Geoff...I use and LOVE The Proxomitron.

It is a web 'filter'...that is, you set various parameters for what you want it to pay attention to, and it deals with cookies, ads, pop-ups, redirects, etc...etc...so many things.

It does a lot right 'out of the box', but you 'can' go get extra sets of config files that experts have written and do even more. (I HATE it when a page forces a link to open in a new page or tab....I can easily do that if I wish....so I found a filter which disables 'target=blank' and changes that behavior.)

The fascinating thing about Prox is that you forget how much it is doing till you turn it off for awhile! (Yes, it can easily be disabled temporarily. I need to turn it off when accessing Google Maps...not sure why-some javascript issue, I guess. I could probably fix that, but I'm just used to turning Prox off when I go there.)

I'll try to answer other questions if you wish.