I don't like the new forum

My own understanding of how Adblock plus works is quite different. The extension does not make temporary files on your machine. It dials directly into the HTTP stream, parses the incoming HTML for strings that point to known ad-servers, and then renders the HTML without rendering any of the ads. The string parsing is done using regular expression matching. Adblock plus maintains a list of ad-servers called the 'easylist' and searches the HTML content for these known strings.

If it were actually downloading all content onto your machine it would use twice the amount of memory, and also defeat one of the primary functions of the software which is to avoid trackers. The very act of downloading the ads messages the trackers all information about the client machine. I wouldn't be surprised if some ad-blockers are actually implemented in this fashion, but it is an example of truly awful programming. Adblock plus does not work like this.

Personally, I've had zero issues with the new version of the forum. It loads up just fine on Firefox, Chrome and Safari. I haven't used it on IE so I'm not sure how it performs there. I also use a bunch of ad-blocking and privacy extensions, but I've never noticed any lag or bad rendering of any pages on IL. I actually like the uncluttered forum structure. Navigation can definitely be improved but it isn't a deal-breaker.

PS: I know ads are the bread and butter of sites such as IL. I don't use any ad-blocking on my iPad, and I do occasionally click on interesting ads. So I'm trying to be good and do my bit to keep IL in the black.