Opera

Why cover up your identity?

[chris_f]

For those of you who don't know. I am a web developer and current have in excess of 2,000 sites (I own most but have other people work on them for me). I am rolling out new user tracking code across all my sites. This is in a effort to get the most details stats I can on what operating systems and web browsers people are using. I will post my finding on a site so that people will be able to see the most used combinations so the web can be developed with better browser compatibility.

Anyway, that's too much waffle.

Can I please ask opera users Under the browser identity option do you select opera or another option? If it's another option, why?

The only answer I can think of is some sites have different stylesheets for different browsers and they may have failed to include an opera stylesheet or an 'if the browser if something else use this stylesheet' option.

Chris.

[Nick_W]

I identify as Opera.

2000 sites? What are they all about and how on earth do you manage?

Nick

[chris_f]

I develop the sites and an administration system (either web based or client app) and other people update them for me. Did I mention I also have a full-time job, a girlfriend, a social life and I think I sleep every now and then.

Chris.

[Brad]

I use Opera but have it identify as IE. The reason being that if I identify as Opera the Javascript that I use to rotate banners on many of my pages will not show the banners. It is useful for me to see the banners to spot problems etc. on my sites.

Otherwise I would identify as Opera all the time.

[Brett_Tabke]

Brads got it. Plus all the cloaked sites that take actions based on user agents. Some of them you can't get into as Opera, or behave wrong because they don't check for Opera.

Yahoo, MSN, Lycos, Google, Ebay, and many more sites cloak various features that are browser specific.

Javascript is the prime culprit though. Most pages have two sets of js - one for ie, and one for netscape. Which one is Opera suppose to run? (actually, it can run either). If in Moz/Netscape mode, it runs the netscape code, if in IE mode, it runs the IE code. Only if it is in Opera native mode and the code has an Opera section, will it run any "opera" code.

To check for Opera as a user agent, you must parse the entire agent string for the word "opera". current agent names:

Opera/6.04 (Windows 98; U) [en]
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows 98; U) Opera 6.04 [en]
Mozilla/4.78 (Windows 98; U) Opera 6.04 [en]
Mozilla/3.0 (Windows 98; U) Opera 6.04 [en]
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows 98) Opera 6.04 [en]

[edited by: Brett_Tabke at 2:11 pm (utc) on July 6, 2002]

[chris_f]

Brilliant. Brett you a knowledge base yourself. So, as I'm reading it. No matter which you select I can tell whether you are an opera user by looking for the agent's you just gave me.

Thanks.
Chris.

[chris_f]

Just tested my code. It now identify's opera as well.

Thanks alot everyone.

Chris.

[keyplyr]

> I... current have in excess of 2,000 sites

Ah Ha! So you're the one responsible for all this traffic congestion!

[starway]

The first thing I do after installing a new Opera version/update is setting it's ID to Opera. It deserves it!

It's almost useless to switch to another ID because it doesn't affect on functinality in 90% of all cases. Current Opera handles scripts very well (or maybe the number of cross-browser sites increased?) so I don't need to set it as IE5.

Anyway, read my post here:
[webmasterworld.com...]
It contains useful info about Opera identification.

good luck

[papabaer]

I always ID as Opera as well, and as starway notes, there seem to be far more cross-browser friendly sites. Opera's momentum is building...

[luma]

I identify as Opera. If a company can't afford good web designers (e.g., Encarta Online [encarta.msn.com] will give you a Microsoft VBScript runtime error when you ID as Opera), I will change my browser ID to Mozilla or just close the page (my default action).

[Brett_Tabke]

Take a screen shot - that's a classic. MSN can't even keep the site operational. MSN.com, the best advertisement yet - for linux.

[chris_f]

Thanks! Notes Taken.

keyplyr said:

> I... current have in excess of 2,000 sites

Ah Ha! So you're the one responsible for all this traffic congestion!

LOL :). More site x Small Profit = Big Mollar.

[papabaer]

I refuse to believe that M$ is unaware of their incompatibility with Opera (love the Encarta example!), don't you think that this kind of arrogance is going rear up and bite back?

Making the M$ sites 100% compatible with Opera, Mozilla et al, and then releasing a "killer" feature rich update of M$IE would be the sane way to compete... not the way it is now. Crazy... arrogant.

[EliteWeb]

:) I like to conseal my identity, I always lie when it comes to browser specs for ships and giggles. (P

[luma]

I tried to contact someone at encarta.msn. Of course there's no email address or contact form. But hey, there's this Help link. After activating JavaScript and allow pop-ups, I was able to click the Help link.

A couple of clicks later, I am stranded again: if you want to contact Microsoft Online Support, you'll need a Passport.NET account. I guess they couldn't care less for non Microsoft/MSIE/Passport/.NET users.