screen of death. Rebooted. Got told to run more patches. Ran patches, rebooted. Logged onto email at gmail. All fine. Finally fixed. Logged onto MDN, got popups. Got blue screen of death. Rebooted and had to run more……………………………………………………………………………..
No popup in safari 1.24 (v125.12) Mac OS 10.3.8 French
I have had this problem for a week or two. I also hate pop-up/unders and would never click on them — and agree they are equally a nuisance. Though I hate to put up with it and find it extremely annoying, this is a FREE site and am willing to put up with it if MDN sees some revenue from it. Others that bitch should keep that in mind and maybe find another site for their Mac news or send some loot MDN’s way. That’s my 2-cents.
I have had this problem for a week or two. I also hate pop-up/unders and would never click on them — and agree they are equally a nuisance. Though I hate to put up with it and find it extremely annoying, this is a FREE site and am willing to put up with it if MDN sees some revenue from it. Others that b^t¢h should keep that in mind and maybe find another site for their Mac news or send some loot MDN’s way. That’s my 2-cents.
Hey, MDN! Thought you might want to know that I just got treated to my 2nd pop-under in 12 hours. So much for your “it’s okay to bug your readers once every 24 hours” excuse. Yeah, I know you need to make some money here, but this isn’t the way to go about it.
MDN: “You shouldn’t see more than one per 24-hour period from our site.”
Guess again. I’ve been treated to 2 in just over 12 hours. I understand you have to make some money here, but this isn’t the way to go about it.
Running the latest version of Safari, OS X, etc… but with PithHelmet…
No ads!
Get with the program people!!!
Download PithHelmet (for Safari) here:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/18158
Great program.
MDN:
This is NOT OK. Don’t give us incredibly lame rationalizations for why pop-unders, as opposed to pop-ups, are fine–as Aryugaetu pointed out, either way you are intruding onto our desktops with actions/windows we didn’t authorize. And DON’T think you can shift blame to the advertiser since YOU are authorizing it!
This is the first Apple lapse in security that has actually been used “in the wild” to invade Mac computers since OS X as far as I’m aware. If Apple doesn’t fix it soon, I will certainly stop coming to MDN as long as you do this CR*P, and I hope everyone else on this site does the same. Even if Apple fixes it, my opinion and that of most others who visit this site will certainly be far lower of MDN, if you continue with this behavior. Come on, MDN, take the high road; it’s one thing to make a mistake but when it’s pointed out to you how offensive it is to your readers, our respect for you will rise immeasurably if you stop it. No one should have anything done to their computers that they don’t authorize–don’t you get that?
A–so far–loyal daily MDN reader,
RT
I noticed the pop-ups and/or pop-unders after updating to OS X 10.3.8 and Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) yesterday. Most of them are from Mac oriented sites! As someone mentioned previously, there are tons of ads just on this page, why do they need one pop-under ad?
Magic Word is music as in “No internet ads is music to my ears!”
the statement by mdn that they limit thier pop unders to one a day is completely bogus… just try reopening the site a few times and you’ll see… take mdn off your lists til they come clean!
cheatcc.com
i get pop-ups there
1.2.4 (v125.12)
i have been getting poop-ads for about a mouth now… here and there
cheatcc.com
i get pop-ups there a lot
Use Mozilla (I’ve got 1.7) with its cookie manager open. One can remove the cookies which set the once a day timing, turn the popup blocker on and off and watch what happens while reloading MDN. With its popup blocker on Mozilla stops the pop-under unlike Safari and Firefox. This gives a way to test various firewall settings or whatever else comes to mind. Mozilla cookie manager allows blocking of cookies from selective sites. Who needs a cookie with an expiration date so far into the future that the original programer will be dead before it expires!
Re: ONE pop-under ad every 24 hours….
you are incorrect, sir! i just now recieved two, count ’em, TWO pop-unders… IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES!! this is a little disconcerting. either you’re lying… which i do not want to believe… or your ad service is lying to you… which is more likely the case. in any case, you should look into that or i may be less likely to visit MDN.
brought to you by the Magic Word “tax” as in “These pop-under ads are going to “tax” my patience!”
You idiots who think you have the right to tell MDN which and what type of ads to run are the same cheapskates who’ve ignored MDN’s call for donations to defray operating costs in the past. If you want this site for free, you have to realize that the ads have to be here and they have to be ads that people notice because advertisers don’t pay for unobtrusive, unnoticeable ads.
