[thelist] browser detection on server side

[Ken Schaefer]

OfficeUpdate (assuming you're talking about the part that has the wizard you
can download updates from) requires an ActiveX control. That's not going to
work on non-IE, non-PC based browsers. If you are using a Mac, you go to the
Office Mac site. If you are using a non-IE browser on PC, you need to
download the updates individually from the downloads section.

Despite the zealots on the list, there is a reason why there is browser
detection code running on the site (because the average person who uses it
doesn't understand the ins-and-outs of how the various updating processes
work). Additionally, if you want to use additional software (like firewalls
that change your user-agent strings), then it's incumbent upon you to be
cognizant of that (and if the product's manual doesn't tell you what it's
doing, then change products).

Cheers
Ken

--
www.adOpenStatic.com/cs/blogs/ken/ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: From: thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org [mailto:thelist-
: bounces at lists.evolt.org] On Behalf Of Michael Pemberton
: Subject: [thelist] browser detection on server side
: 
: Fellow Evolters,
: 
: I apologise in advance if I am covering old ground, but....
: 
: Has anyone else started having problems with some sites that use the
: UserAgent header string to decide what functionality to offer?
: 
: I recently found that Microsoft was not allowing me to use IE to access
: officeupdate.com.  I kept telling me that I must be using a Mac and I
: should go elsewhere for my updates.
: 
: Windows Update has no problems.
: 
: After I started having problems accessing an online learning service, I
: was told to upgrade, then downgrade, my version of Java.  Failing that,
: they said I should reinstall Windows.
: 
: It was only after I found the setting in my firewall that was altering
: the header that I was able to regain access to these websites and have
: them function correctly.
: 
: Is there any advantage in using the UserAgent header to alter the output
: on a website, that client-side won't offer?