FossaMail and adblock extension confusion Topic is solved

Support topics for the mail/news/chat client
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Moonchild
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Re: FossaMail and adblock extension confusion

Unread post by Moonchild » 2016-03-21, 09:25

I'm sorry if I assumed wrong based on your clear explanation of the perceived "problem" for a news client being "opening it in a browser and seeing ads" that you weren't familiar with usenet -- it did seem like a very clear misunderstanding of "news client" on your behalf as to what "news" is supposed to be.

I actually don't see a point into going into an argument about the semantics used. A "news client" is for the most part a "usenet news client" in this context, and has always been the case. That has nothing to do with the web or ads as it is clearly different technology.
Also, it would be incorrect to state "usenet" specifically and as a limiting statement, since FossaMail can also use feed accounts, a different form of news delivery.
"A dead end street is a place to turn around and go into a new direction" - Anonymous
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past; wisdom is of the future." -- Native American proverb
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Sequito Equitus

Re: FossaMail and adblock extension confusion

Unread post by Sequito Equitus » 2016-03-21, 17:25

Moonchild wrote:I'm sorry if I assumed wrong based on your clear explanation of the perceived "problem" for a news client being "opening it in a browser and seeing ads" that you weren't familiar with usenet -- it did seem like a very clear misunderstanding of "news client" on your behalf as to what "news" is supposed to be.
I'm doing my best to accept your sincerity, but you've literally apologized for and then repeated the same affront in only one sentence.

So let's just skip any further dubious apologies and move on...
Moonchild wrote:I actually don't see a point into going into an argument about the semantics used. A "news client" is for the most part a "usenet news client" in this context, and has always been the case. That has nothing to do with the web or ads as it is clearly different technology.
There: "for the most part" is by you tacit admission that the usage is not unambiguous. Finally a (half-hearted) admission in favor of your sincerity.
Moonchild wrote:Also, it would be incorrect to state "usenet" specifically and as a limiting statement, since FossaMail can also use feed accounts, a different form of news delivery.
Interesting. That confirms my contention regarding the potential usefulness of an ad block for RSS feed reading in Fossamail. Seems you could have confirmed the relevance of RSS from the get-go rather than indulge in a condescending and superfluous aside regarding usenet.
Moonchild wrote::) FossaMail is a "news client" as in "usenet news".
As you see, you started off without confirming what the program can actually be used for and instead quibbled over wording. Wording that clearly even you have ceded is ambiguous.

So if there's someone playing semantic games here, it would be you, from the beginning.

My first observation regarding the usefulness of an ad blocker for RSS was in good faith, offered politely in answer a question posed so dismissively as to border on rude. Now, given your belated admission that RSS is indeed something you intend to support, it is a clearly valid observation.

My second point was that if RSS wasn't in fact a concern, that the front page was in need of clarification. While thanks to you I now know that RSS is still in play, I'd suggest that the front page description could benefit from a bit of tweaking. That's a good faith suggestion in the interest of newcomers.

Both of those points were also in my own interest.

I see this forum as a resource, as I've searched it many times over the last year and a half to find out what version of which of my favorite Firefox extensions will work with Pale Moon. I also see this forum as a liability thanks to a culture of dismissiveness that is very off putting. Off putting enough that I can easily see it to be a threat to the user base that keeps my favorite browser (and potentially my new favorite email program) viable. In this case, I felt the question of an ad blocker in Fossamail was deserving of more respectful consideration, even though I didn't see myself transferring my RSS to Fossamail. Instead, in posting my own response to the ad block question, I faced the very same condescending dismissive response myself (in stereo). How many posts of presumption of ignorance, presumption that I was operating under false premise, and worse did I have to endure before you admitted that RSS is indeed in play? Why so much obfuscation?

