Microsoft to block pop-ups in new IE

[Rob]

Microsoft plans to add pop-up blocking features to Internet Explorer next year as part of its Service Pack 2 update for Windows XP, a move that would go far toward stamping out the Web advertisements.

Darin Linnman, a Microsoft spokesman, said that the company plans to add the pop-up blocking feature to an updated version of Explorer with Service Pack 2 (SP2) when it's released in the first half of next year. But one caveat, he said, is that Microsoft will be gathering customer feedback that will be weighed as part of the final decision to add the feature.

"I can confirm SP2 will include an update to IE that adds pop-up blocking," Linnman said.

By adding pop-up blocking tools to IE, Microsoft will belatedly join a host of other Web browser makers that let people avoid flashy pop-ups, or advertising windows that appear over or behind requested Web pages. Opera, Mozilla and Netscape--all of which have only a minor share of the total browser market--give users the option to seamlessly block intrusive advertising while surfing the Web. Because Microsoft dominates the browser market, it could greatly influence people's ability to remove the ads with ease.

"A lot of marketers may be mad at Microsoft (because of it), but it could go a long way to killing the pop-up problem. It's just an easier solution to turn it off in the browser" rather than to download anti-pop-up software, said Richard Smith, an Internet security consultant.

Internet service providers have also responded to a consumer outcry against pop-ups in recent years despite potential losses from advertising sales. EarthLink led a trend among ISPs to introduce anti-pop-up tools in 2002. AOL upped the ante last year by promising not to sell pop-ups to third parties, and it released technology to fend off the ads in AOL version 8.0 last October. Microsoft matched AOL's move in its own Internet access software. And just this September, Yahoo and SBC Communications updated their joint Internet access services to include a pop-up ad blocker.

Google has also given people tools to suppress pop-ups through its popular search toolbar.

The moves were the result of deep consumer loathing of pop-ups. About 88 percent of broadband users and 87 percent of dial-up users in North America find that pop-ups interfere with their Web surfing experience, according to Forrester Research. But only 15 percent of consumers have downloaded ad-blocking software. Having a tool in IE could make avoiding the ads simpler.

"It's a recognition that pop-ups are very disruptive to user experience--they're the most hated type of advertising," said Charlene Li, principal analyst for Forrester.

Source: http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5105139.html

Not sure what to think of this, MSN.com has popups.

[Brian]

You mean IE updates? Wow

[niceguyeddie]

I think they are two years behind innovation, myself.

[nickc]

About time.

Nick

[UKZJ007]

Yes about time too!

[UKZJ007]

Yes about time too!

[edbarton]

Won't get me back to IE though, if they can't keep up then I don't see the point. I mean all the other browsers had this ages ago as niceguyeddie and nickc said.

[dkcy]

News Update - Nov 20
Call it spyware, or adware, or just plain annoying ? but it?s everywhere. Programs designed to deliver pop-up advertising have multiplied like viruses in recent months and consumers should get used to it: Companies behind the pop-ups are signing up brand-name advertisers, winning court battles and rolling in cash.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/995180.asp?cp1=1

Comments
Looks like its a fight between Privacy Vs Money....

Who will win?...That reminds to be seen

[LazyJim]

Money - can't live with it, can't live without it.

[Thanol]

It's too bad they have to annoy tens millions of people just to make a few thousand dollars.

[LazyJim]

well some of them are con artists and the like, they don' tcare who they con or who they piss off.

[flash32]

Originally Posted by dkcy

News Update - Nov 20
Call it spyware, or adware, or just plain annoying ? but it?s everywhere. Programs designed to deliver pop-up advertising have multiplied like viruses in recent months and consumers should get used to it: Companies behind the pop-ups are signing up brand-name advertisers, winning court battles and rolling in cash.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/995180.asp?cp1=1

Comments
Looks like its a fight between Privacy Vs Money....

Who will win?...That reminds to be seen

Personal I believe the People will win..the ones that surf the net will play a major roll in what they see. Of Course there will be some exceptions but the bottom line...be it 1 month or 20 years...the SurfPeople will Win....

I know I am going to change from IE to Netscrape and forget about Bill G. and IE...Can't stand either one of them...
Flash32

[Distorted]

From what I've read, the only way that you'll now be able to update IE is with a new OS. They say that IE has reached its zenith, so IE 6 was the last stand alone application.

I can't remember where I read that, but I'm sure that it can be found by typing "Internet Explorer Update" in google.

[livetoserve]

I was under the impression that IE was no more.. that Microsoft was discontinuing it's development due to having to pay out millions of dollars for using plug-ins that microsoft didn't develop.. *talking from what i've been told.. don't know how factual all this is*

Anyway I thought IE wasn't under development anymore. Not that it bothers me.. I'm Opera Loyal myself.. hehe

[LazyJim]

What I heard is...
They hav to do minor updates required by legal action on IE6, (but no more full updates).
future IE will only be in Windows OS.

[trainer]

You're thinking of the now-infamous TechNet article in which a Microsoft spokesman uttered:

As part of the OS, IE will continue to evolve, but there will be no future standalone installations. IE6 SP1 is the final standalone installation.

Further improvements to IE will require enhancements to the underlying OS.

So IE7 will not exist except as part of Longhorn, which won't be until 2007 or even later.

Lots of insightful commentary on this topic can be found here, here, here and here.

[theNetPlace.com]

I think a pop-up blocker in IE will be the death knell for the effectiveness of that advertising method.

Interruption-based advertising will never go away though. Gator and garbage like that will continue to infest the machines of the non-computer-literate. I have to clean it off my parents' machine every few months.

Some people view any opportunity to make money as acceptable, whether they are destroying the user experience or not. They truly believe that as long as it is legal, it is acceptable.

[LazyJim]

it shouldn't be legal then...

... even some try to find loop-holes that make things legal enough to do even though strictly speaking they are illegal.


Anyone heeard what M$ have decided to do with their Smart Tags in all web pages idea?

[spacefem]

Originally Posted by LazyJim

it shouldn't be legal then...

um... i don't we should pass laws based on ethics of usability, even if I am mad at gator...

I hope MSIE blocks pop-ups. It would end the market. Yes, I have pop-ups on some of my site's pages, I admit they're annoying, but I only put them there because I knew my friends who used mozilla and konqueror and like EVERY OTHER BROWSER besides IE wouldn't care. They make me some decent money at the expense of IE users, and I only have them on like three pages.

If IE killed the pop-up market, no one would pay for pop-ups, but they would still pay for advertisements. Ads just wouldn't be as annoying.

[theNetPlace.com]

I believe it will drive more money to 'legitimate' advertising (driving prices up) and to crapware like Gator.