Anyone not wishing to view pop ups or other ads has the option to use Mozilla Firefox as their web browser (instead of whatever you use now).
After you have Firefox as the browser you can get the add on feature called "Ad Block Plus".
Once you have that set up you will rarely see a pop up.
And it's all free.
You have to accept that the advertisers are the reason the forums are free to the members, they pay for the ads to be featured.
A few people using Firefox with ABP is not going to starve Garden Web.
But a thousand folks complaining about pop ups will not end the pop ups either.
You just have to "out fox" them.

ditto Mownie's experience..

I did use FireFox for a few years then started having so much trouble with it I switched. It has just been in the last 6 months or so that it has been so bad. I had to kill 3 before I could even get off the forum last night. I guess the best solution is just limit the visits as there is not much traffic now anyway and far the least of the other small engine forums I monitor.

Walt Conner

It is a shame that the ads are so prolific that they actually cause some members to be apprehensive about even visiting the forum.
I will stick with Firefox with the Ad Block Plus "add on" for now as it works well for me.

I took Mownie's advice and it seems to help.
I was getting so frustrated myself, that if I wasn't confined to the house with a newly installed rod in my tibia (darn bicycle), my visits would be much less frequent.

Maybe the next time they do a "site survey", we should ask for more pop ups?

I have been using Firefox from about version 2 to the current version. One of the problems with Firefox, and I suspect all browser, is when a request is made to a website, the browse can not the interrupt the communication until all parties consider it complete. The browser can not break the connection protocol.

When Firefox makes a request to the router, the router initiates the communication with the website. When the data flow from the web site hangs, (Because of load or bad modem??), the router will continue to ping for additional information until the website continues the data stream. In the mean time the router will not release the communication stream with Firefox as the request is not complete It now appears that the Firefox (or any browser) is locked up, as the communication stream with the router can only end when all request are mutually complete, or error out.

Each communication point follows the same LAN protocol and must mutually complete the communication once started. The larger the amount of data passing through the system increases the time for each individual point to complete theirs.

It is understood that the above is highly simplified as in the real world you have the communication between the software and the router on computer chips. the communication between the computer chips and the LAN router, the communication between the LAN router, and the modem. the communication between X number of more modems until final the connection to the website's modem.

(uneducated explanation of what I have been told )

Bottom line I could do with a lot less pictures and commercial video and more content.

Google Chrome and Ad-Block Plus works well for me.

I like those expanding adds. It keeps my mouse skills well honed chasing the close buttons around.

I use FireFox with Ad-Block and it works great. I had to turn it off for a download and forgot to turn it back on. I signed on to GW and pop-ups were everywhere!

I just enabled Ad-Block and everything was good to go!

Well I THOUGHT I downloaded Ad-Block but can't find it however, the pop-ups have stopped, thanks.

Walt Conner

if you look down in the lower left hand corner of your screen while you are in gardenweb, you should see a small round red symbol with the letters "ABP" in the middle - run your mouse over it - should be active - that's your Adblock Plus working in Firefox....

Well I am using Google Chrome but I do find the symbol in the upper right hand corner in this case, thanks.

Walt Conner

***"small round red symbol"***
Heh heh.......that small symbol is actually...an octagonal STOP SIGN.

You're just bragging that you can see that well!

Naw, he';s jest playing with thet windoxe Magnifier feature again.. :)

That's right rcbe............I have mine set at 125%.........for good reason.
But I have to give my dear wife some credit too. A few years back she bought me a 22" monitor for Christmas. Woo hoo!
That was a real eye opener.