µMatrix - the HTTP Switchboard successor

Best news ever!

But I have found an issue with FF. uMatrix does not reload automatically a webpage, after making some changes.

 

I removed that feature for many reasons:

1. Code was too complicated for what I consider a non-essential feature, compromising uMatrix's stability (my main goal).
2. The code relied in part on behavior specific to Chromium.
3. After using uBlock for weeks, months, I now favor having the user reload on his own when he decides so. I like it this way personally.
4. The matrix can be stickied in the logger, rendering auto-reload irrelevant.
5. The auto-reload code was buggy anyways, it did not always accomplish its purpose (because point 1. and 2. above)

 

I removed NoScript from Firefox.
Installed uMatrix 0.9.0.0 (it is shown as 0.8.1.4 in the About-tab).

I removed the rules:

• * 1st-party * allow

• * 1st-party frame allow

That global allow rule for 1st party is causing new users many bad habits in their usage of uMatrix and wish it was gone from the default install! Also it is not safe, because bad sites exist and are made.

I added the rule:
** cookie block.
Now it possible also in Firefox to block cookies globally and allow them site specific when needed!

Edited my temporary rules and pasted from my Chrome uMatrix rules all my own made rules to FF.
Done.

 

Wonder with uMatrix in firefox, is it alright to default-deny 3rd party in uBlockO. Already having lotsa of My block/allow/noop*Rules(uBlockO). Notice Mr Gorhill mentioned "Do not use dynamic filtering for script tags in µBlock" ~ https://github.com/gorhill/uMatrix/wiki/Using-µBlock-with-µMatrix

 

I think you can untick the 'I am an advanced user'-checkbox without loosing your made rules to uBlock(0). And then the rules will be ignored if I remember right.

It would be anyways very unconvinient to use 2 blockers same time if it is at all possible. uMatrix interface being so much more nicer and more intuitive, I would start using and building your rules to it if I were you. Just my opinion.

I am sure gorhill can give us a technical reply if he wants.

Thanks to your post I noticed uBlock Origin is available also to Firefox. I had today installed uBlock to FF and in my local newspaper site it was not working so well together with uMatrix as some blockings from uMatrix were not hidden by uBlock. Uninstalling uBlock and installing uBlock Origin fixed the problem for me.

 

great move for firefox. since working with uBlock i got familiar with its "matrix".

There exists a video (german explanation) for usage of uMatrix in chrome - same is valid for Firefox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af0tUR0GZUI

Noscript-users had to learn from scratch i assume.

cheers

 

@gorhill & @tlu

I have read that JWplayer uses a pinging gif to tag what is played. Those one pixel tags are common to track surfers (one RGB pixel = 256x256x256 unique-tags). Now I have the option to block or allow images. I have no idea about the possibility or amount of work that would take, but would it be possible to split images into images and tags. Where tags would be all images smaller and equal than 3x3 pixels and images would be all larger than 3x3 pixels. With the tag option there should also be an extra option to automatically delete blocked ID-tags.

Regards Kees

 

That's what we like to here!

 

Okay pardon me, notice taken, won't post suggestions anymore.

 

Again on Firefox.
When going in "Behind the Scene" the last column "Other" gets cut by half. It's not entirely visible. Does it happens also to you, guys?

Also I have noticed that the list of requests "Behind the scene" in Firefox is huge when compared to the one in Chrome. I guess it's browser related, but since I am a noob with FF (just switched from Chrome) I was wondering why.

 

Yes and Yes (using Cyberfox 37.02 to test)
As it is a very early 'developer' version i would not be overly concerned here.
It is performing very nicely already.
So thankful this will be available en masse for everyone in the future

 

I wouldn't do that - see what I observed here.

Regarding chromium-extension-scheme - I've noticed that gorhill made this feature extension-specific in 0.9.0.0. That's an important improvement as allowing things for one specific extension (like pdf.js) is not applied to others.

 

One important hint for those of you testing 0.9.0.0 in Chrome: In previous versions of uMatrix it didn't matter if you enabled or disabled javascript in the Chrome settings. This has changed - you now have to allow javascript by default, otherwise some things won't work as expected. This also applies to individual custom javascript rules in the Chrome settings.

