Re: Lynx and log files

Rob Neff asked:
>Does lynx show up as lynx in the log files?  Can i do a browser detect for
>lynx?

aloha, rob!

the user agent declaration is:

	Lynx/#.#.# libwww--XX/#.#

where #.#.# (or #.#) is the release number, and the XX/#.# is the libwww
release number... for most versions of lynx that you are likely to come
across (or, at least i hope so, for lynx users' sakes) is "FM/#.#FM"
(without the quotes, naturally)

you can find out more than you ever wanted to know about lynx by going to
the Lynx Home Page:
	<http://lynx.browser.org/>
or, since they'll point you there anyway, go straight to Subir Grewal's
"Extremely Lynx" pages, located at:
	<http://www.crl.com/~subir/lynx.html>

you should be aware, however, that a significant minority of Lynx users
"camouflage"  their UA declaration by changing the User-Agent header value
from that outlined above (i.e. Lynx/2.8.2rel.1 libwww-FM2.14 FM, to a
Mozilla header, so as to penetrate sites that would otherwise shut them
out, by mis-using browser sniffing to point them to a page that advises
them to quote join the twentieth century before it ends unquote and
download a quote modern frames-capable browser unquote (actual verbiage
from a site that shunted me to a page insulting entitled "No Go MoFo")

although this particular mis-use of browser sniffing is one of the most
pernicious (not to mention common) bars to equal access to information
(call it "browser segregation" if you like), User-Agent spoofing is a
practice which is definitely not encouraged by the Lynx Developmental
Consortium--the online documentation states, and i quote:

NOTE that Netscape Communications Corp. has claimed that false
transmissions of "Mozilla" as the User-Agent are a copyright infringement,
which will be prosecuted. _DO NOT_ misrepresent Lynx as Mozilla.  The
Options Menu issues a warning about possible copyright infringement
whenever the header is changed to one which does not include "Lynx or lynx.
-- end quote

gregory.

--------------------------------------------------------
He that lives on Hope, dies farting
     -- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1763
--------------------------------------------------------
Gregory J. Rosmaita <oedipus@hicom.net>
   President, WebMaster, & Minister of Propaganda, 
        VICUG NYC <http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/>
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Received on Friday, 23 July 1999 22:45:14 UTC