Right now, if you have Preferences > Advanced > Scripts & Plugins' "Open unrequested windows" deactivated, then the browser will ignore certain JavaScript window.open commands. The problem here is that some sites can detect this behavior; namely, if you click on a link on the site, the page you visit attempts to open a small window that communicates with the server, verifying that you aren't blocking popups. Instead, what Mozilla should do is execute "blocked" requests, but NOT RENDER THEM. In other words, the browser executes the window.open command, and renders the "window" internally, and then closes it when it finishes, all without ever showing it to the user. So as far as the user knows, there was no window.open() command, but the site they're visiting can't tell whether or not the user actually had to look at and read their stupid popup. Probably should make it optional, since some people will not want Mozilla doing this. Another nice feature would be a dialog box that lists all "blocked" connections Mozilla has made this session, or maybe a logfile that keeps track of these on a per-user basis.

The last part of the bug is already requested. Search bugzilla. For the rest of the bug: the point of disabling opening new windows is not only to avoid new windows, but also to avoid unnecesary communication with any server (user-tracking). If mozilla would "render internaly" those pages that point would be lost. I think that this bug should be WontFix

If this is a valid bug at all, it's an enhancement. Suggest changing summary to "RFE: make blocked popups render internally" or something. probably WONTFIX, though.

Wontfix: this would be a perf hit, a bandwidth hit, dishonest, impossible, etc. If you don't normally use tabs, consider voting for bug 103843, which would let you make pop-ups open in tabs, which you could then close all at once along with the window.

v

Did search Bugzilla, three separate terms, didn't come across another bug with the same intent. That's why I suggested this be *optional* (ideally, disabled by default, don't put it in the config UI if you think it should be an uber-user kind of setting). If someone doesn't mind the popups' background actions, and wants to be able to use this kind of site without having to manually turn "Open unrequested windows" back on every time we visit that site, then it seems like a good idea at least. If you don't, then you don't, and you leave the option off (basically it's a three-way option: Allow unrequested windows to open (either in a new window or in a tab); render unrequested windows in the background and don't display them (automatically stop rendering X seconds after the background window finishes rendering, or timeout and close after Y seconds, whichever comes first); or don't execute the unrequested open at all. I *do* normally use tabs, but I don't usually have separate main windows with separate topics open. I just have everything in one window, but I use tabs because I don't like my WM toolbar being cluttered up. Perf hit, yes. Bandwidth hit, yes. But let the *user* decide if it's worth it so that they can access sites that detect Mozilla not opening certain popup windows. If it's not worth it to a user, they don't use it. And dishonest? How is disabling "Open unrequested windows" any different? It's designed to get around the *exact* same thing -- annoying popup ads. Sites have come up with ways to get around Mozilla disabling "Open unrequested windows" (try eq.castersrealm.com or www.latimes.com -- I still get popups on those sites, even with "Open unrequested windows" turned off), and Mozilla should respond to those methods.

*** Bug 161209 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

I think this should be reconsidered -- I feel part of the reason it was given WONTFIX is because the summary said it should "lie". See the dup I filed, bug #161209 for a more politically correct summary and description. More and more sites will start using this anti adblocker technology, mark my words. After a while, it'll be as useless to browse with "open unrequested windows" checked as it currently is to browse with Javascript disabled. Unless I'm way off base here, the reason the pref to disallow opening unrequested windows was created in the first place was because users are very annoyed with popup ads. If web designers make changes that don't let users browse their sites without receiving these ads, us users either have to be annoyed or find another way to remove our annoyance. Doing the work of window.open for the ads without displaying them would be one way of doing this. This isn't "lieing" to sites about window.open succeeding -- it is merely automating the process of closing the popups instantly so the users don't have to. It is no different than if someone wrote a small AI application that would watch the browser and instantly detect any unwanted ads and close their windows the instant they were displayed. Yes, it is a performance hit, but if users are forced to leave popups on when a majority of sites won't let you browse them without showing the ads, those resources are used anyway. I pay for the bandwidth I use, and the web sites I visit pay for theirs. It should be our decision whether to waste that bandwidth grabbing those ads or not, we just want a browser that gives us access to the greatest amount of content with the least amount of unwanted annoyance. Please reopen, or give better reasons than "bandwidth hit, dishonest". The tab suggestion is a good one, but only for people who don't normally use tabs. From there, it is a small step for tab users to request such windows be rendered in special "ad tabs" that won't affect the normal tab browsing experience. And at that point, they might as well not be displayed at all, and we are back to the suggestion on the table.

Reopening to mark as a dup of bug 181035...

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 181035 ***