Thread heading looking weird

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Michael, I've visually compared the html for with ABP and without and there is no difference at that stage so it must on a layer above that…… I think

Roger

edited for shpellin

Edited By Rockingdodge on 27/03/2020 15:44:44

[Enough!Participant @enough]

I just turned off Windscribe (Proxy, although I wasn't invoking it to hide my IP on this site) and that brought the Machine-DRO ad back – without flashing – and cleaned up the heading …. although there is still some text bleed-down from the "Model Engineer Magazine" section of the header.

Windscribe is described as a "proxy and ad-blocker" but as I say, I wasn't actually invoking it on this site.

The lack of flashing of the M-Dro ad is interesting since I recall from way back someone here had suggested a method of turning off the flashing (while still seeing the ad) before I used an ad-blocker. Can't recall now how it was done.

RD – you don't know what you're missing

Edited By Bandersnatch on 27/03/2020 15:53:35

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by An Other on 27/03/2020 14:36:17:

Do people only read the last post in these threads or what? Several people have noted that disabling Adblocker has no effect – the problem is still there, yet people make definitive statements that the problem is due to Adblocker.

…

Well, it appears my post wasn't read too carefully! On my machine I recreated the problem by disabling AdBlockPlus. But I also said 'Being on Linux, I'm controlling these things with browser settings. Windows users may find adblocking is being done by their Anti-virus software; most AVM packages have 'web protection' features.'

To be clear, many different security packages include advert blocking features. There isn't a single simple answer that works for everyone. You have to check what's on your machine. It's perfectly possible to have two or more ad-blocking applications active at the same time, and it may be necessary to turn them all off before adverts appear.

Michael mentions Javascript blocking, another possibility. Good suggestion except in this particular case I don't think the M-DRO advert uses Javascript. (Might be wrong; I'm not sure how the ad changes.)

Where adverts come from is security relevant, and how they are dealt varies between installations.

1. The top banner and first ArcEuro ad are from 'servedbyadbutler.com', and use Javascript.

2. The M-DRO advert is from 'www.machine-dro.co.uk'

3. The adverts in the side-banner are hosted by this forum.

Category 3 adverts are the most trustworthy from a security point of view. Most ad-blockers automatically allow them because they're part of the website of interest.

Category 2 adverts are less trustworthy because they depend on a third party who might be tracking or dispensing irrelevant material or malware. In this example, M-DRO is clean. An ad-blocker is likely to take these out unless told not to; suspicion is enough.

Category 1 adverts are very likely to get walloped by an ad-blocker, anti-tracking or other security package because they definitely are tracking, can be abused, and contain Javascript. ( adbutler on Model Engineering Forum is certainly benign, but the same can't be said of other websites.)

Ad-blockers also use different blacklists of websites and web domains known to be dispensing undesirable material. None of the ads on the forum are blacklisted, unless it's been done locally by you. (Unlikely)

Hope that makes sense! If missing adverts are a concern, check all your security settings.

Dave

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Bandersnatch on 27/03/2020 15:52:23:

I just turned off Windscribe (Proxy, although I wasn't invoking it to hide my IP on this site) and that brought the Machine-DRO ad back – without flashing – […]

The lack of flashing of the M-Dro ad is interesting […}

.

Very interesting

… because the source image appears to be a 'native flasher' [so to speak]

**LINK**

<img src="/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/images/banners/myford-no-gift (002).gif" alt="Forum sponsored by Allendale Jan 24th" class="StdImage">

MichaelG.

[An OtherParticipant @another21905]

Michael Gilligan:

Quote:

A)……Is that intended to be a dig at me ?

B) … or is it by mere chance that it immediately follows my post ?

C) Either way … I have made no such 'definitive statement'

end Quote

A) I do not understand why you should think I was taking a dig at you – I was simply pointing out a fact drawn from the posts I had read.

