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#1
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
Major problem, spinning blue circle, in several programs.
I had googled 100% disk and later decided that even when it was Eudora that had the spinning blue circle, the problem was in Firefox. So I googled 100% disk firefox . Quite a few results I forget the first easy suggestion, but it got rid of the circle for a few hours. Second I went to Firefox / Options / Security / Data and deleted 1.2 gigs of cache, being careful not to delete my cookies. It takes a while for FF to calculate how much is in the cache and it wont' let you delete anything until it does. Usually for me it's 1.2 gigs, except after I delete, it's about 100megs. This stopped the blue circle usually for 2 days. Worked so well I started deleting even before I had trouble. Verizon forced me to get FIOS so I guess replacing the webpages that were in the cache doesn't take that long. But despite all this, I still had the blue circle once in a while and surprisingly sometimes not in Firefox but in Eudora, even iirc soon after deleting the cache. This is strange because Eudora is a pretty simple program and I think it would get stuck when I modified and saved an outgoing email. The entire outbox is in an .mbx file and a .toc file and I got the .mbx file down to 2MB, which my computer will save in 2 seconds, but it was taking 90 seconds and had the blue spinning circle, and I couldn't do anything else in Eudora (and maybe (can't recall) often not in Firefox or even other programs.) . Separately, scripts that would not end were bothering me. The problem had gone away for months but it was back. There was a small window to manually end a script, but sometimes the window was totally hidden and sometimes clicking on it didn't do anything. --- Plus the window had the obscure question, Don't ask me the next time? Okay, but what would happen if it didn't ask me?. Would it just run forever? Or would it automatically stop the script after a certain length of time. That seems the only reasonable choice, but it didn't seem to work that way in practice, and googling the message gave confusing answers. I installed the Noscript add-on to Firefox. Wow. It starts off allowing guess what? No scripts, including javascript itself. Even after allowing that, every webpage seems to use a script and every webpage seems broken. I start it and wonder why it is broken. Only after about 10 seconds do I remember Noscript. What is interesting is merely trusting one script, the top one of the list, usually the one which has the same name as the url, is enough to make most webpages work fine. Even if there are 4 or 12 scripts listed, one is usually enough. But sometimes, like Home Depot, it's not, and it can be hard to figure out which other one I need. Sometimes the name helps. Once or twice I've trusted as many as 4, and once or twice 3, but other than that, in 10 days it's been one or two scripts. Since then I've had only two instances of a script that won't stop, and unfortunately the name that is displayed in that box has nothing to do with the names displayed in the Noscript permission box. I saw this problem coming, but I don't know how to avoid it. Someone very organized could keep a list of urls and if a Script-won't-stop box appears, look back at the trusted scripts, but even then I would have to guess which one caused the problem**. But the result is no more blue circle in Eudora, whoopie, plus as a side effect, most of the advertising in FF is gone and so far no webpage has complained that I have an ad-blocker, because I don't. I have a script-blocker.*** Also it seems when I stop using the computer, the screen doesn't go black like it used to, and I should check if the HDD spins down, although I have windows set to blanking the screen after 30 minutes, so I don't know what that would have to do with a script. And I foresee that forever every time I go to a new page, I'll have to remember to trust its script. OTOH, while Disk used to spend 15 minutes at a time at 100%, especially after I had been away from the computer, now it only goes to 94% for a short time and spends most of the time at 4 to 8%. ***Webpages do sometimes complain that I don't have Javascript, or that I have the wrong kind of computer, LOL, but often the page doesn't complain at all. Sometimes the screen is blank and sometimes parts of it are there. The need to trust a script has gotten less frequent, I guess because I use the same pages over and over again. Some scripts are shared by many webpages, but I don't think I've trusted any of them. A couple times I got in the permission box "This is a privileged page, whose permissions cannot be configured ", but the first time I did something and that went away There are other buttons in Noscript that enable everything. I don't really understand some of the buttoms. **But the Script-won't-stop box has only happened twice, and maybe the author will make it possible to match up won't-stop with manually-trusted. There is a list of scripts I trusted. It's already pretty long. I found little in the way of No-script instructions, and I had trouble understanding some of the FAQ, including some method of its helping me to search the web for info on what is a good or bad script. Maybe it will be more clear when I read it again and maybe he'll fix it up more. It's free and one should not look a gift horse in the mouth. |
