We are of kindred minds on this subject. I don’t have a bad, outdated, or backwoods system, but some sites we get linked to are so FULL of ads, pop-ups, auto videos, etc., that they just lock my system in super slow mode. I used to be patient. Now I just close them out and go back to good ole Free Republic where I can discuss conservatism unhindered by intrusions.
“We are of kindred minds on this subject. I don’t have a bad, outdated, or backwoods system, but some sites we get linked to are so FULL of ads, pop-ups, auto videos, etc., that they just lock my system in super slow mode. I used to be patient. Now I just close them out and go back to good ole Free Republic where I can discuss conservatism unhindered by intrusions.”
So many of the links have ads that carry warnings from CA and/or Norton that they are potentially dangerous sites.
Many of these ads overwhelm Comcast, which is probably in bed with them.
I find myself using Google to go to my favorite sites. I have combined Ad Muncher with Norton’s system that checks out sites. Ad Muncher eliminates many of those sites. If it doesn’t Norton may warn you not to log on or show that the site is not approved by Norton.
I live out in the country and there's no high-speed access here.* I am using a 56K dial-up line, a 30 year old technology.
I, too, have trouble with most sites linked from FR. My solution is to be proactive and use free tools to clean up and speed up loading these sites:
- Ghostery disallows sites from tracking me and eliminates the Discus comments which take forever to load at 56K.
- AdBlockPlus is my main weapon. I don't see pop-up ads, video ads that start as soon as you get to the site, most images and all the fancy graphics.
ABP come with a great set of filters and lets you add your own filters as well. I have added hundreds of custom filters and most sites load fairly quickly. I have found if you use ABP to deny a site access to it's .css files you can really cut down on wasted broadband. After all, if you're like me, you're most interested in the text on a site and not all the fancy addons and graphics.
*Before you respond to this reply with a story about satellite Internet, been there, tried that, didn't like the results or the customer service. As for using a cell modem, I've tried that too. Get disconnected too much and $70/month is way too much just for Internet service that is too unreliable.
You might get the idea from this reply that I'm a curmudgeon. You'd be right :)
Oh, and since this is a FReepathon thread, DONATE NOW TO FREE REPUBLIC. Become a monthly donor of $5 or $10. Set it up in your checking account as a recurring transaction. Help FR!