This is what gorhill says:

 

I put that back as it was, or else I may end up with too many issues to deal with and no time to code. uBlock doesn't do this though obviously as the script blocking is optional.

I did more progress than I expected today, and I feel really good about the current state. I might release to AMO sooner than I thought -- though there are features[1] I really wish could have made it in this release, that would delay unduly.

[1] Presets, big item. A new scope-based switch to prevent the stripping of the cookie header (without preventing the deletion of the cookies) -- which would address an issue you have long been waiting for, i.e. nytimes.com not working fine when no cookie seen by the server.

 

Should the allow rule for the www.wilderssecurity.com hostname be allowing images, despite the block rule for images?

I noticed if I reverse rules like in the image below, using a block rule on the hostname will affect the image rule unlike in the previous example.

I'm using uMatrix 0.9.0.0 dev 9 on Firefox 37.0.2.

 

I am sure all will be according to your rules. Remember the matrix shows by color what is blocked: reddish = blocked, greenish =allowed.
There is this page, but I'd rather learn by examples, which are quite nonexisting on the wiki: https://github.com/gorhill/uMatrix/wiki/Rules-syntax.

Just a check, go to your dashboard/My rules:
You should have global rules
*** block, ** css allow, ** image allow and ** frame block
from the default install. These are good ones and remove them only after serious considerations!

Why I am asking is because I see on those in my row that starts with all selector a 45 degree white line on the upper left corner of those cells. You don't have ones on the pictures. See for instance this page what I mean: https://github.com/gorhill/uMatrix/wiki/Very-bare-walkthrough-for-first-time-users

I don't usually whitelist (or blacklist) using the all selector, but instead below that using the 1st-party and other domains. The all selector can be though handy when wanting to whitelist quickly all the domains having content on the site you are working on.

 

I've only been using uMatrix for one day and i've been messing with the settings, so maybe I need to reset to default settings.

 

Learning uMatrix can be quite frustrating I know at first. I did in my learning period, the predecessor HTTB Switchboard times, once got enough and removed the extension and used a simpler blocker in Chrome browser.

One advice I give in first learning making rules, is to use the scope selector (the upper left corner cell) only to domain name scopes (wilderssecurity.com) and not to * (which means global). This way only thing you can mess with is those domains and the damage you can do will be minimal.

From what I have used, the new Firefox prerelease of uMatrix seems to already work fine without any problems regarding rules.

 

I think it might be that a block rule takes precedence over an allow rule. I'm not 100% but I think this is actually working as designed.

 

I would not worry too much, or read that rules-syntax page except maybe once to get confused and then forget it. And maybe read it later when learned to use uMatrix to understand it. I just use uMatrix, without really knowing how all works, honestly.

 

A cell in the middle of the matrix inherit from two paths: the hostname and the type. So there is a sort of ambiguity to resolve. This is resolved by that simple definition: if at least one of the two inheritance path has an explicit block rule[1], the cell is blocked.

So in both cases in your pics there was at least one of the path -- "image" for the first pic, "www.wilderssecurity.com" for the second -- which had an explicit block rule, hence cell will be blocked.

[1] "explicit block rule" is rendered dark red.

 

uMatrix available on AMO.

 

With 0.900 go to logger is implemented

 

0.9.0.0 is also available now on Chrome web store.

The behind-the-scene documentation seems to be gone, at least from the extension 'dashboard'. I would have liked the warning if not allowing it, that extension updates will not work etc, been shown in Chrome uMatrix. Also pdf-reading is blocked unless allowing other in that matrix using Chrome browser 42.

 

Had a problem I've never seen before. Over at the ten forums I noticed that the quick reply was blocked. now, I have frames and plug ins blocked globally, but generally a number will appear int he column if something is blocked but as you can see, no numbers listed. When I allowed the frames and plugins on a whim (didn't think it would work since no numbers indicated that either were being denied) the frame was allowed, only still no numbers appeared in the columns. Not sure if this is common with this build, but generally in the past when something was blocked, it would appear in the specific column which allowed you to fine tune which to allow, but just wanted to bring it to the thread's attention