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What's with Google and Proxo?
Apr. 26, 2009, 12:10 PM
Post: #1
What's with Google and Proxo?
Proxo with 2/13/2009 filters is not filtering Google search on Firefox 1.5 2, and 3 (I have all versions on different computers). Proxo with Sidki's latest filters correctly filters Google search on IE6, IE8, Safari 4 and Opera 10.

On Firefox for the last several days, searches have only had PARTIAL Proxo filtering. I get 100 search results which indicates filtering since I have never allowed Google a cookie so the Proxo fake Google cookie appears to working. But on searches for something that is a popular sale product, I get the Google ads on the right side, at the top and in the center of the page. I also sometimes get a strange Google map on the upper left corner (small square). The font on Google searches sometimes is strange and not my usual Verdana font. Again, this is only on Fx. I always, on any browser, type google.com into the address bar and search directly from the Google search page.

The Proxo menu does not display properly now on Google search pages on any version of Fx. It displays correctly on other browsers.

I don't use the Google Alternate Search Display nor the themes. All other Google filters are used.


Attached File(s)
.png  Sunday, April 26, 2009 02;02;14001.png (Size: 123.46 KB / Downloads: 642)
.png  Sunday, April 26, 2009 02;04;21001.png (Size: 92.19 KB / Downloads: 661)
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Apr. 26, 2009, 01:41 PM (This post was last modified: Apr. 26, 2009 01:44 PM by sidki3003.)
Post: #2
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
I see that too. I didn't see that before because i rarely start a search from the frontpage, see below.

It's apparently Google Search switching to Ajax, which bugger was announcing here:
http://prxbx.com/forums/showthread.php?t...&pid=12068
You can see that from the unusual string you get in the address bar:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=frownies...
I don't know if it can be fixed. Maybe Kye-U has an idea.

However, it does only seem to appear if you enter your search string into a Google form.

I have set up a search engine in Firefox (as well as in Opera, IE) and assigned "go" to it. If i enter "go frownies" into the address bar, i end up with http://www.google.com/search?q=frownies , which displays just fine (for me).

Customizing search engines (i.e., removing unwanted extra query params) can be a bit tricky. What i did in Mozilla1/Phoenix/Fx1 was adding a special bookmark. It apparently still works:

- Bookmark an arbitrary Google search result.
- Go to "Organize Bookmarks..." and find your new addition.
- Click the "More" button.
Name: Google Search
Location: http://www.google.com/search?q=%s
Keyword: go

The "%s" will be replaced with your search string.
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Apr. 26, 2009, 02:15 PM
Post: #3
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
Heck. I knew vaguely about the Ajax thing but just now read bugger's links so I have better understandng. What I still am not clear on is why is ONLY Firefox affected? I always type in the main google address into any browser's address bar and search from the main Google page yet none of my other browsers are showing ads or any other strange stuff.

Too late now...must get some sleep...but I'll try your suggestion tomorrow for setting up a search engine in Fx.

Plus, why is the Proxo menu affected only on Firefox at Google and not the other browsers?
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Apr. 26, 2009, 02:49 PM (This post was last modified: Apr. 26, 2009 02:50 PM by sidki3003.)
Post: #4
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
(Apr. 26, 2009 02:15 PM)Mele20 Wrote:  What I still am not clear on is why is ONLY Firefox affected?

That isn't uncommon. Pilot phase with this browser before moving on to the other ones. Possibly.


Quote:Plus, why is the Proxo menu affected only on Firefox at Google and not the other browsers?

It's the same Ajax script overwriting our own injected style sheet. It seems that this can be fixed generically. Fortunately.
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Apr. 26, 2009, 06:20 PM (This post was last modified: Apr. 26, 2009 07:56 PM by sidki3003.)
Post: #5
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
I haven't tested below changes with the OOB config, but i think it should work there too.

To make the bottom flyover links and the Proxomitron menu work again, following entry needs to be added to the JSProperties list.

Old:
Code:
# Correct document.styleSheets index for our own additions.

New:
Code:
# Correct document.styleSheets index for our own additions.
getElementsByTagName \( "style' \) \[ [a-z0-9_][a-z0-9_.]+ (^(^]))
  $TST(script=*)&&                $SET(#=.)\#&$SET(#=+1)


To have the footer form, as well as the "1 2 3 ... Next" links shown again, a webbug from id.google.com must be allowed. So following entry needs to be modified in the IncludeExclude list.

Old:
Code:
# Google Search
www.google.[^/]+/(intl/[^/]+/(^?)|search\?|webhp|(^?))
  $SET(0=a_ads.a_rdlink.a_target.i_popup_b:0.i_timer:2.f_cookie.)$SET(sCookieP=0)
  $SET(sCookieF=PREF=ID=3003added0032123:FF=4:NR=100:CR=2:SG=0)

New:
Code:
# Google Search
www.google.[^/]+/(intl/[^/]+/(^?)|search\?|webhp|(^?))
  $SET(0=a_ads.a_rdlink.a_target.i_popup_b:0.i_timer:2.i_noscr:3.f_cookie.)
  $SET(sCookieP=0)$SET(sCookieF=PREF=ID=3003added0032123:FF=4:NR=100:CR=2:SG=0)


The ads can't be removed without major effort (see below), but they can be hidden. See updated "Google Search: Remove Ad Blocks" filter in attached file.


To have the Google themes work again, see updated "Google Search: Alternate Display" and ". + Google Dark Blue Theme" in attached file. I haven't updated the other two themes yet, because the new Google code doesn't look finalized. The changes would be similar of course.


