Pop-ups sneaking into Safari
If you're a Safari user, chances are you've seen some strange things in your browser lately. Internet Explorer users on Windows are all too familiar with the putrid little beasts, but I hadn't seen one in quite a long time. Yet, there it was -- a pop-up ad for Verizon Wireless, tucked behind the page I had just visited (which was Drudge, for the record). Had I turned my pop-up blocker off? I checked the menu, and no -- it was active. Or so I thought.
Since then the behavior has only grown worse. Pop-up blocking in Safari seems to be failing, and failing quickly, as more advertisers are figuring out crafty ways to circumvent user's browsers to push their ware. I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise, considering the rabid popularity of Firefox and Microsoft adding their own pop-up blocker to IE in SP2, but the trend is not only disturbing for users, but should be of great concern to one company in particular -- Macromedia.
Most of what I've read about this issue points out that a lot of these uncaught pop-ups are the result of the Flash player, which at this point is embedded in just about every web page you visit these days. Most are ads, but some sites make great use of the plug-in for content, applications, not to mention header graphics set in embedded typefaces with sIFR. It's the enormous penetration of the Flash player that has given content developers the confidence to rely on it for features like these, for nearly everyone has it in their browser, right?
Today, yes -- but if advertisers continue to exploit the Flash player to circumvent pop-up blockers, how much longer before Firefox or Safari include an easy toggle to block all Flash content? More seasoned browser users can already do this, but my concern is what happens if this becomes a button in the user interface, or a default setting for new installers. I seriously doubt Microsoft would ever allow such a option in IE, but if the Flash player becomes a nuisance for the average web browsing consumer, they could very well turn it off with a click of the button, and put a dent in the so-called ubiquitous install-base of Flash.
