RE: Browser Sniffing

"Browser sniffing" is no different than a Windows or Macintosh application
checking the version of the operating system it's running on.

How many applications check to see if they are running on Windows 3.x or
Windows 95?  

There is nothing morally wrong with this.  If the end-result is
inaccessibility, deal with that issue.  Preventing "sniffing" isn't the
answer.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jon S. von Tetzchner [mailto:Jon@operasoftware.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 1998 11:13 AM
To: Jon Gunderson; David Poehlman; w3c-wai-ua@w3.org
Subject: Re: Browser Sniffing


As a browser developer we must say that browser sniffing is a problem.
The result is that we need to say that we are Netscape to get pages
that are ok or even get pages at all in some cases. What would have
been much better is to be able to ask for pages using a system where
you say whether the browser and user want certain things such as

  - frames
  - tables
  - java
  - javascript
  - images

This allows the page designer to take these things into consideration
and deliver an optimal page. Sadly, some of them will just say "turn
on feature X".

At 11:49 31.03.98 -0600, Jon Gunderson wrote:
>In response to David Poehlman,
>Broswer sniffing is a server issue, and I think WAI will bring it up with
>the server people at W3C.  I think in general W3C is against browser
>sniffing, but it not clear what power they have to stop it.  Do you think
>it is something UA should be dealing with and make a statement?
>Jon
>
>Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
>Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
>Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
>University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
>1207 S. Oak Street
>Champaign, IL 61820
>
>Voice: 217-244-5870
>Fax: 217-333-0248
>E-mail: jongund@uiuc.edu
>WWW:	http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~jongund
>	http://www.als.uiuc.edu/InfoTechAccess
>
>
>
-- 
Regards/Ciao/Kær kvedja/Vennlig hilsen/...

Jon S. von Tetzchner
Opera Software
Jon@operasoftware.com
http://www.operasoftware.com

Opera - The browser that is made for you.

Received on Thursday, 2 April 1998 12:52:19 UTC