It’s called capitalism. Without the ads, there is no MDN. Or perhaps you’d like to subscribe to an ad-free version of MDN for $19.99/year? Didn’t think so.
Just updated to OS 10.3.8. Got my first pop-ups ads on Safari after that. Definately related to the operating system update. A pain in the ass.
Turn off Javascript and the ads go away.
Tried blocking http://205.180.85.40 like Bill said — didn’t stop it
Just downloaded and tried Camino — didn’t stop it
WTF! It’s like I’m back using IE. It’s a nightmare!!!
Safari 1.2.4, Mac OS 10.3.8
Have reveived the pop-under from this site as of last week, even after resetting Safari. What is the deal?
Might be a good idea just to turn of JavaScript.
I ususally surf w/ JavaScript turned off…rarely have a need for JavaScript or cookies.
The pop under appears with Safari, Omniweb and Firefox.
Looks like the advertising folks are getting smarter.
Aside from the technical discussion, pop-up AND pop-under ads are very obnoxious. You shouldn’t participate in it. Open advertising windows on your own dang computer, not mine.
Curious – got the pop-under for the first time tonight – went to check that my “block pop-up windows” in Safari (1.2.4 (v125.12)) was turned on and it is. Certainly piqued my interest. I’m running OSX 10.3.8 on an 800Mhz DualUSB 14″ iBook.
Getting popups here in Safari 1.2.3 (v125.9). Hate ’em. I do pay attention to on-page ads and do use them, just to be fair and let you know I’m not looking for a free ride.
I’ve been using OS X 10.3.7 with Safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) for a couple weeks now, and I much to my annoyance, I got two pop-unders day before yesterday, once on MDN and once on Interfacelift (Xicons). I reset Safari after the first one, and it made no difference.
Go to http://www.weatherunderground.com – once per day I get a different kind of pop up window – it is very 2 dimensional with an X in the upper right corner to close it.
When I click on a bookmark and enter cheat code central at
http://www.cheatcc.com/frames.html I don’t get popunders, but I do if I go to http://www.cheatcc.com, and then click on enter and I’m directed to cheatcc.com/index2.html. Wonder if something similar would work at any other websites serving popunders.
READ THIS!!!!!!!! brought to you by the Magic Word “read”
I just verified that my above posting regarding modifying the cookie.plist file works.
With the modified Cookie.plist –> I purposefully left on javascript, loaded MDN no popups.
Then I reverted to my prior Cookie file –> relaunched Safari, loaded MDN, and low and behold a popunder.
back to the modified Cookie, no popunder.
You all should easily be able to modify your Cookie files. both in Safari and Firefox, but instead of searching for “macdailynews” (as there are alot of them) instead search for this string “<string>he</string>” or “<string>h2</string>” there could be a couple of them, so search through the entire file. You may not have the h2 cookie. Once you verify that it is a macdailynews cookie, then change the date string for the year from 2005 to 2006, save and relaunch Safari or Firefox.
(Can someone please post the location of the FIrefox cookie file, as I do not use FF.)
Happy popunder free MDN browsing.
Zac
I’ve got a G5 with Safari 1.2.4. Just recently been getting pop-unders. Today I get them every time I return to the main page from an article I’ve been reading. The only other place I get them is once a day at the Matt Drudge website.
Something is not right in wonderland.
I’m getting the popups for the first time running Safari 1.2.4 on OSX 3.8. I only get a popup on this website, but I am sure Apple has heard about this and the fix is in process and will probably be out as an update. That is what is great about Apple.
This really flushed the whole MDN crowd out of the closet didn’t it?
Thanks, Maczac – I was starting to wonder what the cookie’s name was, since I have several MDN cookies.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> I have an he cookie, but not an h2 one.
Anyway, since I don’t think I’ll want pop-unders next year either, instead of changing it to 2006, I changed it to 2037. I figure by then I’ll have a direct cyberjack into my cortex, and pop-up ads will be like nasty flashbacks.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
One way I have found to block ads is to disconnect the ethernet cable from my computer.
Pop-unders appear on: http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20050217.html as well. Using Safari version 1.2.4, OS 10.3.8, 1GHZ PB.
