Websites & VB6

[Squitty]

Using VB6 ( or .net) I can write a VERY simple web browser. The question is .. can I pre-process a website prior to displaying it so that I dont get all of the adverts & other dross. (thinking about how fast this site would be if it wasnt fetching info from all of the adtech & tradedoubler sites etc).

[rojash]

Of course you can - but it;s not easy. Basically you need to write a parser which will read the HTML as it arrives and modify it before handing it on to your rendering engine.
You can get some ideas by viewing the page source in your normal browser with ad-blockers, pop-up blockers etc., turned off, and comparing it with the page source as seen when the blockers are turned on.

[Squitty]

Thanks Rojash - cant think why it hasnt already been done though - what a bonus it would be.
I doubt if any of the users of this site use the adverts anyway.

[rojash]

But it has already been done - it's exactly what AdBlock Plus (to take just one example) does for Firefox users. I don't see any adverts on this site, and I doubt if any of the regulars (e.g. Ethel, Buenchico, VHG, Chuckfickens, ActheTroll, etc.) do either.

[fo3nix]

Also check out privoxy.

BTW, you've just added an Internet Explorer process to your VB project: it's no better than the IE engine.