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#2
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
I'm surprised there are no comments on NoScript. In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Wed, 01 Jan 2020 11:47:18 -0500, micky wrote: Major problem, spinning blue circle, in several programs. I had googled 100% disk and later decided that even when it was Eudora that had the spinning blue circle, the problem was in Firefox. So I googled 100% disk firefox . Quite a few results I forget the first easy suggestion, but it got rid of the circle for a few hours. Second I went to Firefox / Options / Security / Data and deleted 1.2 gigs of cache, being careful not to delete my cookies. It takes a while for FF to calculate how much is in the cache and it wont' let you delete anything until it does. Usually for me it's 1.2 gigs, except after I delete, it's about 100megs. This stopped the blue circle usually for 2 days. Worked so well I started deleting even before I had trouble. Verizon forced me to get FIOS so I guess replacing the webpages that were in the cache doesn't take that long. But despite all this, I still had the blue circle once in a while and surprisingly sometimes not in Firefox but in Eudora, even iirc soon after deleting the cache. This is strange because Eudora is a pretty simple program and I think it would get stuck when I modified and saved an outgoing email. The entire outbox is in an .mbx file and a .toc file and I got the .mbx file down to 2MB, which my computer will save in 2 seconds, but it was taking 90 seconds and had the blue spinning circle, and I couldn't do anything else in Eudora (and maybe (can't recall) often not in Firefox or even other programs.) . Separately, scripts that would not end were bothering me. The problem had gone away for months but it was back. There was a small window to manually end a script, but sometimes the window was totally hidden and sometimes clicking on it didn't do anything. --- Plus the window had the obscure question, Don't ask me the next time? Okay, but what would happen if it didn't ask me?. Would it just run forever? Or would it automatically stop the script after a certain length of time. That seems the only reasonable choice, but it didn't seem to work that way in practice, and googling the message gave confusing answers. I installed the Noscript add-on to Firefox. Wow. It starts off allowing guess what? No scripts, including javascript itself. Even after allowing that, every webpage seems to use a script and every webpage seems broken. I start it and wonder why it is broken. Only after about 10 seconds do I remember Noscript. What is interesting is merely trusting one script, the top one of the list, usually the one which has the same name as the url, is enough to make most webpages work fine. Even if there are 4 or 12 scripts listed, one is usually enough. But sometimes, like Home Depot, it's not, and it can be hard to figure out which other one I need. Sometimes the name helps. Once or twice I've trusted as many as 4, and once or twice 3, but other than that, in 10 days it's been one or two scripts. Since then I've had only two instances of a script that won't stop, and unfortunately the name that is displayed in that box has nothing to do with the names displayed in the Noscript permission box. I saw this problem coming, but I don't know how to avoid it. Someone very organized could keep a list of urls and if a Script-won't-stop box appears, look back at the trusted scripts, but even then I would have to guess which one caused the problem**. But the result is no more blue circle in Eudora, whoopie, plus as a side effect, most of the advertising in FF is gone and so far no webpage has complained that I have an ad-blocker, because I don't. I have a script-blocker.