Various proxy servers that run on your own machine, filtering out banner ads based on partial urls, dimensions, or whether or not the ad resides on the same server as the page you are viewing. There are a number of these, and as banner ads become more and more annoying, they are likely to improve and proliferate.

  • Webwasher is perhaps the easiest to use, as it will automatically set itself up. Sometimes the automatic setup fails. It also can filter specific kinds of Javascript, forms, animations, and popup windows, as well as managing cookies.
  • Internet JUNKBUSTER is probably the first, and thus deserves credit, even if it is a pain to use and manage. They also aren't afraid to link to lots of other programs other than those listed here. (www.junkbusters.com)
  • Guidescope is based heavily on Junkbuster, but uses a centralized server to keep track of banner ad urls, so it's harder to manually configure. Also very easy to set up, and the best if you don't like to tweak.

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