AdBlock for Chrome

[Renegade]

AdBlock for Chrome

App Name	AdBlock for Chrome
App URL	https://chrome.googl...urce=chrome-ntp-icon http://code.google.c.../p/adblockforchrome/
App Version Reviewed	2.5.31
Test System Specs	Windows 7 Ultimate x64 AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.20 GHz 16 GB RAM 128 GB SSD system drive
Supported OSes	N/A
Support Methods	N/A
Upgrade Policy	Freeware
Trial Version Available?	N/A
Pricing Scheme	N/A
Author Donation Link	N/A
Reviewer Donation Link	N/A
Screencast Video URL	Unknown
Relationship btwn. Reviewer and Product	N/A

Intro:


Blocks ads on web pages in Firefox, Chrome and Safari.

AdBlock for Chrome


I have used this app extensively for a prolonged period. My review is based on that experience, and not reading specs or installing it for 10 minutes.


Who is this app designed for:


For anyone interested in getting rid of ads on web pages.


The Good


It filters many ads. A lot of good work done there. It's comprehensive.

Works well on some sites, but primarily those without many ads.


The needs improvement section


The plugin simply doesn't work well for people that use many tabs, or on web pages that include many ads, especially those that use JavaScript.

The plugin will make many web sites unresponsive or cause extreme delays in scrolling. These difficulties are far from minor. They are critical failures that make the software essentially unusable, except for those that are immortal and can wait for extremely long periods, e.g. minutes.

Scrolling problems include unresponsiveness and "chunking" with each scroll-wheel click taking several seconds or longer.

Disabling or uninstalling the plugin resolves all these issues immediately.


Why I think you should use this product


If you are a very light web user, then this might be for you.


How does it compare to similar apps


I have yet to see an app like this that works decently. So, it fails just as badly as all the others I've tried.


Conclusions


This is another fail for the web.

The basic premise of the development is a horrible, irresponsible, failure that a tiny bit of foresight could have forseen. It relies on an interpreted language when a compiled language is needed. This task cannot be done in JavaScript. It needs real muscle to do properly.

This is not really a reflection on the developers as far as I can tell. I have yet to see any highly-functional JavaScript-based plugins or extensions (like this plugin) that actually work decently for the web at large. (I have seen some that work beautifully for specific web sites though.)

Again, this is a problem with an interpreted language being used to do what a compiled language should be used to do.


Links to other reviews of this application


Unknown. Not interested in the opinions of people who read specs or post based on a few minutes of use, e.g. CNET.

[Deozaan]

Thanks for the mini-review.

But why not use AdBlock Plus for Chrome from the folks at AdBlockPlus.org? (The ones who make it for Firefox.)

[MilesAhead]

I use AdBlock Plus in chromium 20.x. Also a good idea is disabling plugins in chromium settings. This totally kills off the "sudden loud noise" phenomenon when landing on a web page.

If I want to play a clip I right click on it and click Run This Plugin.  Works on about 95% of clips. In the rare case when the hitch in timing messes up the response I just load the same page in Firefox using Selector hotkey.

Since I only use Firefox as secondary browser I don't mess with all the NoScript settings. I just set it to block everything unless I want to play something on a particular page. I find this approach removes all the "white list" tedium and just gets the job done.

I don't mind the ads so much if they are just graphical. But that sudden screech business should be illegal.

[Renegade]

Y'know... Every now and then I go back to trying a few plugins/extensions like this -- run them for a while (usually several months minimum) -- then give up in frustration.

I've cut back on the number of tabs I keep open, and start shutting them when I get to around 30 to 50.

Not sure if I want to try that other one... I'll mull it over... I've had some loud audio surprise me, and it's impossible to shut that down when you have 50 tabs open. Loud audio on web pages just drives me nuts. (If it improved on speed by a factor of around 10~20 or so, then it would be probably worth putting up with that kind of a delay.)

[MilesAhead]

I don't run a lot of tabs. So I don't have actual experience of your situation. But the only way I've found that handles the sudden audio is the chrome built in setting to just block all plugins. I seldom have more than 5 tabs open. But even so, I don't remember the last time I got surprised by noise just opening page. It's the best solution I've found so far. It's not part of AdBlock Plus. It's just a chrome content setting.

[Carol Haynes]

Been using AdBlock plus in Chrome for ages without any issues that I have noticed. Usually have a minimum of 6 tabs open.

[Renegade]

Been using AdBlock plus in Chrome for ages without any issues that I have noticed. Usually have a minimum of 6 tabs open.

-Carol Haynes (April 27, 2012, 07:41 PM)

It also depends on the specific site. Sites with a lot of JavaScripted ads are particularly bad.

[Renegade]

Been a while, but to follow up...

I've been using AdBlock Plus:

https://chrome.googl...lbpkdaibdccddilifddb

That one. (Seems like there are a trillion called "AdBlock".)

It has been working just dandy with no significant issues.