Ad Buster (version 0.11)

Simple personal proxy, which removes unwanted advertising banners on the Web, depending on URL (configurable).

Requires Win32, tested with Netscape Communicator 4.x, works probably with the second, competing browser.

Download (binary & source, 100KB) and try it.

For compiling from sources you need Mingw32 (probably EGCS version is better) or Borland C++ 5.0 (other Win32 compilers should work too).

Test

If you see an ad banners bellow, you don't have Ad Buster installed. Based on statistics on LinkExchange (now part of Evil Empire), the following banner has about 30 exposes a day. That's 30 potential new users a day or LinkExchange find a way how avoid Ad Buster?

Member of Software HyperBanner

(This is not a exchange banner, but I think it's good thing too)

Installation:

Just unpack somewhere and run adb.exe, then set your proxy to localhost (or 127.0.0.1), port 8080 (in Netscape Communicator 4.x it's Edit, Preferences, Advanced, Proxies, Manual proxy configuration, HTTP Proxy). When you see an unwanted banner, click on it (in browser) with right mouse button, select Copy image location, then switch to Ad Buster and select Add entry (the URL is coppied from clipboard and you can edit it).

Please read changes for more information.

Ad Buster chat

If you have any problems, you can write to me or try Ad Buster chat.

Screenshot:

Screenshot is very old (version 0.6 probably), because I don't have any graphics program installed (in Windows).

GTK screenshot:

Similar programs:

• Junkbuster
• Muffin
• Ad Busters
• WebMask

Archive sites, which includes Ad Buster:

• Simtel.net
• Freeware publishing site
• WebAttack
• PCWin Resource Center
• VOLftp
• 32bit.com
• OSN (Japan)
• Filemine
• Somser BBS

Banning of Ad Buster

Following sites removed or didn't want to include an Ad Buster entry from their sites (probably Ad Buster removes their ad banners):

• WinFiles.com: I wrote a e-mail to Winfiles.com sites with a request for explanation, they did not answer.
• Download.com: I send a request for new entry on Download.com, they replied: After a careful review of your software, we have determined that it does not meet the necessary criteria for inclusion in our library.
• Freeware32.com: I just sent a new entry request.
• Only freeware: Author of the site replied on my request with very polite apology explaining why he can't put my program on the list.

Bugs, wishlist and development info:

Please report all bugs to author.

1. Development version is here. It could not even compile under Win32, so beware!
2. Body blocks sometimes doesn't work - you can't create filter with same settings, except body block text (specifically, if you create entry with any host and anypath, you can't add any other block).
3. HTTP URLs as http://user:password@server.here/ don't work.
4. Full HTTP/1.1 support (this means full decomposition of HTTP header).
5. Accelerators (keyboard shortcuts) don't work.
6. Automatic banner remove based on their standartized size (460x68).
7. Option to disable GIF loops.
8. Moving of filter entries (you can do it manually in adb.cfg now) in GUI.
9. "Positive" entries (which Ad Buster won't block).
10. Filtering of cookies.
11. Sometimes the proxy is reporting Socket operation on nonsocket error, without any known reason with MinGW32.
12. Complete rewrite?

Program history:

Older versions are archived.

• 0.11 (1999-03-15)
  • GTK+ (eg. Linux) port - but I don't recomend to use it, because it often crashes Netscape.
  • New block item type - matches when entered string is anywhere in path (untested).
  • Stealth mode - ad images are fetched to Ad Buster, but not shown (sent to browser). Might cause some legal action from marketing companies, but not in my country :-).
  • Automatic configuration for Netscape - just use URL http://localhost:8080/proxyconf.
  • Configuration dialog rewritten.
  • Maybe other new features - 0.10 is very old.
• 0.10 (1998-11-20)
  • Fixed bad URL for update checks.
  • In-body blocks (eg. removing Geocities pop-up windows). When this is checked in 'Add entry' dialog, you can type a string, which will be replaced by spaces (can't be removed fully because of Content-Lenght header) in body of HTML file.
  • README.TXT and COPYING added, Ad Buster can be uploaded to Simtel.
• 0.9 (1998-09-30)
  • Check for update added (this is only check, not automatic update).
  • Listen port number is configurable.
  • Dialogs' input boxes fixed.
  • Bug for HTTP/1.0 fixed.
• 0.8 (1998-08-04)
  • Configuration dialog.
  • Option to refuse non-local clients.
  • Proxy support.
  • Small fix in ReadHeader.
  • Added Total blocked column.
• 0.7 (1998-07-28)
  • Fixed SERIOUS problems, which makes versions 0.4 to 0.6 disfunctional. By compiling with Borland C++ 5.02. GNU Mingw32 version is also provided as adb-gnu.exe, but till problems with WinSock persists, do not use it.
  • Some cosmetic fixes.
• 0.6 (1998-07-27)
  • Even better status window.
  • Data transfer fixes.
• 0.5 (1998-07-27)
  • Enhanced error reporting - cryptic numeric WinSock errors are now translated to text and added error log window.
  • Fixed transfer of data both ways (between client and server), so POST should work
• 0.4 (1998-07-26)
  • Fixed single thread bug (program is multithreaded, but I forgot to uncomment debug waiting for end of thread).
  • Improved GUI, Tab now works.
• 0.3 (1998-07-19)
  • There are some users!!!
  • Better GUI.
  • Many bug fixes (eg. thread handles resource leak).
  • About box!
• 0.2 (1998-06-29)
  • First public release. Many bugs.
• 0.1 (1998-05-??)
  • Initial (private) release
• 0.0
  • This version didn't exists, it's listed here just for fun.

Tip for Netscape

If you hate looping animated GIFs, you can avoid it. Look in Netscape for strings ANIMEXT and NETSCAPE2.0 and change them to anything else. With this, all animated GIFs rotate once and then stop.

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