Check this radio button if you want to see where the advertisements would
be on the web page, but still not download them. This will also allow you to
click on the advertisement and go to the advertiser's page, even though you
did not download the advertisement itself.
Check this radio button if you do not want to see where the advertisements
would be on a web page. This prevents downloading the image, and it results
in a cleaner looking page.
Check this box if you want to prevent downloading pages and images from
known advertising companies and URLs on the internet. If you do not select
this check box, slightly more advertising may slip through the filter.
Also, not checking this box will allow you to download the advertisements
on demand. If you want to see an advertisment that has been blocked, simply
right click on the image and select "Show image" from the context menu.
Connection Options
Run Web Smacker on this port:
Changing the default entry in this text box is not recommended. If you
change it, you need to manually change your
proxy settings in your web
browser. The entry in this text box is the port number where the Web
Smacker will listen and process http requests.
Connect to another proxy server
Check this box if you want Web Smacker to
forward its http requests to another proxy server. This may be necessary if
your Internet Server Provider (ISP) requires you to connect to a proxy server.
The Web Smacker install program should have
already correctly set this check box, the proxy host, and the proxy port,
and changing them is not recommended.
Proxy Host
This text box should contain the name of the server where
Web Smacker will forward all its request.
Proxy Port
This text box should contain the server port where
Web Smacker will forward all its request.
Subscription Options
Every so often, Web Smacker will
automatically download the latest filters to your machine. This
allows Web Smacker to change its
filtering strategy as the contents of web pages change. This prevents
a web server from changing its contents to sneak in some new
advertisements.
Update filters every __ days from this URL:
The first text box contains the duration in whole days after which
Web Smacker will download the latest
filters from the URL specified in the second text box. This must by
an http URL. For example, an ftp URL will not work here. Changing
the URL from the default is not recommended.
Update Now
Press this button if you want to download the latest filters
immediately, instead of waiting for the next automatic update to
occur.
Buttons
Ok
Press the Ok button to accept the configuration, save it, and close
the configuration dialog box.
Cancel
Press the Cancel button to cancel any changes you made to the
configuration, and close the configuration dialog box.
Use Defaults
Press the Use Defaults button to revert to the default
configuration that Web Smacker first
started with. If you have accidentally broken your configuration,
(by specifying a bad URL or proxy) pressing this button, and then the
Ok button should fix it.
Shutdown
Press the Shutdown button if you want to shut down
Web Smacker. You may not be able to
connect to the internet after shutting down Web
Smacker. Unless you have a good reason, do not press this
button.
That depends on what kind of internet user you are. If you only
visit a few favorite web sites and find web advertising as abnoxious
as I do, then you should probably select the Remove ads entirely from page radio button, and
select the Always block ads from known ad
sources check box. If you don't want to see the ad, but still may
want to occasionally click through the ad to the advertiser's web
page, then you should select the Show empty
picture where ad would be radio button and check the Always block ads from known ad sources check
box. If you really only care about reducing download time, and don't
mind letting a few advertisements slip through, then clear the Always block ads from known ad sources check
box.
Sometimes Web Smacker blocks pictures that don't seem to
be advertisements. Why is that?
Well, first let me say that determining what is and what is not an
advertisement is a subjective decision. If you had different people
looking at a web page and circling the advertisements, chances are
they would not agree exactly as to which pictures are advertisments.
Web Smacker does a very good job of determining which pictures are
advertisements and which are not, but like other humans, it may not
perfectly agree with you.
However, Web Smacker automatically updates its filters on a regular
basis, so its accuracy will improve with time.
If there is a web site you frequent that is particularly annoying and
is not correctly subdued by Web Smacker, then you can write me
e-mail at jeffrey.rennie@gte.net.
Please give me the full URL in the e-mail. Within a week
your Web Smacker will be automatically updated with more accurate
filters.
Can I copy Web Smacker and give it to my friends?
Yes, but certain restrictions apply. Web Smacker is protected by
the General Public License.
Where can I find out more about Web Smacker?
You can visit the
Web Smacker home
page for the latest info and releases of Web Smacker. If you are
a hacker, you are invited to participate in the ongoing
development of Web Smacker. It is an open source project.