[SOLVED] Option to disable display of OS and Browser on posts?

DragonSlayer48DX · 08-23-2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MS3FGX

The same thing could be said currently for users who don't keep their "Distribution" string updated in their accounts (or only list their primary distribution while they use others). If anyone is making assumptions about the distribution in question by information displayed in the user's profile, they are taking a leap of faith in the first place.

Yup- Quite true, indeed. And then there are the ones who use multiple distros (not unlike myself) and do have them listed. One still needs to know with which distro I'm having issues, which, in certain cases, won't be the one I'm using to post the problem.

Cheers

DragonSlayer48DX · 08-23-2009, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy

Just for the record, we're not actively "probing" for any information. We're simply using data your browser pushes with each HTTP request.

--jeremy

Point well taken. In spite of everything, I'm still clueless as to how most of this internet stuff actually works.

Cheers

jiml8 · 08-23-2009, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonslayer48dx

Thank you, Jeremy.

While I struggle to understand that you are applying this capability for a positive reason, I strongly disagree with websites that probe my system to determine what OS I'm using. Perhaps I'm just a little 'set in my ways' from past experiences with sites that done so for the sake of promoting the browser or OS of their choice.

Cheers

Your browser reveals this information whenever it requests a page. I don't like it either, but the fact is that different systems have different capabilities - as do different browsers - and therefore any website that is "one size fits all" necessarily is very vanilla. One of the major bugaboos of website designers is the unfortunate necessity to take the OS AND the browser (particularly IE vs everything else) into account when preparing a page to send.

I used to have all the referrer information blocked from being sent - or I would send an obnoxious "none of your damn business" string, but as the web grew and became more complicated, that caused many sites to break when I tried to view/use them.

Recognizing the necessity, I finally caved and I do correctly report my user agent and distro these days.

H_TeXMeX_H · 08-24-2009, 03:45 AM

Well, I don't see any harm in this feature as you can set your user agent yourself anyway. I vote for it.

Nevahre · 08-24-2009, 04:28 AM

Quote:

.... as you can set your user agent yourself anyway.

Not true. On certain browsers you can, on others you can not.

H_TeXMeX_H · 08-24-2009, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nevahre

Not true. On certain browsers you can, on others you can not.

Which ones are those ? IE ?

Nevahre · 08-24-2009, 06:50 AM

Don't know anything about IE, could be that that one cannot do that. I'm talking about opera (9 and/or 10 with linux), but there are probably more (not all people use FF or IE).

H_TeXMeX_H · 08-24-2009, 07:17 AM

I'm quite sure you can do that with Opera.

Nevahre · 08-24-2009, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H

I'm quite sure you can do that with Opera.

You are a funny guy (who's having a bad day?).

- First lier in general 'as you can set your user agent yourself anyway'.
- Now you make me out to be a lier.

If your that sure and don't believe me: Show us and forget that I (and others, if you will believe google) already tried over the last couple days.

Don't talk nonsense! A guru should now better.

druuna · 08-24-2009, 08:15 AM

@Jeremy: Thanks for implementing an on/off option for this feature!

XavierP · 08-24-2009, 08:23 AM

@Nevahre - calm down please. No One is calling you a liar. H_TexMex_Hbelieves that it is possible to change the user agent string under Opera.

Looking at http://my.opera.com/larskl/blog/show.dml/9273 & http://my.opera.com/Ti/blog/2008/11/...r-agent-string it seems to be possible under Windows. From other sites, they seem to hint at changing the string in the user preferences. I don't run Opera so I can't confirm/deny.

Nevahre · 08-24-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

@Nevahre - calm down please. No One is calling you a liar

Yes he is.....
quote from me: I'm talking about opera (9 and/or 10 with linux)
quote from H_TexMex_H: I'm _quite sure_(!!!) you can do that with Opera.

I think a guru should be more careful with statement he makes (#94 and #98)

With opera you can change the browser (the one the other site thinks it is) but not the OS (distro, not in general like linux). It is hard coded, user can set 1 2 3 4 and 5, not the distro. I did do my 'homework' on this.

pixellany · 08-24-2009, 09:00 AM

@Nevahre;

The posts you are referring to were made in good faith. You obviously have some more detailed knowledge, which is fine, but there is no cause to be calling people "liars".

It appears that English may not be your first language. Please look up the definition of "liar". I think you will find that it involves knowingly saying something that is false. There is no evidence of that here.

Nevahre · 08-24-2009, 09:07 AM

Liar: someone that does not tell/speak/write the truth.

His first post was probebly in good faith, and I did try to correct him (in a nice way, not?). Forum should give correct information, not?

His second post I don't know about the good faith. You can only be sure if you now what you do, with opera he does not. liar seems correct, very much after his first post and my reaction.

Why are 2 moderators mailing me. I did not do anything wrong. My english (not good I now) does not have anything to do with that.

H_TeXMeX_H · 08-24-2009, 09:27 AM

Well, just to prove that I'm no liar, there are two possible ways to do this, not sure how to properly test the detection used by LQ, but here are the user agent strings that can be obtained:

This one using hexedit

http://a.imagehost.org/view/0504/screen2
This one using the opera:config#ISP|Id setting:
http://a.imagehost.org/view/0408/screen3

It's hard to test but one of them should work.