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Our Browsers, Add-Ons, And Our Use Of Blogger

As publishers and readers of Blogger blogs, our browsers are probably the most used feature on our computers.

We use our browsers both to access Blogger, to publish our blogs - and to access BlogSpot (or our non BlogSpot domains), to read our blogs.

Every one of us is different, and every one of us has different ideas what we want to see in our blogs. Just as no two blogs are alike, no two browsers, as used by two different bloggers, are alike.

Every browser, as it gains a user population, will have some users who want additional features and functions. Some users will contribute, and write software to provide those additional features and functions - aka "add-ons". Each different blogger is going to have a different idea about what combination of add-ons are necessary, for their personal enjoyment of their own browser.

Firefox, for instance, has a user population that has contributed a total of (as of 2011/01/03) 4,290 add-ons.

In the top 5 in popularity, we find two security add-ons, Adblock Plus and NoScript. Scattered throughout the remainder of the 4,285 we find still more security add-ons. Some security add-ons block cookies from being installed on our computers, others block pop-up windows, and still others block scripts from being installed, or from running.

Each security add-on either augments, conflicts with, and / or replaces native browser security settings. I've provided instructions for enabling specific cookie and script filters, that are native to Firefox (and to Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari). Unfortunately, I cannot predict what add-ons each of us use in our browsers, nor what settings each add-on may have.

Even though I cannot predict what add-ons each of us may use, I can predict the chaos that comes from these - and other - add-ons.

Each security add-on, that blocks cookies, pop-up windows, and / or scripts, is going to affect our use of such complex Blogger features such as Comments, Stats, Private Blogs, and Template Designer. And every time we see some of the recent complaints
I can't comment on my own blog (other blogs) (some other blogs)!
or
I can't get Stats to ignore my activity on my blogs!!
or
I have to repeatedly login to my own private blog!!!
or
My Template Designer has a big gray space at the bottom!!!!
we know that some of these complaints come from people using computers that are blocking cookies, pop-up windows, and / or scripts.

Of the computers that are blocking cookies, pop-up windows, and / or scripts, some of them have native browser settings that are causing this behaviour. Others, we can guarantee, are from browser add-ons and other security components.

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