Proxomitron

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Proxomitron, the Universal Web filter was created by Scott R. Lemmon and is a configurable personal web proxy tool. In simple terms, this software intercepts web pages before they reach the web browser, and then alters the page as the user desires by removing or adding code.

It can be configured to block popup ads, blinking banners, regular advertisements, annoying sound clips, and almost anything else on web pages, through the use of regular expression filters.

He distributed the program under a "ShonenWare" license; it was free to use, but if you bought a Shonen Knife CD and convinced him you listened to it, he would consider you a registered user.

The program can be hard to configure and can block more than the user intends. The Proxomitron was not designed to be user-friendly. However, in the hands of an advanced user, it allows almost limitless alteration of web pages so that the end-user will see them how they desire, rather than how the site owners or advertisers would like.

As of June 2003, the development has been discontinued at version 4.5 and the official site had the message:

消

え

ま

し

た

It reads "kiemashita" and translates to "it went out" or "gone."

But a few months afterwards, the page redirected to a GeoCities account with a witty message explaining that the project is dead. Nevertheless, the program can still be freely used and distributed.

The author, Scott R. Lemmon, died 1 May 2004 at the age of 36.^[1]