Bad things in your advertisements

[AnneInMpls]

Today, chowhound pages take FOREVER to load, even on a fast link, and often give the popup message "Document contains no data."

Then I see lots 'o code (see below) in the top-right advertisement space. So impressive - and fun!

Not that I really want to help your advertisers (the ads are slow and obnoxious, and grab focus from the login boxes... but that's another thread). But I would just as soon not see those blocking popups.

Anne

P.S. I'm using Firefox 1.0.3 on Windows XP (I just switched from IE6 'cause PCcillin told me to :-)

function CAtlasRichMediaAPI() { var bIsVendorServed = false; this.RecordBXD = RecordBXD; this.GetWindowForTraceAsString = GetWindowForTraceAsString; this.GetElapsedTime = GetElapsedTime; this.SetDebug = SetDebug; this.SetFlashID = SetFlashID; this.IsIE = IsIE; function RecordBXD() { void recordBXDImp(); } function GetWindowForTraceAsString(strCommand) { var strTraceHandler = getProperty("TRACE_HANDLER"); if (strCommand.indexOf(strTraceHandler)==0) { if (top[strTraceHandler]) strCommand = "top." + strCommand; else { if (window.opener) if (window.opener.top[strTraceHandler]) strCommand = "window.opener.top." + strCommand; } } return(strCommand); } function GetElapsedTime() { return(getElapsed()); } function SetDebug(bDebug) { void setProperty("isDebug", bDebug); } function IsIE() { var bIsIE = (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE") != -1) ? true : false; return(bIsIE); } function SetFlashID(strFlashID) { void setProperty("strFlashID", strFlashID); } function RecordArgs(eventType, nIndex, nMetric) { this.eventType = eventType; this.index = nIndex; this.metric = nMetric; this.isNewWindow = false; this.windowName = "_blank"; this.windowProperties = ""; } function tick() { if (getElapsed() >= getProperty("MAX_BXD_SECONDS")) { void recordBXDImp(); } else { void setTimeout(tick, getProperty("ONE_SECOND")); } } function hookupOnunload() { var nType = (window.addEventListener && 2) || (window.attachEvent && 1) || 0; switch(nType) { case 1: window.attachEvent("onunload", onunloadHandler); break; case 2: window.addEventListener("unload", onunloadHandler, false); break; default: var unloadEvent = window.onunload; if (typeof(unloadEvent) != 'undefined') { window.onunload = function() {unloadEvent(); onunloadHandler(); } } else { window.onunload = function() {onunloadHandler();} } break; } } function getElapsed() { var dtCurrent = new Date(); var nElapsedMS = dtCurrent.getTime() - getProperty("nStartTime"); return(round(nElapsedMS / getProperty("ONE_SECOND"), 0)); } function onunloadHandler() { void setProperty("IS_UNLOADING", true); void recordBXDImp(); } function recordBXDImp() { if (!getProperty("bIsAdvancedTrackingEnabled")) return; if (getProperty("bIsBXDRecorded")) return; void setProperty("bIsBXDRecorded", true); var nElapsed = getElapsed(); if (nElapsed==0) nElapsed = 1; if (nElapsed > getProperty("MAX_BXD_SECONDS")) { if (getProperty("isDebug")) alert("exceeded maximum bxd of " + MAX_BXD_SECONDS + " seconds - not recording actual time of " + nElapsed + " seconds"); return; } var args = new RecordArgs(getProperty("AdEventType").BXD, "", nElapsed); void recordURL(args); } function parseArguments(objArguments, nIndex, bIsInteger) { var someValue = null; if (objArguments.length > nIndex) { var strValue = objArguments[nIndex]; if (bIsInteger) { var nParsedInteger = parseInt(strValue); if (!isNaN(nParsedInteger)) someValue = nParsedInteger; } else someValue = strValue; } return(someValue); } function getURL(args) { var strURL = getProperty("strURLPrefix") + getProperty("aEventTypePrefix")[args.eventType] + args.index; if (args.metric!=null) strURL += getProperty("AD_EVENT_METRIC_PREFIX") + args.metric; strURL += getProperty("strURLSuffix"); if (getProperty("bIsLocalhost")) { strURL = strURL.replace(/\%/g, ""); } if (getProperty("isDebug")) alert(strURL); return(strURL); } function recordURL(args) { var strURL = getURL(args); if (args.isNewWindow) window.open(strURL, args.windowName, args.windowProperties); else { if (!getProperty("isVendorServed") && IsIE()) eval('document.body.BxdUrl16981387= strURL'); var bLoadMovieWorked = loadMovie(strURL); if (!bLoadMovieWorked) { void recordURLWithImage(strURL); } if (isUnloading()) pause(getProperty("PAUSE_MS")); } } function isUnloading() { var bIsUnloading = getProperty("IS_UNLOADING"); if (typeof(bIsUnloading) == 'undefined') bIsUnloading = false; return(bIsUnloading); } function recordURLWithImage(strURL) { getImage().src = strURL; } function pause(nMillis) { var now = new Date(); var exitTime = now.getTime() + nMillis; while (true) { now = new Date(); if (now.getTime() > exitTime) return; } } function loadMovie(strURL) { if (!IsIE()) return(false); var bSuccess = false; var strFlashID = getProperty("strFlashID"); if (typeof(strFlashID) != 'undefined') { var elSWF = document.getElementById(strFlashID); if (elSWF) { var nVersion = parseInt(elSWF.FlashVersion().toString(16)); var nMinimumVersion = getProperty("MINIMUM_FLASH_VERSION_FOR_LOAD_MOVIE"); if (nVersion == nMinimumVersion) { var nAbsurdLayer = getProperty("ABSURD_LAYER_NUMBER"); elSWF.LoadMovie(nAbsurdLayer, strURL); bSuccess = true; } } } return(bSuccess); } function round(fltNumber, nDecimalPlaces) { var nFactor = Math.pow(10, nDecimalPlaces) return(Math.round(fltNumber * nFactor) / nFactor); } function constructURL() { var bIsLocalHost = ("clk.atdmt.com"==("%" + "click_domain" + "%")); void setProperty("bIsLocalhost", bIsLocalHost ); var strURLPrefix = "http://"; if (bIsLocalHost) strURLPrefix += "localhost"; else strURLPrefix += "clk.atdmt.com"; strURLPrefix += "/go/cntnsbb70190000059ave/direct;wi.300;hi.250;ai.16981387;ct."; setProperty("strURLPrefix", strURLPrefix); setProperty("strURLSuffix", "/01/"); } function getProperty(strPropName) { var objProps = new Props(); return(objProps[strPropName]); } function getImage() { var elImg = getProperty("elImg"); if (typeof(elImg) =='undefined') { elImg = new Image(); void setProperty("elImg", elImg); } return(elImg); } function setProperty(strPropName, value) { Props.prototype[strPropName] = value; } function Props() { } void setProperty("bIsAdvancedTrackingEnabled", true); void setProperty("bIsTest", false); void setProperty("MINIMUM_FLASH_VERSION_FOR_LOAD_MOVIE", 60000); void setProperty("ABSURD_LAYER_NUMBER", 999999); void setProperty("MAX_BXD_SECONDS", 3600); void setProperty("ONE_SECOND", 1000); void setProperty("PAUSE_MS", 600); void setProperty("MAX_INTERACTIONS", 100); void setProperty("MAX_CLICKTHROUGHS", 75); void setProperty("MAX_DUPLICATE_REQUESTS", 5); void setProperty("AD_EVENT_METRIC_PREFIX", ";ea."); void setProperty("TRACE_HANDLER", "traceEvent"); void setProperty("AdEventType", { Interaction : 0, Clickthrough : 1, BXD : 2 }); void setProperty("aEventTypePrefix", new Array("i", "", "d")); void setProperty("isDebug", (arguments.length==1) ? arguments[0] : false); void setProperty("isVendorServed", bIsVendorServed); setProperty("objRequests", new Object()); void constructURL(); if (getProperty("bIsAdvancedTrackingEnabled")) { void setProperty("nStartTime", new Date().getTime()); void setProperty("bIsBXDRecorded", false); if (!getProperty("bIsTest")) { void hookupOnunload(); void setTimeout(tick, getProperty("ONE_SECOND")); } } } var _objRmAPIBB71158000557500 = new CAtlasRichMediaAPI(); _objRmAPIBB7115800055750