*** Also it seems when I stop using the computer, the screen doesn't go black like it used to, and I should check if the HDD spins down, although I have windows set to blanking the screen after 30 minutes, so I don't know what that would have to do with a script. And I foresee that forever every time I go to a new page, I'll have to remember to trust its script. OTOH, while Disk used to spend 15 minutes at a time at 100%, especially after I had been away from the computer, now it only goes to 94% for a short time and spends most of the time at 4 to 8%. ***Webpages do sometimes complain that I don't have Javascript, or that I have the wrong kind of computer, LOL, but often the page doesn't complain at all. Sometimes the screen is blank and sometimes parts of it are there. The need to trust a script has gotten less frequent, I guess because I use the same pages over and over again. Some scripts are shared by many webpages, but I don't think I've trusted any of them. A couple times I got in the permission box "This is a privileged page, whose permissions cannot be configured ", but the first time I did something and that went away There are other buttons in Noscript that enable everything. I don't really understand some of the buttoms. **But the Script-won't-stop box has only happened twice, and maybe the author will make it possible to match up won't-stop with manually-trusted. There is a list of scripts I trusted. It's already pretty long. I found little in the way of No-script instructions, and I had trouble understanding some of the FAQ, including some method of its helping me to search the web for info on what is a good or bad script. Maybe it will be more clear when I read it again and maybe he'll fix it up more. It's free and one should not look a gift horse in the mouth. |
#3
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
micky wrote:
I'm surprised there are no comments on NoScript. Please wait, while the comment generator reloads http://i345.photobucket.com/albums/p...Hounddog-1.gif Paul |
#4
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
On Thu, 02 Jan 2020 17:10:07 -0500
micky wrote: I'm surprised there are no comments on NoScript. Use NoScript with Linux Mint and you won't have any blue spinning circles, and scripts won't stop the page from loading. You are right about only having to trust two or three scripts to have a fully functional website, a lot of those scripts are advertisements. The only time I disable NoScript is when I'm shopping online at a trusted company, like Sears or Newegg. I disable NoScript so there is no problem processing the payment. You will gradually learn which scripts you need with each of your favorite websites. Like if you are using Bing Maps, you have to allow Virtualearth.net. |
#5
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
"micky" wrote
| | I'm surprised there are no comments on NoScript. | It all seemed about right to me. Except that if you're using FF59+ you probably have a somewhat crippled version of NoScript. Most of the sites I visit don't need script, so I use New moon with script, frames, 3rd-party files, etc disabled. If I want to visit more commercial sites I use FF58 with NoScript and Secret Agent. Even then I don't usually enable script. Only if I must. I'm increasingly depending on my toolbar button to toggle CSS on pages that are broken. I would suggest that you disable cache or set it to a small size. Mine is set to 10 MB, just in case I need to reload images within the same site. Why? Because almost every page now is loaded dynamically. It's not just a file on a server. It's a file that gets put together on-call, with new content, new ads, customization based on your browser, location, and what you bought yesterday, etc. The result is that the browser never gets a 304 message. ("Cache version is not older.") So the browser never uses the cache. Because even though you might visit pages that haven't changed for 10 years, the browser thinks they're new with every visit. But it's also true that many commercial sites are loading several MB of script. Many of those pages are really moderate-sized software programs. The script not only compromises security and privacy in a big way. It also takes a lot of work to parse. Some sites are really nothing but script. I experienced that the other day with a store I shop at. The owner has a webmaster who doesn't know how to code webpages, so the webmaster wanted to use Wix. That means their URL is redirected to a Wix database, which loads a pile of crap that's almost exclusively script. There's no actual webpage there. So I can no longer see their website. The webpage must be constructed dynamically in my browser, so with script disabled there's nothing to see. They don't care because they don't understand my explanation. The site works for them. So I must be some kind of weirdo. They have no idea how HTML works and don't suspect that their webmaster has no idea what she's doing any more than they do. But sites like Wix, and especially wordpress hosting, along with any site where you allow ads, are among the most dangerous. Ads lend themselves to "malvertising". Do-it- yourself websites often have outdated plugins that can be hacked. And all of those risks require javascript to be dangerous. So, I think it's basically like you said: NoScript greatly reduces scripts running. It's safer. It's better for privacy. Pages load much faster. And the cost is some degree of hassle with some pages not working properly. |
#6
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Thu, 2 Jan 2020 17:36:08 -0600, Johnny
