Googlebot Agent Header ¦ Dialup user

Warning to acces_log grep'ers

[Thierry Zoller]

Just a quick warning to those "grep -c"'ing access_log, Agent header GoogleBot, doesn't always mean it is Google.

As it appears normal surfers surf with GoogleBot agent header too :

astdenis-101-1-7-150.abo.wanadoo.fr - - [13/Jun/2002:21:02:25 -0400] "GET /pil.gif HTTP/1.0" 200 68 "-" "Googlebot/2.1 (CP/M; 8-bit)"

[jdMorgan]

Thierry,

A clever user, but one who perhaps doesn't realize that the Digital Research CP/M operating system pretty much died before any browsers (as we know them) were written!

Your post made me smile - I still have my very first "home computer", which still works(!) and runs CP/M (IMSAI 8080 system, 4 MHz Zilog Z-80 8-bit processor, front panel with switches & lights, 48kB memory total, quad 8-inch floppy drives, and a BIOS that I coded myself - you had to, back in 1976) over in the corner.

Wanadoo.fr sets off my "troublemaker" alarm. That, plus a fake UA, would get this guy onto my "banned" list - blocking "(CP/M; 8-bit)" is not going to cost you any legitimate visitors!

Thanks for the grin,
Jim

[stevenha]

How does one go about modifying a browser to display a personalized Agent header? I think that's cool.

[jdMorgan]

Some of the browser-like tools available for various uses allow the user to set a User-Agent. I waste a lot of my time trying to keep e-mail harvesters and wanna-be hackers off my site, so I'd be disinclined to give you an answer on this one... Nothing personal, though. :)

Jim

[EliteWeb]

Some let you change it on the spot, others like the major brands require registry editing and such hit up google and search for things like change useragent in internet explorer or NS or whatever to find directions :) there should be some apps out there to do it for you (:

[Thierry Zoller]

Just use : Proxomitron
[proxomitron.org...]

besides User agent manipulation it allows a heck load of other things (banner removal, javascript removal, etc..)