[onceadaylily]

Today, I keep getting the 'the current website trying to do bla bla in your trusted bla bla' prompt, for *every* thread I open, and I have to keep clicking 'no'. It's a little annoying. I think there's an ad on here that's wants more than my restless eyes one second's worth of attention.

[kpaxonite]

Download ad block plus or fireox and there are no ads. You can even right click on an image like chowhound at the top of the page and click block image and never see it again.

[onceadaylily]

Thanks. I just started using firefox, and that particular problem has disappeared. My problems with IE had become ridiculous, and we can't find the windows disc to reload it. In the event I do find the thing, I'll keep ad block in mind.

[kpaxonite]

That was a typo I meant to write ad block plus FOR firefox.... its really amazing how much it blocks. Then again, if you dont mind seeing banner ads I guess it doesnt matter.... just a thought!

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fire...

Whatever you do, just never go back to IE lol

[Paulustrious]

I noticed today that one of the adverts is trying to relay info back home. See attached snapshot. They are using adobe flash to relay stuff back to atdmt.com.

"atdmt" was a tracking cookie operation.

[Paulustrious]

Perpetual fault of advancing age. Screen shot attached here...

[Servorg]

Paul, which version of Flash Player are you using? Evidently Macromedia made some changes to its security settings with Flash Player 8 and those changes caused no end of problems for folks doing normal stuff that they had been doing, with nothing unsafe about them. You can see some of the chat here to get a flavor for that issue: http://blogs.adobe.com/mesh/archives/...

[Paulustrious]

I should have said that it is <<trying>> to send info back. I disable most communication back to web sites. If you ever need, I can run analyses through a proxy server, or dig a little deeper.

I am running V10 flash with automatic update notice. I also should have mentioned (wrist slap) that I am running chrome, but I doubt that would affect flash's security mechanism.

[Servorg]

There was a pretty good question and answer about the site you refer to in your question - rmd.atdmt.com - on this IT discussion site about whether it is a type of malware or not, and what to do about it (depending on what type of computer you have and what OS you're running): http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread1... which may be relevant to this issue (scroll down to the reply from JHolland1964 to see the cogent reply).

[AnneInMpls]

Thanks for the tip, Prof. Salt! I forgot that I had an old version of Firefox as my default - I test web sites, and I need to be sure my stuff works with older browsers.

I'll change my default to a newer version of Firefox. (But as an aside to the chowhound ad developers - graceful failure is to be desired. :-)

Thanks,
Anne

[Servorg]

Anne, have you ever run CCleaner http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/down... on your computer before? It's free (although they do ask for donations on their web site) and I download the latest version via FileHippo. It has greatly improved the speed of all of the sites I visit, including Chowhound.

[Professor Salt]

Maybe the Javascript and/or Flash handler on your system is choking on it. Perhaps an upgrade to the latest Firefox (v2.0) might resolve it? v 1.0.x is a couple years old at this point.

If that doesn't work, try updating at java.com, or the Flash Player at adobe.com