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IE6/7 Popup Blocker: estimate of people using "high: block all popups"?

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Nov 21.2008

Hi folks,

I’ve been looking unsuccessfully for an estimate of the percentage of users who have set IE6 or IE7 to use a high popup blocking setting (via Internet Options -> Privacy Tab -> Settings). Anyone one have an idea, or resource to check?

A high popup-block setting, in IE6/7, prevents even basic new window functionality (ie <a target=_blank” ).

thank you,
Gary

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9 Comments(s) ↴

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@slaughtersNov 21.2008 — New wndow pop-ups do not even have to be blocked. I've set Firefox to open all new windows in a tab. Pop ups that escape my blocker go to a full page layout in a new tab in my web browser. If it is something I did not expect I just click the tab close icon to get rid of it without looking inside.

Do not use new window pop-up code - just use some sort of hide/show div code instead.
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@gneierauthorNov 21.2008 — I am wondering how many users block all popups (via the IE6 or IE7 browser settings). I am guessing that a low percentage of users do this, because blocking all popups really reduces usability (like in Yahoo mail).
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@slaughtersNov 21.2008 — Automatically launched window pop-ups get blocked.

100% of all IE7 users get this for free as part of the standard config

100% of all Firefox users get this as part of the standard config

100% of Chrome users (yes - all 2 of us) get this as well.
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@felgallNov 21.2008 — Just assume 100&#37; have all popups blocked and you can't go wrong. Any site that relies on popups opening is broken.
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@gneierauthorNov 21.2008 — Okay, some background should help make my question clearer.

Our page has links. Clicking a link will open a new browser window via "window.open()". In all browsers, except for IE6, this works fine. IE6, with the popup blocker on (set to Medium), blocks the new window. IE6 incorrectly thinks the new window is not user initiated (as all other browsers do).

In both IE6 and IE7, if the popup blocker is set to HIGH .. the user initiated window.open() is blocked.

I am looking for an estimate of how many users set the popup blocker to HIGH. My guess is that a low percentage of users do this.. given the default is medium and a setting of high reduces the usability of many web pages.
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@felgallNov 22.2008 — Using IE reduces the usability of a growing number of web sites but that hasn't stopped people continuing to use it. Whatever the percentage is with it set to high now that percentage will be higher tomorrow and higher still the day after until it finally gets to 100&#37;. Even if it doesn't those who have it set to high have indicated that they don't want to see any popup windows for any reason.

Your command will not necessarily do what you expect in other browsers either. I have Firefox set to open all window.open and off site links in a new tab and all on site links in the current tab regardless of how the page author specified that they wanted it to work.
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@gneierauthorNov 22.2008 — Thank you for the quick responses. My question was similar to asking how many people disable all cookies.. not very many in that case, and I believe the same for disabling all new windows (since it causes popular sites like Yahoo Mail to stop working).

Understood about people modifying the behavior of links, not a problem. At least the new page is opened.

To answer my original question, I think I'll be suggesting to my boss that we ad a flag (popups allowed or not) to our stats tracking program. I was just hoping someone else had done that. ?
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@felgallNov 22.2008 — Just make sure it works for those who do have all popups disabled - otherwise you are losing a part of your potential audience.
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@gneierauthorNov 22.2008 — Thanks Felgall, good point. Will work on a way to cover those folks .. though I think there will be very few of them (<1&#37? because the "high" setting blocks even clicks on simple links like <a target="_blank">
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