Dreamwidth + Firefox

[karen2205]

I don't currently have any more invite codes for Dreamwidth. I'll let you know if/when I have more. In the meantime, try asking people who've recently created an account in a few days time, as they're likely to be issued with invite codes in due course. Or go and have a look at dw_codesharing/Dreamwidth codesharing.

reddragdiva/reddragdiva twittered earlier about No Script; an add on Firefox users can install to prevent websites running scripts without explicit permission. It seems that previously useful software is now being exploited for advertising gains:-( I don't currently have it installed and won't be installing it again until someone more technically competent than me tells me it's useful again or points me at an alternative.

I've just been through my Dreamwidth access list removing a lot of Open ID accounts. When I imported my friends' list from LiveJournal, something was broken and all of the communities and feeds I had on my LiveJournal friends list were given Open IDs. I intended to just remove those accounts, if I've removed you, it's from accidentally clicking the wrong box in scanning down a very long list.

Comments

[hatman]

Thanks for the head's up about NoScript. I was getting set to disable it when I took a closer look at that page you linked. There's a new version of NoScript out today. Author apologized and removed the anti-AdBlock thingy.

Also, while I'm writing, I thought I'd point out this post. A thingy I set up to help get people new accounts.

[calum]

NoScript is useful security software that is updated about once a week. Its paid for by the adverts you view when you go to their website. It's always been that way.. If you don't like seeing a non-intrusive advert when you go to their website.. then dont use it.

It's recently become a big fuss because the maintainer of Easylist for Adblock Pro explicitly blacklisted the adverts on the NoScript site. There's a bit of an ideological clash there - the Adblock people believe you should never have to look at adverts, the NoScript maintainer believes he has the right to use advertising revenue to pay for his work.

Then it escalated, because the NoScript maintainer used NoScript to install a Adblock whitelist entry for the NoScript site. This was wrong, he shouldn't have done this. He's already admitted that, and has said the next version will ask the user to whitelist it, rather than doing it automatically.

But I think there will remain a tension between people who use advertising revenue to allow them to fund their work, and people who make software to block advertising.. They have philosophically opposed views, and will never agree. I think as long as either side targets the other.. The users of both pieces of software suffer.

I'll continue using NoScript becuase it does something I want software to do - it blocks unwanted JavaScript, and filters several other sneaky web tricks. It shouldnt have to exist - Firefox should have something like this built in.. but as long as browser manufacturers dont take security seriously enough, I'm glad it does