Ads have evolved into a cancer that is just growing and growing, making everything around them worse.

Ads have always been a cancer.

Not exactly. When the webmaster you knew put a banner in the corner of their site with ads from one and the same source, in one and the same place, not popping up and not bothering you, it really felt fine. I even felt the urge to click that and see where it leads.

Remember also Opera free version with that ad banner.