cross-posted from: https://lemdro.id/post/2883134 (!android@lemdro.id)
This could backfire into something Google don’t want: everyone using adblockers.
Imagine everyone installing adblockers just to skip YouTube’s obnoxious ad rolls, just to also block most Internet ads.
Suddenly, having an adblocker becomes mainstream like wearing socks.
Unfortunately, it means they’ll move on pieces they already have in place.
They can disable ad blocking in Chrome entirely, and it probably won’t mill the browser.
I don’t see how? This is targeting people already using ad blockers. People not already using them should not see any difference in service so why would they change their behaviour? At most a mild rise of awareness, though I bet most people following these news stories are also already running ad blockers. It is all the other aggressive shit they are doing with ads that will turn people towards ad blockers/premium.
ublock origion, if anyone needs to know which one to use…
It doesn’t say more people overall use ad blockers. It says people that were already using them are now switching between different extensions. Let’s wait and see if this increases Firefox’s market share. This could be the real good outcome of all this.
It pushed me more towards degoogling. Was already using newpipe on Android and ignoring the YouTube app, and now I’m on freetube on desktop. No need for Google account anymore to look at the feed I want.
Invidious has been a saviour for me on mobile. The ads were so painfully long. To make it worse, I’d use YouTube to help fall asleep, adjust it to the right volume, then BAM! Loud advert. I didn’t use an ad blocker on PC for ages because I get that bandwidth is expensive as hell, but they really started taking the piss and I gave up.
At the moment, I am in a hybrid state. I also use Indivious to watch the videos, but I still use the subscription view of YouTube to see what video is new. I have 145 subscriptions. I installed a new addon Redirector, which you can guess what it does, and it redirects each new tab to an Indivious instance if it’s a YouTube video page. So YouTube thinks I stopped watching videos at the moment. Sometimes I forget to middle click instead and get reminded how bad the ads are.
The reason I am doing that is, because I feared Google could delete my account, if I keep blocking ads with uBlock Origin. It probably never happened to anyone, but the uncertainty was too high to risk for me, as I need this account for other things. Also sometimes I want to like or comment on the video too.
On the off chance you aren’t aware, you can export your YT subs and import them into Invidious via a json file.
I still occasionally visit the actual YouTube frontpahe for the algorithm’s suggestions, but all my subscriptions live on Piped, FreeTube, and on my phone, LibreTube.
You can plop a youtube channel URL into an RSS reader and it’s a valid RSS. You don’t need a Google account in that case, but of course Google could just stop supporting RSS at any point.
The day i remove my adblocker is the day… ah who am i kidding, i will never uninstall my adblocker.
t doesn’t say more people overall use ad blockers. It says people that were already using them are now switching between different extensions. Let’s wait and see if this increases Firefox’s market share. This could be the real good outcome of all this.
That’s literally the first thing after I install any new system.
- get firefox on a stick so I don’t have to open deprecated explorer or have to download Edge
- install firefox, get ad blocker extension
- then remove/turn off all the recommended shit that are now embedded to your start menu and task bar and lock screen. (I wish there is a github FOSS script that does this for new windows builds. )
I will abandon windows when the games can all be played on Linux properly.
I will abandon windows when the games can all be played on Linux properly.
I feel you there. I’m just about at that point, although I also need better support for music software (FL studio, VSTs, etc) and hardware before I can fully switch.
quick google search implies that FL Studio “works flawlessly” on linux through wine (which you also use for video games) 5 years ago already. https://jstaf.github.io/posts/flstudio-on-linux/
I wish there is a github FOSS script that does this for new windows builds.
I will abandon windows when the games can all be played on Linux properly
Sooo… today? Sweet! Welcome to the club! :)
Is there a compatibility list and performance difference?
I have games that are not from steam so they will need to be able to run as well.(and games that requires their launcher, like EA/Ubisoft. Oh and some of them have denuvo.)
How about other driver functions(recording game clips, instant replay buffers) that was provided on windows drivers?
I am planning a new build(so many new hardware’s) so if all above are possible and don’t need some arcane knowledge (like suddenly you need to upgrade your libc and install new kernels and fuck around with driver compatibility) then consider me in.
What/where would be the guide and distro to start with?
I’m about a week off coming back to Windows from Linux.
Some things that chased me off:
- Alan Wake 2 used too new of GPU features
- Once after playing a game, my cursor was just gone—not invisible, just not there. Only keyboard.
- A few times after quitting games, something was broken about the desktop experience and I had to reboot the machine to get things working again
- Discord crashed any time the machine went to sleep (or woke up? Hard to tell which)
- Several games only worked if I manually put in Proton launch options
- No support for DLSS framegen
- Cyberpunk had to be given a fake driver version to support ray reconstruction
- No support for GamePass games still, which is how I’d been playing Starfield and Lies if P, and planning on Cities: Skylines 2.
- No native support for middle-click scrolling without pasting (I don’t count editing low-level X config files)
- [edit] Also Lords if the Fallen thought I was using a modified game and wouldn’t let me online—solo play only, thanks to EAC
I keep feeling like Linux is just a year or two away from being good enough for common folks to switch over, and I guess if all you need if Firefox, it’s probably there. But the experience is just so subtly, but consistently, bad year after year.
For reference, I was on Pop!_OS (whatever their latest stable was, I think based on Ubuntu 22?). I had read that Pop!_OS was one of the better distorts for games.
I’ve done that very long time ago even custom build linux kernels and compile drivers, but the experience is not really good cause it’s basically a waiting game. You wait for updates and fixes and drivers etc cause no one owes you anything and even for gaming updates you might not be priority. (I used to pay money to a side fork of wine that has a paid member voting which game’s compatibility to work on first. I don’t have to pay/wait for anything just to have a game working on Windows. )
I switched to Linux a year or so ago and kept a Windows partition just in case. I’ve only had to use it once for an online exam.
What games have you played since then? For reference. I go check my most recent played game https://www.protondb.com/app/2009100 and I am not really convinced by the result. And the game I am going to play https://www.protondb.com/app/835960, very mixed results. Consider both are UE5 engine games. I will check back like in a year or 2 once UE5 games runs on proton smoothly I will switch.
The real villainy here is that Google is trying to project this practice as stealing. They have started dictating what you can or can’t do on your system (this has parallels with their crooked WEI efforts).
Just in case you are worried about the moral implications of using ad blockers on YouTube, remember this - they didn’t become the video hosting monopoly by playing fair. They waited till all their competitors were dead, to start demanding money and aggressively pushing ads. If you are worried about the income of the creators, please pay them directly - don’t feed a false ‘dont-be-evil’ corporation.
