AdGuard for Windows, a fairly popular content and ad blocker, received a major update a couple of days ago that fixes a Windows-induced NETIO BSOD and promises dark theme on every webpage using Userstyles.
Speaking of which, uBlock Origin, probably the most popular ad blocker out there, was recently axed by Google Chrome as, unlike AdGuard, it is no longer supported. That is because uBlock Origin, among others, is a Manifest V2 (MV2) extension and Google wants MV3.
This prompted a response from Brave which went on to remind users about its built-in ad and tracker blocker and also added that it "still supports" uBlock Origin.
However, Brave is not the only one to come out with an assurance. While we missed it initially, Opera, had already published a blog post about it stating that it would continue supporting uBlock Origin and other such MV2 browser add-ons and extensions.
With the release of Opera One R2 as a stable release (it has already been in Dev channel testing since June of this year), the browser maker has again reminded users about support for MV2 extensions. And like Brave, Opera has also highlighted its native ad blocker with claims that it can load pages up to 90% faster. It writes:
Opera has offered a native ad blocker built right into the browser since 2016, allowing you to browse uninterrupted and keeping intrusive ads at bay. It doesn’t require any additional installation and can be customized according to your wishes. Using the ad blocker makes your browser cleaner, safer, and more private – not to mention faster, since web pages load up to 90% faster without the additional clutter of bulky ads.
In addition to that, Opera R2 will continue supporting Manifest V2 extensions, allowing you to continue using your favorite ad blocking and privacy-enhancing extensions just like before.
The previous blog post dedicated to MV2 add-ons support offers more information about how it plans to achieve continued support for such extensions and also specifically mentions uBlock Origin so that end users can "keep using" these. The firm writes:
The framework under which browser extensions run in Chromium is moving from the current Manifest V2 to Manifest V3. This means that a lot of extensions built on the previous framework are expected to stop working on browsers like Chrome. Many already have.
Opera is built on Chromium, the open-source code that also powers Chrome. This means that changes in Chromium usually affect Opera as well. It also means that we can still make our own modifications on top of this shared codebase.
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In the coming days and weeks, we will be reaching out to selected extension developers to determine the best and safest way forward.
For you, this means that you will be able to keep using extensions such as uBlock Origin uninterrupted, instead of switching to the more bare-bones version of uBlock Origin Lite.
For those who may not have followed, Opera debuted the One branding last year to indicate the integration of AI features into it.
As an online publication, Neowin too relies on ads for operating costs and, if you use an ad blocker, we"d appreciate being whitelisted. In addition, we have an ad-free subscription for $28 a year, which is another way to show support!