Wally 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (3172) comment rss

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 17 Mar, 2013 @ 01:33pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: I use AdBlock because I don't want ads. Period.

    Well, it still shows you ads, but the tracking used in iOS is analytical and it only sends you ads based on your app and web browsing activities. It is sort of like FaceBook's targeted advertising and "sponsored links" schemes.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 17 Mar, 2013 @ 01:30pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Side-loading

    "Google has no walled garden. This isn't iOS where someone is telling you what you can or cannot download and install."

    You missed the part where I mentioned that Google's walled garden had nothing to do with development and adding apps and that it pertains more towards advertising.

    "And we all know Apple does the same thing regularly, so why is it in this case, when Google does it, that it becomes "a dick move"?"

    We already know Apple had one...but that is usually from error or truly harmful apps that briefly end up on iTunes. Google pulled AdBlock Plus specifically because it basically "interfered with business"...what businsess was that??? Advertising. Google's main income is advertising.

    "As far as the various adblocking apps go though, they are in fact in direct violation of Google's Terms of Service for developers."

    I use AdBlock Plus on a regular basis. The web browser extensions work exactly the same as the app did....it blocked internet advertisements ....as in web browsing ads. How many Android developers are affected by an app that blocks ads as you surf the web? Google pulled AdBlock Plus because the app blocked ads made by Google's in house advertising business. Pullinng it from the app store was nothing but a dick move and denying that fact is detrimental to your statement stating I know nothing.

    "Seriously, Wally, stop trying to make Android seem like this insanely complicated mobile OS that no one who isn't a developer would ever be able to figure out."

    Maybe you should ask your grandma to root your phone for you and see how she reacts. It is not clearly written how do side load any app at all out of the box...which is where most average consumers like myself know nothing about it..that's right I know nothing about Android, but I know a dick move when I see one. It was Google's decision to remove AdBlock Plus when they had no reason to.....not Google's developers who work on Android...it was a descision pushed by Google's advertising division AdSense.

    "So stop painting Google as some kind of villain. Is it not cool that they did this? Yes. Is it the end of the world? Not in the least. Is rooting beyond easy? Insanely so. Ditto side loading? Yep."

    Is rooting/unlocking your device currently legal in the US??? Nope.

    "As far as side loading goes, even easier, as it doesn't require root to side load an app. You literally click on an apk and it tells you to go into Security in Settings and tick off allow Unknown Sources."

    That is a security issue.

    "Ah yes, the "rooting is hard" argument you've used before. If the app is gone, most people won't know about it period. But you don't have to be "tech savvy" to know about rooting or side loading."

    Well lets see, might not be very hard and people can get instructions on how to do it...but it is not current legal here in the US because rooting your device is not legal.

    "Google has no garden, they have their own store where they curate the items on the shelves. But you are free to walk out of their store and visit any number of others, or even get directly from the manufacturer/developer. This, by definition, is the opposite of a walled garden."

    Might not be for development, but you are stuck to Google's advertising company, AdSense, and cannot use anyone else. The walled garden is their mobile advertising business.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 08:20pm

    Re: Re: Side-loading

    Turn off targeted advertising in iOS and you won't be tracked. The fact that Google pulled AdBlock Plus from its own store and left its usefulness to other markets indicates Google's own walled garden. It's not in app development as much as it is advertising. As John Fenderson had indicated below where these ads that Google typically allows to run track users. The AdBlock Plus app prevented advertisers from tracking Android users as well as block Internet browsing ads. Its not political and its not Apple vs. Google/Android, it's the simple fact that Google's main income stems from advertising now and that the app they pulled, which actually benefits the consumer by saving on bandwidth and download caps, and preventing their activities from being tracked by a computer running an algorithm...

    Needless to say, Google pulled a dick move. There are a lot more less tech savvy people using Android than you know...not everyone is an Android developer like you, and because of that, the less tech savvy people won't know about rooting or side loading or any crap like that.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 08:02pm

    Re: Re: I use AdBlock because I don't want ads. Period.

    The only honest advertising in banners not perusing to the site you're visiting we're those that got NetFlix its start :-) John Fenderson you're on role tonight and I think you honed in on the issue squarely in the balls.