wrote: On Thu, 02 Jan 2020 17:10:07 -0500 micky wrote: I'm surprised there are no comments on NoScript. Use NoScript with Linux Mint and you won't have any blue spinning circles, and scripts won't stop the page from loading. You are right about only having to trust two or three scripts to have a fully functional website, a lot of those scripts are advertisements. The only time I disable NoScript is when I'm shopping online at a trusted company, like Sears or Newegg. I disable NoScript so there is no problem processing the payment. Good to know. I haven't bought anything yet. You will gradually learn which scripts you need with each of your favorite websites. Like if you are using Bing Maps, you have to allow Virtualearth.net. I only use Bing Maps when I use Home Depot and it wants to tell me where the store is. There, even though I didn't need to know where the store was, the page wouldn't load without the bing maps script. |
#7
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Thu, 2 Jan 2020 20:11:49 -0500, "Mayayana"
wrote: "micky" wrote | | I'm surprised there are no comments on NoScript. | It all seemed about right to me. Except that if you're using FF59+ you probably have a somewhat crippled version of NoScript. Most of the sites I visit don't need script, so I use New moon with script, frames, 3rd-party files, etc disabled. If I want to visit more commercial sites I use FF58 with NoScript and Secret Agent. Even then I don't usually enable script. Only if I must. I'm increasingly depending on my toolbar button to toggle CSS on pages that are broken. I would suggest that you disable cache or set it to a small size. Mine is set to 10 MB, just in case I need to reload images within the same site. Why? Because almost every page now is loaded dynamically. It's not just a file on a server. It's a file that gets put together on-call, with new content, new ads, customization based on your browser, location, and what you bought yesterday, etc. The result is that the browser never gets a 304 message. ("Cache version is not older.") So the browser never uses the cache. Because even though you might visit pages that haven't changed for 10 years, the browser thinks they're new with every visit. But it's also true that many commercial sites are loading several MB of script. Many of those pages are really moderate-sized software programs. The script not only compromises security and privacy in a big way. It also takes a lot of work to parse. Some sites are really nothing but script. I experienced that the other day with a store I shop at. The owner has a webmaster who doesn't know how to code webpages, so the webmaster wanted to use Wix. That means their URL is redirected to a Wix database, which loads a pile of crap that's almost exclusively script. There's no actual webpage there. So I can no longer see their website. The webpage must be constructed dynamically in my browser, so with script disabled there's nothing to see. They don't care because they don't understand my explanation. The site works for them. So I must be some kind of weirdo. LOL. Maybe you can get people here to write you a letter of approbation. Maybe. They have no idea how HTML works and don't suspect that their webmaster has no idea what she's doing any more than they do. But sites like Wix, and especially wordpress hosting, along with any site where you allow ads, are among the most dangerous. Ads lend themselves to "malvertising". Do-it- yourself websites often have outdated plugins that can be hacked. And all of those risks require javascript to be dangerous. So, I think it's basically like you said: NoScript greatly reduces scripts running. It's safer. It's better for privacy. Pages load much faster. And the cost is some degree of hassle with some pages not working properly. |
#8
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
micky wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Thu, 2 Jan 2020 17:36:08 -0600, Johnny wrote: On Thu, 02 Jan 2020 17:10:07 -0500 micky wrote: I'm surprised there are no comments on NoScript. Use NoScript with Linux Mint and you won't have any blue spinning circles, and scripts won't stop the page from loading. You are right about only having to trust two or three scripts to have a fully functional website, a lot of those scripts are advertisements. The only time I disable NoScript is when I'm shopping online at a trusted company, like Sears or Newegg. I disable NoScript so there is no problem processing the payment. Good to know. I haven't bought anything yet. You will gradually learn which scripts you need with each of your favorite websites. Like if you are using Bing Maps, you have to allow Virtualearth.net. I only use Bing Maps when I use Home Depot and it wants to tell me where the store is. There, even though I didn't need to know where the store was, the page wouldn't load without the bing maps script. Every webpage wants to know your location now. Google is pretending to know my location, by using my search terms. If I enter in, maybe a hundred "Seattle Public Library" searches, I'll probably end up in Seattle. At least I won't be left in a "train yard" in Toronto, on the tracks, like I used to be. Every time I enter the computer room, I have to look both ways for trains. Paul |
