Re: Browser sniffing to CG

I'm not sure I followed all of the preceding discussion, but:

Until browsers do a better job of following standards, browser sniffing is
going to be necessary.

For instance, IE4 and Netscape Communicator handle SSL differently, so a
secure site needs to have separate versions for each browser or users of
one platform will be out of luck -- and the provider will be without half
of their potential audience.

 -- Paul

Jon Gunderson wrote:

> Sounds good to me?  How about other people.
> Jon
>
> At 09:19 PM 12/9/98 +0100, Daniel Dardailler wrote:
> >
> >I think we should ask for a informational note to be added in the HTTP
> >spec saying it's bad to do browser sniffing in general and really bad
> >to be discriminatory about it.
> >
> >Exact wording to be proposed by PF.
> >
> >I am personally not in favor adding profile like things to HTTP to
> >allow for "clean" browser sniffing (e.g. my screen is this res, I
> >don't have a mouse, etc)
> >
> >It think HTTP has enough content negociation and the architecture
> >already in place is flexible enough (where you first get the HTML/XML,
> >then the attached pieces - if you need them) to do the job right
> >(which should not preclude us to improve css categorization by media,
> >but this is not HTTP related)
> >
> >
> >> to follow up on what Daniel Dardailler said:
> >>
> >> > Danield: related to Browser sniffing, it is a server issue but we
> >> >     could ask the HTTP WG to add a note about it
> >> > Charles: do we want to add negocation of UA capabilities
> >> >     there are other ways to do that (CSS + media)
> >>
> >> Did we agree to take this issue back to the CG?  It seems to me
> >> that this area is one where
> >>
> >>      - the WAI would probably like to make a statement
> >>      - it seems to fall in a crack between the scopes of
> >>              the content and browser guidelines.
> >>
> >> The WAI would like to make a statement concerning
> >> nondiscrimination in the service of information.  We can work
> >> with W3C and WSG on this, because I think Tim is quite unhappy
> >> with the commercial forays into defeating the universal meeting
> >> ground qualities of the WWW.  Maybe it goes in the author guidelines
> >> as a not under alternative pages.
> >>
> >> Al
> >
> 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



--
  -- Paul Adelson
------
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Received on Wednesday, 9 December 1998 17:28:02 UTC