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chris200x9
July 21st, 2010, 07:53 PM
After hearing about ad block and the like I wondered, could a browser make billions of of it. The idea is simple at this time browsers can actively block ads and not even download them. What if a browser came embedded with it's own adsense (or similar) code, used an ad "blocker" to not even download the ads but instead used it's own adsense code to super impose ads into where they would be? I'm sure someone could even figure out a way to make the ads the same dimensions they would have been on the regular page.

jpmelos
July 21st, 2010, 07:56 PM
Well, the question is: why would I (the user) want to use such browser? If I want to block the ads now, why would I want to see the ads of the browser?

McRat
July 21st, 2010, 08:00 PM
The hard part will be to figure out what is an ad, and what is not.

JPG is JPG, HTML is HTML, and Flash is Flash.

conundrumx
July 21st, 2010, 08:01 PM
The hard part will be to figure out what is an ad, and what is not.

JPG is JPG, HTML is HTML, and Flash is Flash.

You don't look at the content type, you look at the content origin.

RiceMonster
July 21st, 2010, 08:03 PM
Well, the question is: why would I (the user) want to use such browser? If I want to block the ads now, why would I want to see the ads of the browser?

I was thinking the same thing. Who wants an ad blocker that just creates new ads?

Penguin Guy
July 21st, 2010, 08:34 PM
Shhh, you'll give Microsoft ideas.

earthpigg
July 21st, 2010, 08:38 PM
I was thinking the same thing. Who wants an ad blocker that just creates new ads?

presumably, it wouldn't be marketed as such.

it would be marketed as the next great web browser with new XYZ features.

most people have no idea what adblock+ is, and having web advertisements come from a different source would fly under the radar for them.

it could also be marketed as a charity type thing. "when you use PeaceLove Web Browser, you help cure cancer!"

Didn't Opera once have banner ads at the top of the window?

whiskeylover
July 21st, 2010, 08:40 PM
That will open the browser author to all kinds of copyright infringement lawsuits... you know accusing them of modifying the original HTML and replacing with its own; and that too for profit.

Npl
July 21st, 2010, 08:40 PM
Didn't Opera once have banner ads at the top of the window?Yep. At the time you could either buy it or get an add-supported version.
Dint went well I think, even though the ad was pretty small.

Paqman
July 21st, 2010, 08:48 PM
Opera tried displaying ads during browsing. It went badly for them, and they've never really recovered, despite producing a continually innovative product.

forrestcupp
July 21st, 2010, 08:53 PM
Well, the question is: why would I (the user) want to use such browser? If I want to block the ads now, why would I want to see the ads of the browser?+1
Especially when there are plenty of good options that don't have that.


Opera tried displaying ads during browsing. It went badly for them, and they've never really recovered, despite producing a continually innovative product.
Right. People didn't want that, and that's probably why most people in the world don't have a clue that Opera is a browser today.

In other words, it's been tried and it failed miserably. Opera definitely didn't make billions. ;)

chessnerd
July 21st, 2010, 09:00 PM
I'm a big believer in advertising what people want. I also believe in using advertising to pay for things indirectly. So, here is how you could use advertising to give your favorite browser money:

Have a browser-based ad system and have it start as an ad-blocker, as suggested. So, when you start the browser for the first time, it doesn't show any ads. Then, you can go to the preferences window and there will be an option for advertisements. You, the end-user could then choose what is advertised to you.

An easy way to do this would be to provide categories of interest like Clothing, Games, Books, Music, Movies, etc. This could get more specific too, by allowing the users to select specific types of games, or certain companies that they like.

Now, where ads for things you don't care about would have been will be things you do care about (which may be no ads at all). The advertisers then pay the browser company based on what ads are used. The advertisers also pay money to the websites who put "ad spots" where their ads can be shown.

It helps the end-user, because now an ad-block is pre-installed and users only see ads that they care about. The browser makers get money to hire more developers and the companies now only are advertising to people who want it. Everyone wins.

Sadly, this will likely never happen because it would completely shift then entire economy of the Internet, but it's an idea.

McRat
July 21st, 2010, 09:03 PM
You don't look at the content type, you look at the content origin.

And if the origin (or hyperlink) = ???

Do you create a master database of advertisers, assume that if the primary domain of the site <> content address it's an ad?

Imagine your dismay when you overwrite a JPG on a site with an ad, when all the JPG was, was cross-linked content.

Example: You have listed Microsoft as an Advertiser Domain. And it loads a webpage from ww.computertests.com, and they have an article on Microsoft which has a JPG from MS's site? And on the same site, the ads are stored locally: ww.computertests.com/advertise/bannerads/microsoftFeb2010msoffice3.jpg?

Simply put, it won't work on a technical level.

And pragmatically:

I own a site that has paid advertisers. If a browser somehow deleted those ads, I'd figure out a way to cripple it. And in our case, the ads are local, you can't detect them anyhow. I don't allow ads that aren't local, because it's an invitation for problems with busted links or unacceptable content.

chessnerd
July 21st, 2010, 09:07 PM
Simply put, it won't work on a technical level.

That's how it's done. Here is a link to the urlfilter that I use with Opera: https://secure.fanboy.co.nz/opera/urlfilter.ini

Just look at the [exclude] section. That is a list of all the websites that it blocks content from.

I don't see any ads when I browse with Opera then. It's that simple.

JustinR
July 21st, 2010, 09:10 PM
That's how it's done. Here is a link to the urlfilter that I use with Opera: https://secure.fanboy.co.nz/opera/urlfilter.ini

Just look at the [exclude] section. That is a list of all the websites that it blocks content from.

I don't see any ads when I browse with Opera then. It's that simple.

+1 URLfilter! It works great.

chris200x9
July 21st, 2010, 09:20 PM
Well, the question is: why would I (the user) want to use such browser? If I want to block the ads now, why would I want to see the ads of the browser?

earthpigg had it, it wouldn't be marketed as "hey we replace ads" and as far as it wouldn't be able to determine what ads are,how do any of the ad blockers do it then?

lovinglinux
July 21st, 2010, 09:58 PM
Browser developers already make big money by simply making deals to distribute their browsers with a specific search engine as default. The search engines provides the ads. For instance, Mozilla got $57 million form Google in 2006.

This is an old article, but interesting:

http://techcrunch.com/2008/08/28/mozilla-extends-lucrative-deal-with-google-for-3-years/

So why would a developer go for all the technical and legal troubles to implement that, when they can make a lot of money by simply putting a search engine in their browser?

MasterNetra
July 21st, 2010, 11:33 PM
In reply to the title: "could a browser make billions?" the answer is yes. Fast way: Secretly steal credit card numbers. Slow but legal way: Have their browsers do something so incredible that it becomes a must have for people and convince them to purchase the browser.