4 ms·

The user agent string is too loaded with backwards compatibility to remove or change. So the next best thing to do is supersede it - add a new agent-id or some

The user agent string is too loaded with backwards compatibility to remove or change. So the next best thing to do is supersede it - add a new agent-id or some such which is mandated by standard to be in the form "BrowserName/Version", e.g. "Chrome/22.0" or "Firefox/15.0.1", while keeping the old user-agent. Problem is I guess it's not really worth it - it doesn't expose any new information not already in the user agent, and it doesn't stop site authors relying on specific agent-ids. So I guess the way forward is try to ignore the user agent completely and just use feature detection.

riffraff 14y ago
Aren't there many uses of user agent strings outside of javascript/css usage? E.g. rate limiting, visitor stats etc
- pserwylo 14y ago
  I enjoy sites which provide me with the correct download link for software, based on the fact Firefox places "Linux x86_64" in my User-Agent. Having said that, the flip side is just as bad, when you get completely rejected from sites because "We haven't tested this site for your browser or operating system". It's a website for crying out loud. I don't get too mad at sites which implement this as long as they provide me a way to continue "at my own risk". However it's the final straw when they flat out refuse to serve me anything other than a page telling me they haven't tested the website for my browser/OS combination... sigh Edit: This might give some food for thought for AshleysBrain. I like your suggestion, but am curious if we can find a way to send OS and architecture to sites so that they can give me nice download links...
  - UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
    A lot of that functionality can be implemented using JS rather than the user-agent string.
- eli 14y ago
  Pretty much just visitor stats (not that those aren't important!) It doesn't make sense to use User Agent string for anything that someone might have a reason to game since it's so trivial to change them.

riffraff 14y ago

Aren't there many uses of user agent strings outside of javascript/css usage? E.g. rate limiting, visitor stats etc

pserwylo 14y ago
I enjoy sites which provide me with the correct download link for software, based on the fact Firefox places "Linux x86_64" in my User-Agent. Having said that, the flip side is just as bad, when you get completely rejected from sites because "We haven't tested this site for your browser or operating system". It's a website for crying out loud. I don't get too mad at sites which implement this as long as they provide me a way to continue "at my own risk". However it's the final straw when they flat out refuse to serve me anything other than a page telling me they haven't tested the website for my browser/OS combination... sigh Edit: This might give some food for thought for AshleysBrain. I like your suggestion, but am curious if we can find a way to send OS and architecture to sites so that they can give me nice download links...
- UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
  A lot of that functionality can be implemented using JS rather than the user-agent string.
eli 14y ago
Pretty much just visitor stats (not that those aren't important!) It doesn't make sense to use User Agent string for anything that someone might have a reason to game since it's so trivial to change them.