Adblock Plus wins friends, enemies

For people who use the Firefox browser there are hundreds of extensions, or plug-ins, that let you manage or add features to the Web-browsing experience.

One new extension that’s launched a heated debate is the Adblock Plus extension for Firefox. It blocks nearly all graphic ads that show up on Web sites. You can find it by searching for “Adblock Plus Firefox extension.”

People in the ad industry see this extension as the enemy. Some are even threatening lawsuits as one way to counter the continuing use of third-party programs that knock out ads. Their claim is such software nullifies the whole point of online advertising.

We’re not trying to endorse extensions for any browser. In general, the more extensions one adds to the browser, the clunkier it will become. But if that’s what you want – Adblock Plus is the hands-down leader of the pack.

There is no version for Internet Explorer. Developers who’ve worked on the extension say they don’t plan one, either.