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The Internet ranks as one of the great inventions of the last century. But, along with all the good it offers, there is a downside to all of this information. That downside is pop-up ads. There are few things as annoying as pop-up ads, particularly if they are for things you have no interest in knowing more about, or when they come in such rapid succession they make surfing impossible. Certainly, there are some that are worth viewing. While some argue that they are necessary, I refuse to believe that we have to be subjected to an assault of five or six pop-up ads while surfing the Net. No doubt the people at Panicware, www.panicware.com feel the same way.
In a computer market that fills with new applications daily, finding a good solid pop-up blocker is not easy. After looking over several, I did find one, actually several, that could easily make short work of pop-up ads.
For those that do not mind parting with a few dollars, Panicware’s premier pop-up blocker, Pop–Up Stopper Professional, now with version 1.55, offers the most protection in an unobtrusive package.
Installation with the professional version is as simple as one, two, three. Within a few moments, you will notice a small yellow hand in the lower right hand corner of your Windows toolbar. Here all of the protection and settings you need are easily accessible. Unlike other pop-ups that work as toolbars on Internet Explorer, Pop–Up Stopper Pro rests in the same area as your clock. By right clicking you have instant access to settings and other areas that you may wish to configure.
Menu options and configurable options in the Professional version are in plain sight, and in an attractive interface. The appearance of the interface brings to mind the screens one normally views in Windows XP.
Now all of this is nice, but the real question is, "does it work?" The answer is affirmative. After having used it with Netscape 7 and Internet Explorer 6, I can testify that it does block ads. In fact, it even removes the pop-up that starts with the home page of Netscape, which in my experience is very stubborn with regards to pop-up blocking. Pop–Up Stopper Professional obliterated ads with amazing ease.
One of the real nice things about Pop-Up Pro is that you can turn it off. Should an ad or information in a pop-up be of interest, just one click removes the pop-up protection. It is just that simple. There is also support for AOL, MSN, Internet Explorer and Netscape, naturally, Yahoo and Opera. Plus you can play sounds to alert you to pop-up ads blocked in addition to the unobtrusive screen that arises in the right hand corner of next to your clock.
If solid protection were not enough, Pop–Up Stopper pro also cleans out your browser debris. Much like many utilities devoted to this function, the Pro version cleans all traces of your Web wanderings and thus performs double duty as a very nice browser addition. A nice touch is that it does so in both Netscape and Internet Explorer. So you never have to dig into those settings to clean up the digital trails that accumulate from browsing.
After using the Professional version, I am really pleased not only with the results, but the fact that it makes such a small dent on system performance. It allows you easy access, but at the same time not taking up any real estate on your browser, the Professional version has a lot to recommend it as the ultimate in pop-up protection. Although Zone Alarm ships with solid protection built into the high end rendition, I have yet to see a pop-up stopper as solid and as unobtrusive as this one.
If upgrading is a concern, one can upgrade the Professional version for free. The only caveat is that there may be a fee for major overhauls during the life of the product. Well, that is to be expected. However, from what I have seen it is worth it if it means add free browsing.
The platforms that Pop–Up Stopper Professional supports are Windows 98, 98 SE, ME, 2000 and of course XP. There is no Mac version. Browsers supported by Pop–Up Stopper Professional are Netscape 4.x, 5.x, 7.x, Opera 6 to 7, AOL, MSN, Internet Explorer 5 and above, Juno, Netzero, Mozilla, SBC Yahoo, WMConnect and CompuServe.
The next in the series of pop-up blocker programs from Panicware is Pop–Up Companion. One difference between Companion and Professional are that Companion is available as a toolbar atop Internet Explorer. Another quality that separates the two from each other is that Professional offers support for Netscape as well as a host of other programs. However, they both share features in common with regards to Internet Explorer, as well as the option to signal sounds when pop-up ads are blocked. You can also clean out Net debris from Companion as you would in Professional. As most pop-up blockers are available as downloads, Companion is available in retail stores in a boxed version.
The next in the paid mode is Basic. Basic shares much with Companion, but minus the utility elements that Professional and Companion share. For those that simply want pop-up protection in IE and do not have need for utilities that clean browsers, Basic is one inexpensive option. And naturally, there is a free version for personal use.
Pop-up ads are simply an annoyance, with the exception of a few here and there. If you are totally fed up with being bombarded with information you did not ask for, or watching your monitor fill up with a profusion of screens, Panicware’s offerings are solid, well considered protection. From my perspective, the top of the line Professional is a hands down winner. Naturally the Companion and Basic are good values, and certainly have their merits, if you use Netscape and Internet Explorer and want to get rid of all ad debris, then the Professional version will be more than enough protection.
I have seen many programs attempt to rid Internet surfers of pop-up ads. Panicware’s solutions not only allow you to surf in peace, you can actually view the ads you wish without having an all or nothing approach. So should you see an ad you like, or a window you wish, you do not need to stop the program. Of the set, the Professional is the least obtrusive and the most comprehensive. If you do not need that much protection, the Companion and Basic are solid alternatives as well.
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