Battleangel

Via MSFN: IE 6.05, Pop-Up Ad Blocking to Debut in Windows XP SP2

Better late than never, eh? The other major browsers have had this for some time now. Personally I’ve always used 3rd-party tools because they offer a more dedicated protection scheme .. so I wouldn’t know. I also think that the vast majority wont bother with installing 3rd-party tools. So built-in browser support makes a huge difference.
The interesting thing here is obviously that since IE dominates the internet at present, such an upgrade could deliver a decisive blow against those pesky ads. It is a double-edged sword however since many websites still depend on adverts to pay the bills. Time will tell.
Bottom line is that this is a major news story that has been slightly overlooked. One that could change the world wide web forever. Of course, SP2 is still months away so people have plenty of time to get worked up over this.