B) If you care to look at the timing of the posts, your post was 26 March, 21.53.07. Mine was a day later on 27 March 14.36.17 – hardly "immediately after' yours.

C) Where in my post does it say you made a definitive statement?. There are posts where statements have been made that certain software has caused the problem, but I would say that has by no means been proved at the time of the posts: I was simply suggesting more evidence would be useful, so that people who know what they are doing could perhaps provide an answer.

Rather sad that you feel the need to make such comments

This site may be some help to you: Link

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by An Other on 27/03/2020 19:29:41:

[…]

B) If you care to look at the timing of the posts, your post was 26 March, 21.53.07. Mine was a day later on 27 March 14.36.17 – hardly "immediately after' yours.

[…]

.

“immediately follows” was the phrase that I used

… no timescale expressed

MichaelG.

.

Edit: I have sent you a personal message regarding your link, and your attitude.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/03/2020 20:08:10

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 27/03/2020 19:14:58:

Posted by Bandersnatch on 27/03/2020 15:52:23:

The lack of flashing of the M-Dro ad is interesting […}

.

Very interesting

… because the source image appears to be a 'native flasher' [so to speak]

I wish I could recall how I turned off flashing in the first place – before and independently of using ad blockers. It came out of a discussion here some years ago …. I think it concerned the way IE at the time was displaying the site (and the conventional wisdom was to use IE in an alternative, more basic/original mode). The subject of flashing ads came up and seemed to be despised by many and someone suggested a way to turn it off. In any browser as I recall.

If that's still working for me (and it seems to be) then I'll make an exception for this site in my blockers. The ads are fine – appropriate and useful. It's just the darned "in your face" stuff that I hate. (Does it really generate more business? – not from me, that's for sure)

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Oops … My error: The actual gif seems to be static

**LINK**

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/images/banners/myford-no-gift%20(002).gif

Not sure where the ‘flasher’ is to be found.

MichaelG.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Double Oops … it does flash [albeit slower than I expected]

MichaelG

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/03/2020 22:30:05

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Just as an experiment… I use win 10 + Edge browser no Adbloc set up, the header problem is only on this forum.I opened Chrome browser & noted there was an Adbloc icon in the top right corner of the address page, clicked on it to reveal an option block… turn off adbloc was one of the options, turned it off…Problem solved no fault in the header… so it was adbloc on the Chrome browser !. As Edge is now using Chrome base it may be worth others who have Chrome installed on their pc/laptop to do what I've done

George.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Well found, George !!

MichaelG.

[Kiwi BlokeParticipant @kiwibloke62605]

OK, it seems that there's some sort of unfortunate interaction between web site HTML code, browser, ad-blocker and a triggering advertisement. It seems bass-ackwards to blame the ad-blocker. No ad = no problem. One should not have to accept problems resulting from trying to prevent unwanted content invading one's computer. Grrr!

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Kiwi Bloke on 27/03/2020 23:02:45:

OK, it seems that there's some sort of unfortunate interaction between web site HTML code, browser, ad-blocker and a triggering advertisement. It seems bass-ackwards to blame the ad-blocker. […]

.

The ‘unfortunate interaction’ is simply that the page layout assumes the presence of the banner advertisement.

The height is not fixed, it adjusts to accommodate the banner … no banner and it collapses; with with [provided that the ‘Forum sponsored by:’ line is also blocked] the effect illustrated in the opening post.

They could, presumably, have coded the layout differently: but why would MTM want to do that, when the banner ad is from the ‘Sponsor’ ?

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/03/2020 23:47:38

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

With Privacy Badger Disabled I get the window at the top with just a small icon in the top left corner, have to click it to see it's the Model Engineer ad. Using Win10 and Chrome.

See the Machine DRO scrolling advert all the time.

Emgee

[Kiwi BlokeParticipant @kiwibloke62605]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 27/03/2020 23:14:13:

… They could, presumably, have coded the layout differently: but why would MTM want to do that, when the banner ad is from the ‘Sponsor’ ?