I see the home page of Fossamail another element toward maintaining a user base for a program I at least hope to use for some time. If RSS had been deprecated, then the front page could easily be seen as misleading and thus off putting to a new user. While RSS fortunately is still in play, the multiple aside posts demonstrate that some clarification might still be beneficial to that end. It's also a far easier problem to deal with than the aforementioned culture.

moon convert

Re: FossaMail and adblock extension confusion

Unread post by moon convert » 2016-03-21, 19:33

Okay, I've been away from the thread for a while, but thought I should wade back in. I've been using "ABE 2.1.9.1- signed," in combination with, "checkcompatibility 1.3.1–signed." I don't have to worry about additional updates for ABE, because the developer of ABE has migrated to "ublockorigin". Also, I have no need to use an older version, as I have no intention to use the "check folder size" extension, mentioned earlier in this thread. Working together, "checkcompatibility" and ABE seem to provide the desired effect, without creating any additional bugs. Does running these two extensions together have the potential to create any security/privacy vulnerability behind the scenes? If so, I'll simply uninstall them and switch to the older version of ABP recommended in recent posts, if not, I'll keep my FossaMail configured the way it is, as it has been extremely reliable.

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Moonchild
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Re: FossaMail and adblock extension confusion

Unread post by Moonchild » 2016-03-22, 00:44

Really now?

You really want to make this an argument over how exactly I word myself and how anything i say can be (mis)interpreted, and then use that as an insult at my address instead of just taking my apology at its intended value?
I'm sorry but I don't take kindly to that. Consider this the end of my willingness to assist.
"A dead end street is a place to turn around and go into a new direction" - Anonymous
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past; wisdom is of the future." -- Native American proverb
"Linux makes everything difficult." -- Lyceus Anubite

moon convert

Re: FossaMail and adblock extension confusion

Unread post by moon convert » 2016-03-22, 14:57

My sincere apologies if mine is the post that has given offense. I was trying to move away from semantics, back towards the original topic of the thread. I actually found the Usenet article interesting. I hope you haven't interpreted the signature/tagline I added to my profile, as a commentary on your phrasing, as that was certainly not its intent. Some variant of that sentence has been floating around in my head for a while, and I finally had time to added to my profile the other day. I was going for short, substantive, and unlikely to offend.

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distantpluto
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Re: FossaMail and adblock extension confusion

Unread post by distantpluto » 2016-04-10, 15:29

Matt A Tobin wrote:I'll look into ABL for FossaMail if there is this much interest. However, there would be no due date or promises.
As a new user and without getting into the debate about viewing HTML RSS feeds, I too would be interested in an "official" working adblocker, if possible, thanks.

I manually transferred my Thunderbird profile over, thereby getting rid of years of built up cruft in the process and I'm delighted with the increased speed and responsiveness. I have FossaMail set up beautifully but with one tiny niggle. "Adblock Plus 2.6.7.1-signed" installs and works for me but with one drawback - "unread" and "total" on the status bar are forced over to the far left causing hovered over links' URLs to not be displayed, which is crucial for me.

I have a workaround for this but would obviously prefer a fully behaving adblocker ;) In the FossaMail profile I created 'chrome' -> 'userContent.css' and inserted

Code: Select all

/* show url when hovering over link */
a[href]:hover {
text-decoration: none !important;
}

a[href]:hover:after {
display: block;
position: fixed; left: 4px; bottom: 4px;
border-radius: 10px;
content: attr(href);
padding: 1px 10px;
font-size: 15px !important;
font-family: sans-serif !important;
text-align: left !important;
/* text inside "opacity" inherits transparency */
/* background-color: rgb(118,100,77); opacity: 0.7; !important; */
/* children do not inherit transparency when opacity specified this way */
background-color: rgba(118,100,77,0.7); !important;
color: rgb(249,244,233); !important;
}
This displays the link target at the bottom left of the message pane. Colours etc can be altered to your own preference, if desired. I am posting this in case it's of some use to someone else.

I would also like to add a big "Thank You" to all involved in Pale Moon and FossaMail, they're a huge improvement for me over their original counterparts!
Pale Moon and Epyrus on Arch Linux.

moon convert

Re: FossaMail and adblock extension confusion

Unread post by moon convert » 2016-06-21, 17:01

Thanks for listing the specific extension number.
distantpluto wrote:"Adblock Plus 2.6.7.1-signed"
After manually clearing out some extension residue from my profile, I now have ABP up and running. I ultimately decided to go for this option, because it was unclear to me, whether my previous workaround (using ABE with extension compatibility checks disabled) was safe or secure. The only downside is that I can't seem to add and use "fanboys social blocking list," which is a minor inconvenience in the RSS context, but for my purposes, it's worth the peace of mind to be using an extension the client recognizes as compatible. My thanks to everyone who makes the palemoon and fossamail projects a reality.