Pop-ups are those annoying advertisements that - as the name says - pop up on your monitor as you surf the Internet. Their main purpose is to attract visitors to advertisers' web sites or to collect e-mail addresses.
These pop-ups are usually caused by something called Javascript, which is a simple programming language built into the web page you're visiting.
Some pop-ups are useful. Sometimes a user clicks a link on the Web page and a small window will open asking a user to fill in information or giving a user more information. Music sites often use pop-ups to play tunes in a specialized player window. This can be a completely legitimate use of pop-ups and is quite different from the pop-up advertisements that appear unbidden.
JavaScript can control the size of the window and the elements displayed. The status bar or the menus can be hidden, making it impossible to navigate away from the pop-up. Your only options are to close the window using the 'x' box in the top right corner or to click on the ad and be taken to the advertiser's web site. Annoying, huh?
Some of these pop-ups can cause other problems as well. They may be poorly programmed, or they may be intentionally malicious and can cause many windows to be opened. And when you close one, several more open to replace it. When this happens, the only way to get rid of them is to close the browser.
A relatively new kind of pop-up is created using Flash and can be programmed to follow your mouse or to float on the screen as you scroll the window.
In addition to pop-ups created with JavaScript and Flash, 'adware' can create pop-up ads according to the content on a web page. Adware is usually just advertising-supported software which displays ads when you use that program. Sometimes, however, 'adware' refers to small hidden programs that deliver targeted advertising to your web browser. These programs may look for certain keywords on a web page and generate advertisements based on those words.
Another form of pop-up is called the pop-under. It opens a window behind the main window and you won't see it until you close your main browser window. These types are less annoying, but can still be a pain.
The main problem with pop-ups is the nuisance they cause, and almost every web browser has some kind of pop-up killer included these days.
You can also get specialized pop-up killer software that will catch most of the pop-ups that the browsers miss, giving you an almost 100% pop-up free internet experience.
Article Source: http://www.orbitaloc.com/
If your kids use the same computer as you, pop-ups can be a real pain. In recent versions of Windows multiple user accounts can be created to keep your information and settings separate. Find out more about stopping popups at www.securitymanor.com
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Article Title: Are Pop-Ups An Internet Security Threat?
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