MichaelG.

Er, perhaps because loads of grumpy old gits like myself run ad-blockers…

Other ads get displayed, so are presumably of an 'acceptable' category, as far as ad-blockers are concerned. If it's important to display a sponsor's ad, presumably it's possible to code the page appropriately.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

<< Good Morning, Campers >>

Am I alone in noticing a recent change in the behaviour of the Sponsor’s advertisement ?

What I am seeing is much easier on the eye

MichaelG.

.

Edit: It’s now reverted to the previous behaviour … is someone tinkering ?

… or was the server suffering latency ?

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 28/03/2020 07:20:12

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 28/03/2020 07:25:13

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by An Other on 27/03/2020 19:29:41:

…

Rather sad that you feel the need to make such comments

This site may be some help to you: Link

The link is offensive and ill-judged. I can see exactly why Michael thought you might be taking a poke at him. Try reading what you said rather than what you meant!

Never mind, it's a lovely day! No need for the gentlemen to ask their seconds to arrange a dawn encounter with doctor present…

Dave

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 27/03/2020 20:01:49:

Posted by An Other on 27/03/2020 19:29:41:

[…]

Edit: I have sent you a personal message regarding your link, and your attitude.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/03/2020 20:08:10

.

… and I see that you have replied, this morning.

If you are making an apology, then kindly make it publicly [to match your offensive post]

If it is anything else … I have chosen to leave it unread.

MichaelG.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

With Privacy Badger enabled no top of page ad window showing.

Disable PB and the box appears with Chronos advert full size.

Enable PB and it shows no top ad window/box

Disable PB and the top window appears with a small icon top left when opened it's Model Engineering WS ad.

Enabling and disabling PB gives the same sequence as above so something strange happening, I am using Win10 with Chrome.

Emgee

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

MichaelG…

Header fault is back again ! but only on this forum & when I use ' Edge '… I switched over to 'Chrome' & header fault has gone, what gives? all other forums I use with edge I don't have any faults… Confused & mystified. Has MTM got an issue with formatting?

George.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Sorry, George … I really can't get to grips with what is going on.

Early this morning, the Machine DRO banner started displaying differently [it displayed one static image, until I scrolled the screen. and then it flicked to the other], and I posted a note: A little while later, it reverted to its normal 'flashing' behaviour.

The HTML code for this page is [for my little brain] far too complicated to read and comprehend.

What I have located, however, is the snippet that calls the banner image, and some related formatting instructions.

I am not familiar with Windows' method of viewing the HTML, but anyone with a Mac should be able to right-click on the Banner Advertisement and select 'Inspect Element' … Then perhaps someone more informed than me will be able to explain [in plain English] how it works.

MichaelG.

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

the image claims to be 0px ? 0px (scaled to 183px ? 12px) (px = pixels) and is a large 590kB gif that animates between two distict images, there might be blanks between them (hence the ‘flashing’)- presumably the 0px is that the image itself is quite large but subject to some arbitrary scaling.
Tho large it is ‘static so would be fetched and then stored in the users cache.
Possibly it is the announced zero size that upsets page formating and might well trigger blockage.

As for facebook – I’d be intrigued as to how many shekels MTM is paid to track users as pointed out by kiwi-bloke it is a blatant tracker that serves nobody other than farcebook.

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Again! what is it with MTM.. fault disappears for a short while, then re-appears again. I do not have any adblocs running on Edge; nor in Chrome. it's only on this site, every other forum / site I use doesn't have any probs… what gives?

George.

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

the farcebook 1pixel special tracking code may well have changed – I know all here will truly wish that Farcebook should know what they are currently viewing – even so much that for the awkward So + so’s like me who switch off Javascript they have to insert a special noscript tracker – thankfully my request policy blocks this together with the assorted google trackers

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

All looking as it should on my machine

[Author]

Posts