On WebDesign-L, there’s been a passionate debate about "X10 ads" — those annoying ads for a Web camera company that a small window beneath the current window. Some argue that, like banner ads before, people will get used to pop-up and pop-under ads; most believe, to varying degrees, they are the work of the devil.

These ads are the Web equivalent to email spam: you didn’t request the ad to open, but it did anyway. Not only does it drain system resources, people have developed a Whack–a–Mole-like reaction to any new window that opens causing them to close it immediately.

But if you’re using Mozilla, and feeling brave, Steve Champeon (among many other things, the list’s administrator) pointed out a way to disable pop-ups (and -unders). In fact, with a bit of work you can prevent just about anything from happening — from form submits to scrolling status bar messages. Just one more reason to get Mozilla, especially now that it’s more stable than Netscape 4.x.