    On that note, you can turn off Targeted Advertising on iOS devices...albeit the settings are squirreled away a bit but they are there and they do work...the ads remain but you aren't tracked. Does Android even have an option to turn off the tracking advertisers do?

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 07:57pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Too harsh on Google

    You should give the FireFox browser extension a whirl on your PC. Once you've subscribed to all the filters...you will see a world of difference. The so called "subscription" is basically a compilation of lists from various volunteers. It makes a very huge aesthetic difference.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 05:51pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: You guys are insane

    Most of the server filter that AdBlock Plus filters out are from China, the Ukraine..etc...


    What is really cool about the browser extension version is that it allows you to see what it filters. The list in each one is quite extensive as there are 11 different subscribed filters you can add to your list and each one of them from a different country.

    The mobile app version uses a proxy to access these lists rather than storing them locally within the system like the browser extension versions do.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 05:39pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Forgot this:
    http://adblockplus.org/en/android-about

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 05:39pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    The other thing we didn't account for is that the requirements for AdBlock Plus on Android require you to use a proxy. I do wonder, however, if the app they pulled as an imposter. The specific characters of the app should be "AdBlock Plus".

    This is from the website:

    "Adblock Plus for Android is an Android app that runs in the background and filters ads, using the same filter lists as the Adblock Plus browser extensions . It works on Android version 2.1 and higher."

    That being said, it seems that the advertisements it blocks serve no purpose except to fund Google and online advertising companies. The people advertising pay Google to run the ads while you are running an app, and the developers of said apps are likely to get the short end of the stick. The advertisement's only purposes are to spam/sell other products to a user of an app, and to fund the existence of an app.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 02:32pm

    Re: Too harsh on Google

    It is illegal in the US to root your device and AdBlock Plus requires a rooted device to function straight out of the box without a proxy. The funny thing is, it is only meant to filter web browsing advertisements in WiFi mode and not block in app advertisements. There is really no reason to have it pulled from Google Play in the first place as the app does not harm App developers in any way.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 01:46pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Who makes money? The person who made the app you are using? or the person that created the app that is being advertised for? It is pervasive advertising. If Google was as open as everyone says it is, why doesn't Google just advertisements altogether? Oh that's right...because you have to pay Google to run your ad in the first place.

    You can make money from Apps with in game content extras...Armor Games' "Flight", NimbleBit's "Tiny Tower", Half Brick's "JetPack Joyride" make a killing on in app purchases for coins and extras....and they also let you earn the in game monetary supplements as well. Do any of them advertise for other products at the bottom of the screen as you play? No. If a developer wants to make money, that is the way to go. Because of those games, in-app advertising is going to be a thing of the past so long as devs don't use the FarmVille carrot on a stick method to grab your cash.

    However, since the AdBlock Plus app only pertains to surfing the web, does your questioning me about my statement really seem relevant? AdBlock Plus is essential to web browsing on mobile devices because it conserves not only battery power, but it also prevents advertisers from taking advantage of users.

    Some advertisements go out of the way to look like a Google Play app and fill the screen to do that. It not only banishes Banners into thin air, it also prevents actual popup ads from happening and redirects....so it is not just a tool to save battery life, it is a security tool.

    You want to know who gets the most money out of advertising? It isn't developers...it is those who create the advertisement. Unless you have an ad space that advertises for your own products and/or services sold on your website, it is not worth the trouble of having the ads that AdBlock Plus does in fact block.

  • On the post: Reuters Editor Faces 10 Years In Prison Because Vandalism Is A Federal Crime When It Involves Computers

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 01:21pm

    Re: IT

    Willfully defacing a website and violating a tribune's right to free press is also a crime. The point is that even if the damage done is not irreparable and can be fixed in minutes is irrelevant to the fact that it actually happened. Keys had security credentials and gave them to a third party to deface the LA Times website. That is a crime. He handed over security credentials to hackers and told them to got fuck up the website.

