Firefox NoScript Addon

Published by: Codrut Nistor, in News

July4th2008

Are you into programming? No problem, you don't have to. If you want to stop scripts from various websites, you don't have to know exactly what JavaScript or other things are all about. Why would you need to stop scripts from running? It's just like flies - to stop them from invading your home, you simply close the windows, you don't have to know anything about them. When surfing the web with Firefox, I am sure you noticed a lot of unwanted popups, sites that automatically redirect you to other pages, load various (noisy!) banners, and so on. To stop most of these from happening, using a Firefox addon like NoScript is a great idea, and that's exactly why I want to tell you more about it.

Since I can call myself a beginner with NoScript too, because I didn't have the chance to try it with Firefox 3 yet, we'll start with the setup part. Simply go to the addon's page on Mozilla.com and press the Add to Firefox button. Then, press Install Now when asked, and restart Firefox so that NoScript can get ready for action!

Do you want to change all those options already? Patience is a virtue, my friends, or at least in most cases. For us, there's something much easier than wandering through those options, because there are quite a few, as we're going to see a bit later. Now, let's see how to block those banners, shall we?

Here's how to do it - first, be sure to know exactly what to block. This is pretty simple - all you have to do is right click the banner, choose Properties, and check the URL. To be more specific, you have to be careful with the link you see in the Address field, right below Link Properties, in the popup window that appears. Next, right click that banner again, go to NoScript, and choose the domain of origin of your banner. The page is automatically reloaded, and the banner should be gone now. Hooray!

If you can't do it, just let me know, and I'll get back to the subject. Anyway, now we'll leave random content blocking aside and move to an organized attack on banners, popups, and other scripts. How? Well, remember what I just promised? We'll get dirty and learn how to tweak NoScript so that no unwanted content will appear in Firefox again!

Just as a side note, I have to add that, despite the new security features in Firefox 3, NoScript is far from becoming useless. Why? Think about this - you kids are sleeping, and you have to research some data before going to sleep. When opening a site, some LOUD music starts automatically, waking up everyone in the house. As far as I know, Firefox doesn't have a "mute" browsing mode yet, so NoScript could prove extremely useful to avoid such unwanted events. I don't know if this is the best example, but I am sure you can find better ones, if you think about your past experiences as Internet and Firefox user. No, back to the Options part...

To get where we need to be, open the Tools menu, choose Add-ons, and be sure to arrive in the Extensions tab. There, Press the Options button located in the area belonging to NoScript. Now, you should see the window below...

Some of the options present here are really powerful, especially the last one, allowing you to allow scripts to run by default. One interesting option allows you to allow all scripts on sites opened through your bookmarks, and this makes sense, as long as your bookmarks are clean... Anyway, the interesting stuff is only one click away, so let's move to the Whitelist area, shall we?

If "whitelist" sounds like something new, it's enough to say the sites located in this tab are the ones allowed to execute scripts by default. Entire lists can be easily imported or exported, by using the buttons in that window. No need to study any document to change the Whitelist options, it's just "point and shoot!"

The Plugins area, pictured above, everything is obvious - you can simply select the restrictions you need, and that's all. On sites that are not in the whitelist, the selected content won't run. As simple as it gets, don't you think?

For now, this should be enough. Why? Well, I don't want to give you headaches, and I am sure the Advanced area is not really helpful for a beginner, as we are now, while the Appearance and Notifications options are self-explanatory. Just one more hint, before ending this article - in the Notifications tab, you can set an audio file to play when scripts are blocked! ;)

This is everything for today, but that shouldn't stop you from sharing your opinion about NoScript, Internet advertising, intrusive banners and popups, and all that comes with them. I'll be waiting!