Bye bye MDN. Your pop-under’s are now coming fast and furious…NOT once per 24 hours. I’ll check back with your site in a couple weeks to see if you have cleaned up your act and are actually doing what you say. If not, sayanara forever.
safari 1.2.4 (v125.12) here. as if it mattered, since it sounds like the update 10.3.8 introduced this “inconvenient” javascript behavior. s*** happens, so what. you can expect a fix, but have patience.
my feedback is less on the actual issue, than on the flaming hot feedback on this particular matter. i can not — for the life of me — understand the ungrateful anger displayed in this thread. those of you who want to be oh-so-rightously pissed about getting a pop-whatever ad, write like windows users, imho.
understand that we live in a world where website content is taken for granted. to operate a newssite like MDN costs money (which pays bills, you remember?). you come to this site and expect to be unbothered while browsing its content. if i understand you gripers correctly, you’d be at the newsstand and read the paper, putting it back and never intending to pay! ungrateful bunch. nothing is for free, and everyone with a halfway decent highschool education should know that. but i guess that *some* here were sleeping then.
i don’t like pop-whatevers either, but i don’t throw a tamper tantrum. at least you don’t have to sign up to read the content (and get spam), or have half the site plastered with ads placed around and in the article.
being angry at MDN does not solve the issue, and is childish at best. as you read before, turn off javascript, or if you can’t live without it (i could not imagine why not) then apply the cookie hack. or p*ss, bitch, whine and moan… which never solved a thing, plus gives you nasty wrinkles.
that’s my two cents for those limousine liberals, j/k.
i was so surprised to see the pop-under ad, i had to take a picture in my disbelief.
yours, *always* right and truly
Chris D.:
its not 10.3.8 that did it – I’m getting it on 10.2.
it seems clear its the advertising agents that do the targeted ad selection and delivery that have got clever and found a way around Safari’s (and other’s) popup blocking. The war continues – Safari – its your turn.
the cookie hack, as you say, seems to be pretty neat, or, if you’re really fed up, try pith helment.
Hey – it could be worse – consider the phone company – supplying both sides (telemarketers by giving them service and phone number lists) and then turning around and selling us call blocking and then turning around and selling… talk about an arms merchant…
As you say, everybody should just chill out a bit here. I doubt MDN will be able to get an exclusion from their ad supplier to guarantee no popups/unders, furthermore, at least not quickly – relatively small web site vs. big company – lets have a reality check here.
Chris D: I understand that MDN needs to advertise. Advertise away…but on your main page. There are many adds, and I have even clicked through on them.
However, I specifically chose to block the execution of popups/popunders on my pc (read Mac). What MDN is doing, IMO, is executing unauthorized code.
Sure I usually leave javascript off, so that is not a problem. However, sometimes I forget to turn it off (note to self: write applescript/or java bookmarklet that turns off java in Safari, so lazy old me doesn’t need to manually turn it off.)
My Cookie hack works, the code is plainly visible on MDNs site, and I continue to choose to block it. It is my pc, after all.
Zac
blocking the address of the popups has worked for me via brickhouse filter if it helps anyone, so far no pop ups after deleting all the macdaily news cookies i could see
(continued) hm, then it must be an update we all installed. a security patches (?), which would give me a nasty aftertaste if that intruding behavior was intended. wait, this is not microsoft
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
i tried to follow the code responsible for this nasty pop-under. the code you see some posts above tries to be cute (‘<scri’+’pt […]’) but that is of course only the beginning. someone with more knowledge and time can deal with that. can it be that the code itself is a generally exploited flaw? javascript implementation is part of the software… i would not think of it being part of a framework shared amongst the mentioned browsers? then again, that is me guessing.
zak, S-A-R, and naturally, others… i am with y’all. privacy is something to defend, tooth and nail. if that privacy is compromised, there is a lack of trust. and that can be very dismal for websites/advertising-agents. would it be worth to loose loyal readers because an ad-affiliate gives you a bad name? difficult decision.
“We have replicated the issue with Firefox v 1.0 on the Mac. This would indicate that it is not an issue with Safari.”
This would indicate that is is a problem with both.
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=253831
Safari and Firefox probably have most of the causes fixed in their current development code bases. For Safari you just have wait for another Mac OS release, but for Firefox you can download and use a nightly build right now:
http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightly/latest-trunk/
Hmmmm…. that leads me to believe something has changed in the pop up add industry. They wouldn’t be so silent otherwise. Hopefully Apple and Firefox will be able to render there ads useless once again in the near future.