Shutting down the letsblock.it project and its official instance

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Reasons for shutdown & interpretation

  • Many see the maintainer’s stated reason as a shift in priorities: from making the commercial web more tolerable to building up the non‑commercial web.
  • Some interpret this as boredom / natural loss of interest; others as frustration, disillusionment, or realizing the project was “enabling” engagement with hostile platforms.
  • A few argue that stopping such “enabling” may push people to abandon bad platforms rather than patching them.

Impact, success, and “product/market fit”

  • The official instance had ~800 active users over two years.
  • Some commenters consider that a clear “success” for a hobby project.
  • Others call it a failure to find product/market fit, arguing the author should treat it as such to learn and pursue more focused, higher‑impact goals.
  • This sparks meta‑debate: whether small, niche impact is valid in itself, and whether external “strategic” standards should define success.

Technical difficulty & maintenance burden

  • uBlock Origin filter syntax is powerful but brittle. Complex selectors (e.g., to hide YouTube Shorts) break frequently due to frontend changes and anti‑adblock tactics.
  • Maintaining templates for many sites is tedious; content and UI patterns change constantly, making the work feel like “pissing in the wind.”
  • Some suggest AI might help keep filters updated; others doubt this will work long‑term against large platforms.

User experiences & alternatives

  • Several users relied on letsblock.it for YouTube (especially Shorts), Amazon clutter, search‑result spam, and family browser configuration.
  • Multiple alternatives are mentioned: manual uBlock rules, other YouTube‑cleaning extensions, privacy‑oriented apps, JS blockers, and scripts.
  • Many describe frustration with algorithmic feeds, Shorts/Reels, lack of control over interfaces, and attention overload.

Commercial vs non‑commercial web

  • One camp views the modern commercial web as heavily “enshittified,” arguing effort is better spent on small, respectful, non‑commercial communities.
  • Another claims the commercial web is “not so bad” overall and vastly more capable than the 1990s/2000s web, calling HN’s negativity an echo chamber.
  • Some hope the growing backlash leads to creative destruction and better alternatives within a few years.