Tag Archives: pop-up

Stupid Pop-Up Blocker

For people who understand these things, does anyone know why the pop-up blocker on the Safari browser is so stupid? By “stupid” I mean, why isn’t it “smart” enough to tell the difference between a window that is involuntarily popped up and a window that occurs when I deliberately click on a link that opens a “pop up” window?

Normally, I keep the option “Block Pop-Up Windows” checked, but there are some sites where the basic function of the site is a “pop up” window that occurs when I voluntarily click a link. Or some sites, like Gmail, have certain features (like composing in a separate window) that require the pop-up blocker to be deactivated. When I go to those sites, I have to go up to the Safari menu and uncheck the blocking option. This is lame and annoying.

So why can’t Safari tell the difference between a site that opens a window without a click from me and a site that opens a window when I want it to? Why can my iPhone tell when it is up against my ear but Safari can’t tell when I clicked a link to open a “pop up” window? This disparity in interface keenness is ridiculous.