Ad Buster (version 0.10)

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 or Borland C++.

Test

If you see an ad banner bellow, you don't have Ad Buster installed.

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.

Screenshot:

Similar programs:

• Junkbuster
• Muffin
• Ad Busters
• WebMask

Banning of Ad Buster

WinFiles.com and Download.com removed an Ad Buster entry from their sites (probably Ad Buster removes their ad banners). I wrote a e-mail to Winfiles.com sites with a request for explanation, they did not answer. 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.

Bugs and wishlist:

Please report all bugs to author.

1. Full HTTP/1.1 support (this means full decomposition of HTTP header).
2. Accelerators don't work.
3. Sometimes the proxy is reporting Socket operation on nonsocket error, without any known reason with Mingw32.

Program history:

• 0.10
  • 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
  • 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
  • Configuration dialog.
  • Option to refuse non-local clients.
  • Proxy support.
  • Small fix in ReadHeader.
  • Added Total blocked column.
• 0.7
  • 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
  • Even better status window.
  • Data transfer fixes.
• 0.5
  • 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
  • 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
  • There are some users!!!
  • Better GUI.
  • Many bug fixes (eg. thread handles resource leak).
  • About box!
• 0.2
  • First public release. Many bugs.
• 0.1
  • Initial (private) release

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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