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#1 2020-04-05 19:27:01

zero
Member
From: Lancashire
Registered: 2004-04-19
Posts: 1,470
Website

Disappearing links

Could someone tell me why this is happening. Singaz posted a comment here and what I see is:
————-
Some knew in advance about the new virus.

Original in German:

[BIG SPACE]

I looked at the Russian translation:

[BIG SPACE]

Sorry, English language version not found.
————-

When I post a link to youtub, faecebook or guugle in this forum, it disappears. When I just post the link location I can see it but it is not an active link. I don’t see recaptchas either around the web, cos they link to guugle I think. Is there anything I can do? My hosts file uses the nuclear option that someone posted on here.


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#2 2020-04-05 19:47:30

jakob
Admin
From: Germany
Registered: 2005-01-20
Posts: 4,578
Website

Re: Disappearing links

The Big spaces are videos. A plain link to YT or whatever might be better than embed in that case. The “Sorry English language not found” was, I think, written by Singaz.


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#3 2020-04-05 19:53:18

singaz
Member
Registered: 2017-03-12
Posts: 150

Re: Disappearing links

jakob wrote #322502:

The “Sorry English language not found” was, I think, written by Singaz.

Yes, I wrote it. Sorry my bad english.

Link German:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfm1oXpvkTA

Link Russian translation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdBGCApGrdY


Sorry my horror English. I’m learning textpattern, I’m learning English

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#4 2020-04-05 19:56:21

singaz
Member
Registered: 2017-03-12
Posts: 150

Re: Disappearing links

I posted like this:

“ht-tps:/-/ww-w.yo-utub-e.com/watch?v=Sfm1oXpvkTA”:ht-tps:/-/ww-w.yo-utu-be.com/watch?v=Sfm1oXpvkTA

Remove hyphens


Sorry my horror English. I’m learning textpattern, I’m learning English

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#5 2020-04-05 20:41:57

zero
Member
From: Lancashire
Registered: 2004-04-19
Posts: 1,470
Website

Re: Disappearing links

Thanks, I realized something like that was happening but it puts the onus on (in this case) Singaz to alter the links. I wondered if it was possible for me to change something in my hosts file so anyone could post as normal but I could see the links or the videos, but still not connect to YT, G or F. Perhaps I’m asking the impossible?


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#6 2020-04-06 16:03:53

gaekwad
Server grease monkey
From: People's Republic of Cornwall
Registered: 2005-11-19
Posts: 4,134
GitHub

Re: Disappearing links

zero wrote #322505:

I wondered if it was possible for me to change something in my hosts file so anyone could post as normal but I could see the links or the videos, but still not connect to YT, G or F.

Your browser web inspector should show attempts to connect to the various services listed, so you could pick through the code and see what you’re missing.

Candidly – and I say this as someone who used maintain a massive hosts file to block ads before ad blockers were a thing – if you can run to ~£50 for a Raspberry Pi kit, and you’re reasonably handy with some router configuration, you would be much better off running Pi Hole and covering your entire network, or at least the ones that use it for DNS.

It works like this:

  • acquire Pi Hole, install operating system (Raspbian is perfect)
  • install Pi Hole, assign a static IP address, choose upstream DNS providers
  • configure router to tell clients to use Pi as DNS server
  • use GUI and multiple blocklists to manage your blocks across your network

Way easier than hosts. The nuclear options are all well and good as long as they’re being updated regularly. You may even find that your internet speed is improved because your computer is not polling a big hosts file for each DNS check.

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#7 2020-04-06 17:48:19

zero
Member
From: Lancashire
Registered: 2004-04-19
Posts: 1,470
Website

Re: Disappearing links

Thanks Pete, I’ll think about that. I have accumulated 3 routers due to changing broadband providers. I’m guessing the answer’s no but could I perhaps configure an extra router to do something similar or does another computer with pihole have to be connected (and always on).


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#8 2020-04-06 18:57:01

gaekwad
Server grease monkey
From: People's Republic of Cornwall
Registered: 2005-11-19
Posts: 4,134
GitHub

Re: Disappearing links

zero wrote #322522:

I’m guessing the answer’s no but could I perhaps configure an extra router to do something similar or does another computer with pihole have to be connected (and always on).

The limitations with a router are typically the horsepower in them. They’re designed to route, and…not much else. There’s OpenWRT that opens up some extra features on some routers, but frankly I’d leave an ISP-supplied router as-is in case there’s any problem connecting. They would be within their remit to deny support if you flash an unofficial firmware, for example.

The Raspberry Pi I use takes its power (5V, 1A after a bit of tweaking) from the USB ports on the router. I use a Y-shaped USB lead to take 2x USB ports to 1x micro USB at the other end, combining the juice from each port on the router. That’s enough power to run the Pi, no trouble. That’s the computer that runs Pi Hole. There’s nothing preventing you running Pi Hole on another (Linux) computer, but if all you intend to do is have it act as a DNS forwarder with some blocklists, you’ll have plenty of techno horsies under the bonnet to do that, without breaking the bank on the electrics.

My router (non-ISP) is still the DHCP server, but I’ve set the DNS for each client to have the Pi Hole as the primary, and 1.1.1.1 as the secondary, so everything on the network (tablets, media players, computers, etc) uses the Pi in the first instance, and if it’s not available it bounces to 1.1.1.1 seamlessly.

On the Pi, I use a variety of upstream DNS servers and the standard blocklists. I have run extra ones before but it’s too much of an impediment to my work, so I accept the standard issues ones as a compromise. I also run AdGuard on my desktop, and that catches lots of stuff. AdGuard is one of a handful of sub-$40 apps I consider vital and well worth the money, with a disclaimer that I use my computers extensively for work so it’s a business expense. The bandwidth and sanity it saves, it paid for itself in almost no time at all.

Current screenshots if you’re curious (all safe for work):

Note the hosts in red from the Pi Hole logs. Those are blocked. Any host in green can be blocked by simply adding via the UI button on the right. Blocked hosts can be unblocked. One of the extra lists I ran with for a while had all sorts of Microsoft blocking going on, but that was making Office act up. So, it went. Trial and error, really. Upstream are all reliable, and Pi Hole load balances between them.

AdGuard…well, I love it. Makes the web far more sane.

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#9 2020-04-06 20:00:19

zero
Member
From: Lancashire
Registered: 2004-04-19
Posts: 1,470
Website

Re: Disappearing links

Thanks for all that, Pete. Much appreciated. I’m going to give it a go. But first, I must knuckle down and complete a course I started last year. I’m terrible for getting side-tracked into other things, and computers and me tend to fall out with each other and take too much of my time. So I’ll start it pretty soon, I hope, and let you know how I go on. Cheers!


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Gud One My blog

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