SillyDog701

[DJGM]

According to BetaNews.com . . .

In an effort to raise its bottom-rung ranking in Web browser usage statistics, Opera Software is
changing a longstanding policy of spoofing the Internet Explorer UA in its browser. Starting with
version 8.02 Opera will now identify itself as Opera with optional spoofing on a per-site basis.

At the moment, Opera only has a 0.59% share of the browser market. Which is pitiful, for a browser that's
technically much better than the one it's always pretended to be. I'm sure that this change in policy from
the makers of Opera, by no longer spoofing as IE by default, should show more accurate usage stats
of their browser, and hopefully help further erode the gradually dwindling stranglehold of IE.

Read the full article at BetaNews.com . . .

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20050720 Netscape/8.0.3.1

[Andrew T.]

This sounds like good news. I had long suspected that Opera's user base was underestimated in most statistics by two or three percent, and for this reason I was half-expecting this announcement to come sooner or later.

The default user agent strings of almost all Opera browsers have spoofed themselves as the most popular browsers of the day (originally Netscape, and later Microsoft). I once tried Opera 2.12, and and the user agent of even this early version begins with "Mozilla (i.e., Netscape) /2.1"

When a new version of Opera is released identifying itself as "Opera" in its user agent string by default and users transition to this newest version, it will be interesting to see if this change will have any affects on Opera's stated user share on various websites.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win95; en-US; rv:1.7.10) Gecko/20050716 Firefox/1.0.6

[Antony]

I just don't like the spoofing this. I'd like to see all browsers disable useragent spoofing. Opera was the first one to do such spoofing (or make it famous), and many other browsers followed.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/412.6 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/412.2

[DJGM]

IMHO, there is only one legitimate and reasonable use for the act of spoofing your browser UA string . . .

You visit a website that blocks your Firefox - Netscape - Opera - Mozilla - other non-IE browser,
with a message saying you can only use IE to access certain (if not all) areas of that website.

So, you decide to spoof the UA string of your browser to appear as IE, to access the blocked
website. You find that most (if not all) areas of the website work well in your non-IE browser.

You then switch your browser's UA string back to it's true identity, and follow up your actions
with the composition of a polite e-mail to the developers of that website, asking them why
they chose to only allow IE users in, and to explain the importance of allowing access
to all browsers, rather than just the most popular one.

UA String spoofing for any other reason than this should definitely be discouraged.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-GB; rv:1.7.10) Gecko/20050717 Firefox/1.0.6

[David Wonn]

As previously stated, this is LONG overdue. Oddly enough, Opera versions 5 and 6 did not spoof as any other browser by default. AFAIK, it wasn't until version 7 that they decided to spoof IE by default. Old versions, like Opera 3.x, only gave the choice to spoof a popular version or two of Netscape Navigator / Communicator.

You then switch your browser's UA string back to it's true identity, and follow up your actions with the composition of a polite e-mail to the developers of that website, asking them why they chose to only allow IE users in, and to explain the importance of allowing access to all browsers, rather than just the most popular one.

UA String spoofing for any other reason than this should definitely be discouraged.

... Or you could send a short e-mail inside your User-Agent string to get their attention.

UserAgent: Mozilla/3.0 (compatible; QNX Voyager 2.01B ;Photon)

[Pu7o]

It seems that this is not true, because I just installed Opera and it was spoofing as IE by default.

UserAgent: Opera/8.02 (Windows NT 5.2; U; en)

[Jeffredo]

When I use Opera I usually spoof Mozilla with it. Less trouble with websites (particularly Bank of America bill pay) and at least I'm using a UA other than IE.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.10) Gecko/20050716 Firefox/1.0.6

[maldrac]

It seems that this is not true, because I just installed Opera and it was spoofing as IE by default.

UserAgent: Opera/8.02 (Windows NT 5.2; U; en)

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the above is the valid Opera user agent string, for it to be IE it needs to have the MSIE string listed, see below:

Internet Explorer -
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; YPC 3.2.0; SV1)

Opera -
Opera/9.24 (Windows NT 5.1; U; en)

Firefox -
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.8.1.11) Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.11

Netscape 9 -
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.10pre) Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.10 Navigator/9.0.0.4

Netscape 4 -
Mozilla/4.79 [en] (Windows NT 5.0; U)


Yes it's sad I know I have all the above installed and a few more besides that.

On a different note but one mentioned above for previous versions if you NEED to spoof using Opera 9 go to Tools -> Quick Preferences -> Edit site preferences -> Network and the use the drop down list to change to IE, spoofing is done on a much more sensible site by site basis now, still I'd rather boycott a site that insists on using Microsoft only

the user agent string in Opera is now
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; en) Opera 9.24

which still contains Opera at the end use the mask option to get through the toughest sites which will give
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; en)

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.8.1.11) Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.11

[James]

Sure am glad you dug up this two year old thread! Sheesh.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.10pre) Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.10 Navigator/9.0.0.4

[maldrac]

Sure am glad you dug up this two year old thread! Sheesh.

You're most welcome, it's always good to take people down memory lane once in a while, and remind them what they did and said two years ago lol

I only looked at the date when I was about to post and thought oh well made the effort now, I'm not gonna delete it

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; YPC 3.2.0; SV1; MAXTHON 2.0)

[James]

It's NOT good. Please check dates BEFORE posting to old threads. And thanks for being so cooperative. You put me in mind of someone we had here recently; someone who had the same propensity for digging up old threads which no one here really appreciates.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.10pre) Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.10 Navigator/9.0.0.4

[maldrac]

Not sure if you're being sarcastic about the cooperative part (just woken up)lol

Really I would have thought it useful some times, especially if some of the threads are still relevant (I found the thread on a google search btw and other than the browser versions found it quite useful), one way around this would be to put a time to live on the thread before it get's locked and no longer allows posts.

It's NOT good. Please check dates BEFORE posting to old threads. And thanks for being so cooperative. You put me in mind of someone we had here recently; someone who had the same propensity for digging up old threads which no one here really appreciates.

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; YPC 3.2.0; SV1; MAXTHON 2.0)

[wickedtired]

lol guys i just installed opera 9.61 and it's defaulting to showing IE UA AGAIN! what are they thinkin :no:

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.3) Gecko/2008092417 Firefox/3.0.3