    I wonder if Ole Juul has ever read up on the legal implications of willful intent, conspiracy, and violating a news organization's rights. Didn't take me too long to think outside of potential damage.........At least I have the ability to think outside the box Ole Juul.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 01:09pm

    Re: Re: Re: What I've learned from the comments here

    The app runs the same way the browser extension does.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 01:07pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: More Google being Google.

    Both methinks:

    "Adblock Plus for Android is an Android app that runs in the background and filters ads, using the same filter lists as the Adblock Plus browser extensions. It works on Android version 2.1 and higher."


    http://adblockplus.org/en/android-about


    If the device is rooted, Adblock Plus will filter all web traffic out of the box.

    On non-rooted devices running Android 3.1 and higher, Adblock Plus will filter all WiFi traffic out of the box.

    On non-rooted devices running Android 3.0 and older, Adblock Plus needs to be configured as a proxy server manually. Some devices do not support proxy configuration, and Adblock Plus does not work on those.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 12:03pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    That is kind of difficult to say considering AdBlock Plus is the only Ad BLocker that actually proficiently blocks ads for free...and you can add them if they miss any...

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 12:01pm

    Re: The reason I use Ad-Block Plus...

    And lets not forget tiny "close" buttons that are damn near impossible for any grown adult to tap on with a finger.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 12:00pm

    Re: bypass em...

    " No offense to those who use them to pay their bills of course, but IMHO irritating people with ads is not an ethical way to make money."

    To be fair, advertisers typically offer to pay for the service costs in running a web page. But you are right, the person making the web page makes no money so the only people "suffering" are the advertisers.

    The worst add I came across on a web page on my mobile device was a recent one at Cracked.com...an Ocean Spray ad on my iPod Touch's web browser that had a tiny little x to close it after a "wave" of cranberry juice covered the entire screen. If you didn't hit the "x" precisely to get rid of the ad, you got redirected to an ad page whose server was somewhere in the Ukraine.....

    Needless to say, it is actually quite intrusive to advertise like that.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 11:49am

    Re: Re: More Google being Google.

    AdBlock Plus only modifies the presentation layer to block out the ads so they are not visible to you on the screen.

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 11:47am

    Re: Re: What I've learned from the comments here

    Well that depends on the definition of "user". Advertisers uses Google's AddSense....aren't they users of Google and its services?

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 11:45am

    Re: What I've learned from the comments here

    1. AdBlock Plus is a browser app and or extension. Google had no right to block it out of Google Play. It violated the interest of those running on their advertising scheme...damn curmudgeons.

    2. Google is most certainly acting out of self interest...but at the benefit of their most highly prized customers...I'll give you a hint, it isn't Android users.

    3. Just because ads are a part of a business model that doesn't mean you as a consumer MUST view them, but Google thinks so and all AddBlock Plus was used for was surfing the World Wide Web safely.

    4. Technology or any method of avoiding ads is completely ethical and Google missed that point by a long shot.

    5. Unlike iOS there are alternatives to download and install apps (Amazon and Samsung for example). Two separate stores that do not carry AdBlock Plus, which is free, whose developers used no advertising to promote its product. If anything, Google is becoming more like Apple in that sense.

    6. This move by Google will at worst backfire with huge backlash.

      Fixed that for you ;-)

  • On the post: Bad Move: Google Removes AdBlock Plus From Google Play Store

    Wally ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2013 @ 11:34am

    Re: You guys are insane

    ""The whole reason that Adblock exists is to fight back against bad advertising."

    ...and it kills all the sources of revenue app developers DEPEND ON TO MAKE A LIVING in the meantime!"


    While some advertising is OK, AdBlock plus blocks out the ad spaces on a web page. The ads sent to these spaces are random and from various servers around the world.

    The advertisers pay to have their ads run on pages. AdBlock Plus sends a signal stating that you actually "saw" the advertisements because that is how it works. AdBlock Plus works by taking incoming data and modifying the Presentation layer of a web page to not show advertisements.
    The connection is still present but only to indicates that their ad was "seen".

    That being said as long as nothing is shown at the presentation layer in the OSI model, you cannot click on the ad's inadvertently or see them. So all that really is done is blanking those spaces out.

Next >>