Everything else, which can't be done just with CSS but requires modifying the source code, like shaded results, defused tracking links, etc., doesn't kick in because the entire page is scripted in a way where usual filters don't have anything to match:
Code:
je.p(_loc,'taw','\x3cdiv ... id\x3dtads\x3e ... \x3eSponsored Links\x3 ...',_ss);


Attached File(s)
.txt  Google_4-26.txt (Size: 6.76 KB / Downloads: 752)
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Apr. 26, 2009, 10:36 PM
Post: #6
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
Google Canada doesn't seem to be affected; seems like they'll be slowly rolling out the changes to non-US locales after testing.

I'll have to get my hands on a good US proxy...
Visit this user's website
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Apr. 27, 2009, 02:56 AM
Post: #7
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
Maybe we can just fool Google that the browser doesn't support javascript to fully disable the ajax thing.

I added i_script:2. to the # Google Search entry and it worked.
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Apr. 27, 2009, 07:05 AM
Post: #8
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
That would be certainly worth investigating. Maybe there's an easy switch, like the negation of an "if" test at Google Images.

Completely turning off JavaScript at Google Search would also break those map, video, stock quote, etc. snap-ins.
(These are a matter of taste, but that's not on topic right now.)
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Apr. 27, 2009, 08:02 AM
Post: #9
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
I read whenever's comment a few minutes ago and immediately thought of NoScript extension for Fx. I tried it a long time ago and didn't like it and only used it briefly. I just now installed it on Fx 3 on a virtual machine running XP ProSP2. It is vastly improved since I last tried it. I sort of stumbled around with it (if it has a help file I haven't read it yet) and I made http://www.google.com "untrusted" and then I blocked scripts there. That blocked the page itself so I had to fiddle around some more but I got it where most scripts are blocked and the test page "frownies" now loads like it did before Ajax. I get no ads and 100 results. Smile!

So, NoScript is a solution for Fx for now, but when Google extends Ajax to all browsers we will need something for them. Maybe you can see from NoScript what you need for Proxo so Google is fooled in all browsers and thinks scripts are not supported.
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Apr. 27, 2009, 11:43 AM
Post: #10
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
But then you couldn't use well google maps with the javascript method i think... that's the bad thing of NoScript, is not good blocking insite ad scripts. We can finetune better with proxomitron, and is the reason i started to write some filters to block javascript files. Anyway problably you have Adblock plus installed, so better block specifical onsite scripts using it or using proxo Wink
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Apr. 27, 2009, 01:33 PM (This post was last modified: Apr. 27, 2009 02:02 PM by Mele20.)
Post: #11
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
No, you misunderstood. I'd FAR PREFER Proxo block the ads with Google using Ajax. I was just confirming that it is a script thing like whenever said. I don't have Adblock Plus installed. I use Proxo to block ads but Proxo currently cannot block Google ads.

You may be right about Google maps having a problem if NoScript is used to block the ads at Google search page but I don't use Google maps. The ONLY thing I use of Google besides the search page is the translation service. I use NOTHING else so I don't care if there is a problem with Google maps or Gmail or anything of Google's other than the search page. I can find another translation service if necessary. All I need of Google is the search feature.
I had a tab open to the Google search for "frownies" and I happened to click on it just now and the display has changed. (This is NOT on the Fx browser where I installed NoScript. This is another computer with Fx 1.5). Look at the screen capture. What is that strange box about Google checkout in the upper left corner? I see that frequently now on Google searches but never until the past few days. If I click anywhere in that box it takes me, not to Google checkout, but to the Google home page.

Why the numbers for each search return? I have never seen the results numbered before. Plus, the display is terrible and like what I usually see.

Strangely, Proxo menu uses the correct style sheet on this odd looking search results page.


Attached File(s)
.png  Monday, April 27, 2009 03;50;14001.png (Size: 59.23 KB / Downloads: 662)
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Apr. 27, 2009, 02:03 PM
Post: #12
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
Again misunderstood? Today isn't my day! I'm faster than my english, tomorrow my cofee will be without caffeine :/

Just to say, google is one of the most important ad providers actually, and it's not easy to combat them. We can kill some cookies with specifical names, we can replace some functions inside javascripts. But killing specifical javascripts coming from google breaks some pages. Google reader, maps, and other pages written to get broken if that scripts doesn't load.

Well if your solution is good for your habits go ahead. BTW... i will try to don't write more for today hehehe Wink
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Apr. 27, 2009, 02:05 PM (This post was last modified: Apr. 27, 2009 02:07 PM by Mele20.)
Post: #13
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
Why am I getting my posts attached to earlier posts? This is third time that has happened here recently. I choose "add reply" which should mean a NEW post but it gets added to my previous post and didn't choose to do that.
Ahh....It looks like my reply does NOT get added to an earlier reply if there is a post from someone else AFTER my last post. Let's see if this gets added to my earlier post or posts as a separate reply as it should do.
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Apr. 27, 2009, 02:11 PM (This post was last modified: Apr. 27, 2009 02:13 PM by sidki3003.)
Post: #14
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
Uhhm... did anyone actually test my proposed changes?

I see a couple of downloads, but no confirmation that it works (as advertised).
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Apr. 27, 2009, 02:11 PM
Post: #15
RE: What's with Google and Proxo?
Yep. See...weird. After I post it says I MODIFIED the earlier post! I didn't modify anything. I posted a NEW SEPARATE post that for some weird reason is being seen by the board software as an EDIT of an earlier post! This is happening on Fx 1.5. Maybe it is Fx acting strange? 1.5 is very old (I love Tabbed Browsing Extensions and they don't work past 1.5 version).
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