Yahoo invents browser that doesn't need an OS!

Y! sitemap checker

[jdMorgan]

66.228.165.141 - - [21/Dec/2006:16:10:13 -0500] "GET /sitemap.xml HTTP/1.0" 403 666 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5)"
66.228.165.141 - - [21/Dec/2006:16:10:13 -0500] "GET /sitemap.gz HTTP/1.0" 403 666 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5)"
66.228.165.141 - - [21/Dec/2006:16:10:13 -0500] "GET /sitemap.xml.gz HTTP/1.0" 403 666 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5)"

RDNS resolves to wgdev1.yst.corp.yahoo.com

1) Claims to be MSIE 5.5, but without an OS -- a truly amazing technological feat!
2) I never submitted a sitemap, so why is this UA attempting to load these pages w/o reading robots.txt?
3) No indication that Y! owns this UA in the UA string itself.

Bad form, gentlemen -- Three strikes and yer out!

Actually, it just failed MSIE version validation; I didn't take any unusual steps to block it.

Since I'm in the holiday spirit, I won't comment further on the quality of this particular "present". :)

Jim

[wilderness]

MSIE version validation

Hey Jim,
Care to share these lines
or is it the standard Mozilla lines?

TIA

Don