Userscripts.org

The following is an archive of comments made before threaded discussions was implemented (November 16th, 2008)

Donny, I think yahoo uses a workaround. I installed your script on a dev setup of FF (i.e., minimal plugins, minor config tweaks) and was working with your script. It seems that yahoo still tacks on the rds.yahoo. stuff to the search results even with your script installed. When I tried your script on a version of FF with NoScript installed, your script cleaned up the search results links. So, I'd venture to say that yahoo has some JS listener attached to the 'a hrefs' which hides/tacks on the rds.yahoo.* tracker to the URLs on a user's click. Here's how I was seeing the links were still hitting rds.yahoo.:
- On a profile of FF with only LiveHTTPHeaders (LHH) and Greasemonkey installed (with you script in GM):
1) Search for something in yahoo search.
2) Hover the pointer over the link -- it looks clean (i.e., no rds.yahoo. prepended to the site's URL).
3) Open the LHH window.
4) Open the same link you hovered over for step 2 in a new tab.
Result: You'll see in the LHH window that the rds.yahoo. server is hit, a 302 is returned, and the site you clicked for is then hit.
BTW, if you opened the link in a new tab and now hover over the same link in the search results now, you'll see it has the rds.yahoo. prepended and the other links (the ones _not_ clicked) look clean. This won't be true if you opened the link in the same tab when you click on the link.

- On a profile of FF with LHH, Greasemonkey, and NoScript installed (with your script in GM):
1) Search on something in yahoo search.
2) Hover the pointer over the link -- it looks clean (and, as you'll see below, it is).
3) Open the LHH window.
4) Open the same link you hovered over for step 2 in a new tab.
Result: You'll see in the LHH window that the site you clicked for is gone for directly (i.e., no intermediate step to rds.yahoo.) and the window with the link clicked is still clean.

I'd say you this was a good initial try at scrubbing the links, but it looks like something's going to have to be done about the yahoo JS or you're going to have to advise that NoScript be installed (and the permissions for yahoo.com and yimg.com be revoked) for this to work correctly. BTW, after further testing, it appears that if either yahoo.com or yimg.com JS execution is forbidden (or doesn't have temporary permission) in NoScript, the link scrubbing _does_ work.

David Snyder