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Safari Block 2 released

by Christina Warren Dec 15th 2007 at 11:00AM


Mat posted about Safari 3 Adblock earlier this week. To me, the most impressive feature of that plug-in is its support for Adblock Plus filter subscriptions. In that same vein, SafariBlock, a program TUAW has covered in the past has received a significant update. In version 2.0, not only is the plug-in now open souce, but it is also compatible with AdBlock Plus subscriptions! It's Leopard compatibility has been improved from version 1.3.1 as well. I had some trouble getting SafariBlock 2 installed (the installer and a manual installation gave me errors), but the plug-in ended up working just fine.

Having played around with both plug-ins, I think that they both have their pros and cons. While SafariAdblock seems to be a little bit better at distinguishing between ad and non-ad flash videos (SafariBlock automatically whites out some video windows that are actual content, even if they appear near an ad header), SafariBlock is much better at working with web forms and sites that need to launch an action in either another window or in some sort of pop-up.

In any event, AdBlock Plus filter support has instantly transformed my Safari experience - bringing one of my favorite Firefox features to a browser that tends to be more stable on my system. Plus, SafariBlock is free - and I'm a big fan of free.

Thanks egordin!

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Mat posted about Safari 3 Adblock earlier this week. To me, the most impressive feature of that plug-in is its support for Adblock Plus...
 

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Jeff Decker

How do I temporarily suspend the adblocking if I need something that is being blocked? Is there a hot key or do I need to go to preferences each time, to turn it on, and then to turn it off?
Thanks!!!

December 15 2007 at 9:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David Chartier

Y'know, I've reversed my stance on apps and plug-ins like this. While invasive pop-up ads are one thing, the majority of the web seems to agree that ads in-line on a page are reasonable, or at the least, a necessary evil. If you block ads on a site but come to read that site's content, you're effectively stealing. As a web-based writer and blogger who makes his entire living from the sites I write for, I really can't see it any other way.

I'm not saying I love advertising, that's an entirely different conversation. But there's no other way for most sites to make money—it's not like most of TUAW's or Ars Technica's readers are going to start paying a basic subscription just to read the site, are they?

December 15 2007 at 5:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
5 replies to David Chartier's comment
Rollins

Won't work for me under Leopard. Just doesn't show up, tried both manual and automatic installation methods.

December 15 2007 at 4:37 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Rollins's comment
Jared Ferguson

I too cannot seem to get this to work. Leopard, default install. No extra Safari plugins. Ideas?

December 16 2007 at 4:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dave

Would love to see someone compare SafariBlock, AdBlock and PithHelmet.

PithHelmet has generally rocked and been great solution for me but I am unsure if the new SafariBlock or AdBlock has bested it.

- Dave

December 15 2007 at 3:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Dave's comment
Christina Warren

Actually, I've got something in the works for that right now :-)

December 15 2007 at 5:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Steve Clifford UK

Thanks for the heads up for this app, however i like the wallpaper, any link?

December 15 2007 at 2:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Steve Clifford UK's comment
Christina Warren

Sure - I got it here: http://Konstantino.deviantart.com/art/Apple-Merry-Christmas-Wide-44346436

That's the widescreen version, but a standard screen version exists too. My favorite Holiday Mac Wallpaper

December 15 2007 at 8:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
AG

It even gets rid of the annoying ads on MacRumors, MacSurfer, and Engadget! It does slow things down a bit, but if i don't have to be annoyed by another "You've won a free iPhone" ad, I'm happy.

December 15 2007 at 1:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
bondsbw

Great product!

Now, here's something for someone to work on... iPhone support.

I figure that nearly half, or more than half, of the bandwidth I use in web surfing comes from ads. With EDGE speeds, it is quite annoying.

December 15 2007 at 12:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Saxon

Is it just me or is SafariBlock dramatically slowing Safari when it's rendering pages?

December 15 2007 at 12:05 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rasmus

After installing safariblock 2.0, Safari 3.0 keeps crashing everytime i open the application. What can i do to revert it so i can use safari again? Please help a newbie to the mac platform.

December 15 2007 at 11:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Rasmus's comment
ktx

(This is how to do it on Tiger. It is likely also the same for Leopard, but I'm not sure)

1) Shut down Safari

2) Open up your home folder (the one with your username and the house icon)

3) Open "Library"

4) Open "InputManagers"

5) Drag "SafariBlock" to the Trash

The next time you open up Safari, it will be SafariBlock-less

December 15 2007 at 1:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rasmus

Thanks ktx,

Regards Rasmus,

December 17 2007 at 6:12 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
unteins

I find it ironic that a site with as many ads as TUAW is pimping adblocking software :)

I wish I could get this for MobileSafari since TUAW accounts for about 75% of my data usage on the iPhone :)

December 15 2007 at 11:38 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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