#9
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
"micky" wrote
| Some sites are really nothing but script. I experienced | that the other day with a store I shop at. The owner has a | webmaster who doesn't know how to code webpages, | so the webmaster wanted to use Wix. That means their | URL is redirected to a Wix database, which loads a pile of | crap that's almost exclusively script. There's no actual | webpage there. So I can no longer see their website. | The webpage must be constructed dynamically in my | browser, so with script disabled there's nothing to see. | | They don't care because they don't understand my | explanation. The site works for them. So I must be some | kind of weirdo. | | LOL. Maybe you can get people here to write you a letter of | approbation. Maybe. | Fat chance. Half the people here would be happy to attest that I'm a paranoiac for not enabling script. |
#10
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
On Thu, 02 Jan 2020 23:14:51 -0500, Paul wrote:
Every webpage wants to know your location now. Google is pretending to know my location, by using my search terms. If I enter in, maybe a hundred "Seattle Public Library" searches, I'll probably end up in Seattle. At least I won't be left in a "train yard" in Toronto, on the tracks, like I used to be. Every time I enter the computer room, I have to look both ways for trains. You have a computer room? |
#11
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
mechanic wrote:
On Thu, 02 Jan 2020 23:14:51 -0500, Paul wrote: Every webpage wants to know your location now. Google is pretending to know my location, by using my search terms. If I enter in, maybe a hundred "Seattle Public Library" searches, I'll probably end up in Seattle. At least I won't be left in a "train yard" in Toronto, on the tracks, like I used to be. Every time I enter the computer room, I have to look both ways for trains. You have a computer room? Well, it's not a "den", because lions, tigers, and oh my stay in dens. The two active computers make it a "computer room". It's a very tiny "computer center". Very tiny. I tried swinging a cat in here, but the cat didn't like it. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/12...3863d63644.jpg Paul |
#12
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 03 Jan 2020 10:50:10 -0500, Paul
wrote: mechanic wrote: On Thu, 02 Jan 2020 23:14:51 -0500, Paul wrote: Every webpage wants to know your location now. Google is pretending to know my location, by using my search terms. If I enter in, maybe a hundred "Seattle Public Library" searches, I'll probably end up in Seattle. At least I won't be left in a "train yard" in Toronto, on the tracks, like I used to be. Every time I enter the computer room, I have to look both ways for trains. I guess I don't say my location but I know I've told the Home Depot, Target, and Walmart websites what store is "my store" and yet every time, it's set to another store. I'm in Baltimroe and it's sometimes 5 miles away, sometimes 10, and once it was Ohio and recently South Carolina. Shoulnd't my own setting take precedence over their guessing my lcoation! You have a computer room? Well, it's not a "den", because lions, tigers, and oh my stay in dens. The two active computers make it a "computer room". Can my one active computer and one broken one make mine a computer room? It's a very tiny "computer center". Very tiny. I tried swinging a cat in here, but the cat didn't like it. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/12...3863d63644.jpg Paul |
#13
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NoScript for Firefox is a pain but can solve problems.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 05 Jan 2020 16:19:31 +0000, Jim H
wrote: On Fri, 03 Jan 2020 21:43:49 -0500, in , micky wrote: I guess I don't say my location but I know I've told the Home Depot, Target, and Walmart websites what store is "my store" and yet every time, it's set to another store. I'm in Baltimroe and it's sometimes 5 miles away, sometimes 10, and once it was Ohio and recently South Carolina. Shoulnd't my own setting take precedence over their guessing my lcoation! You'd think so... but if it's stored in a cookie and you delete cookies... No, I don't delete cookies. Unless some installer changed a setting... Nope. "Delete Cookies" is not checked. Just checked HomeDepot again and it's got me set for S. Annapolis. Target is correct. Walmart is still correct but it will be wrong in a few days. lowes.com came up full-page, in color, for a few seconds and then blanked the page and said Access Denied. |
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