__/ [ Harlan Messinger ] on Monday 27 February 2006 01:56 \__
> Lars Eighner wrote:
>> In our last episode,
>> <Pine.LNX.4.62.0602262103230.23900@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
>> the lovely and talented Alan J. Flavell
>> broadcast on comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html:
>>
>>> On Sun, 26 Feb 2006, Lars Eighner wrote:
>>
>>>> Remember the "Get a better browser!" messages that you used to run
>>>> into when people thought frames were cool? Well, there is a new
>>>> version of it. It's called 406 - Not Acceptable!
...Recently seen a site that rejects Firefox simply for being Firefox. I have
also come across sites that openly reject IE or show an offensive icon while
rendering pages with transparent PNG's. I have also seen sites that reject
anything that is not Firefox (though I am not entirely sure about this one).
Certain Web sites avoid bad layout or wish to pass on the same message as
above in a more subtle way, but intentionally blocking button based on user
agent sniffing. This can lead to a lot of confusion, which in turn burns
time, fields more support queries, and promotes frustration and nervous
yelling at the monitor.
Browser racism must end.
>>> I don't think you've grasped the meaning of 406 yet; but feel free to
>>> expand on your observations, and then it should become clear.
>>
>> So far as I can tell, it means "Get a better browser!"
>
> Isn't "Get a better browser" rendered by including it between NOFRAMES
> tags? ...
That's *exactly* what *I* thought.
> ... That works by sending it as part of the regular response--the
> server doesn't have any idea that the browser doesn't support frames.
> Even if that's what 406 was for, to send a 406 *instead of* a 200 or
> some other code would require the server to know that the browser
> doesn't support frames.
While on the subject of user-agent spoofing, I can never get very far on the
Web with my default user-agent string:
Use Agent: Roy Schestowitz's telepathic mind
App Name: None of your business
App Version: 1.0b
Platform: GNU/Linux
vendor: Mom & Dad
This is never ever good enough for on-line banking, among other Web sites
that sniff these and deny service rather than remain impartial.
Related links: User Agent Switcher Extension for Firefox:
http://chrispederick.com/work/useragentswitcher/
^^^
Useful if you can't bother installing Opera for sites that require IE.
Roy
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