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Opera to Stop Spoofing IE User Agent

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

August 1, 2005, 11:50 AM

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 user agent in its browser. Starting with version 8.02 Opera will now identify itself as Opera with optional spoofing on a per-site basis.

The user agent is a string of data sent by Web browsers, which enables Web sites to custom tailor functionality depending on what technology is supported by a specific browser. For example, DHTML supported only by Internet Explorer can be disabled for visitors using Firefox.

However, user agents have also been used improperly by site owners to restrict those with perfectly valid browsers, such as Opera, from visiting. Microsoft's MSN portal has even supplied Opera with broken HTML code in the past. To counteract this, Opera has long pretended to be IE.

But a result of this spoofing has been extremely poor showings in recent Web browser usage surveys, which have become an important benchmark as alternate browsers such as Firefox slowly chip at Microsoft's Internet Explorer dominance.

Opera held 0.59 percent of the browser market in June, according to Web monitoring firm NetApplications, while Firefox reached 8.71 percent.

Recognizing that switching to its own user agent could disrupt the viewing of some Web sites, Opera now includes the ability to change its identity per-site. By default Opera will announce its true self, which the company hopes will raise awareness among webmasters that Opera must be kept in mind.

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By sophist_dreams

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 10:48 AM

This is another marketing ploy by Opera to disguise the fact that it's browser simply does not meet industry standards and doesnt open a plethora of web pages correctly.

Opera's default setting is to identify as IE, so as to prevent the user from unecessarily being locked-out by clueless webmasters. S-Tracking is the only service fooled by Opera's user agent spoofing. It also puts all Mozilla-related browsers as well as Safari (!) into one category and simply calls them Netscape.

Score: 0

By RobertM

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 9:18 AM

Umm, I don't buy the argument that this is why they're ranked so low in Web stats. I mean, even the "spoofed" UA string still contains the word Opera and its version number, so any self-respecting stats-collector CAN and SHOULD be able to tell what is Opera and what is not.

Score: 0

By dcumpian

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 9:48 AM

This is just a press release to get attention. Nothing new.

Score: 0

By Maxwolf

edited Aug 1, 2005 - 2:46 PM

Bleh, why do you have to create custom pages for Firefox, IE, and now Opera? They wish they could become an industry standard. They all got excuses as to why one won't work like the other and most of the time the blame falls on the other company. I still create pages for IE first and these other browsers as an after-thought.

Score: 0

By sophist_dreams

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 10:39 AM

You are the one, by creating pages specifically for IE, who are not working at industry standards. A standard which microspud chose to ignore to force people to use their browser when they drove Netscape out of business.

Score: 0

By eunichman

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 2:18 AM

If you make pages for IE then you deserve to be shot. web developers need to stick to making standard HTML pages, no dhtml, macromedia flash etc. Microsoft isnt on 100% of all computers, and IE isnt the only browser being used.
Sticking to standards html insures faster page loads, less issues with compatibility and less exploits.

Score: 0

By twosheds

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 12:49 PM

No Flash, even? I agree about sticking to standards, which is why I verify my sites first in Firefox and then IE, but I can't stand the luddite minimalist movement that wants us all to use Lynx and tut-tut at any web page over 5k. The web is not just an information resource, it's an entertainment medium, and getting ever more market-share as such; there's a place for rich media on the web.

Score: 0

By Zmodem

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 5:56 PM

Nah, Lynx is too foo-foo for these people. They all want us to telnet to port 80 and run raw HTTP commands :)

What about everyone's beloved Gmail? It's DHTML/Ajax/whatever. It works fine.

Like HTML, there is standard javascript/dom sanctioned by the W3C, that if adheared to, will work in any browser that supports those standards.

Score: 0

By Maxwolf

posted Aug 3, 2005 - 8:48 AM

I make web-pages for IE first because I can expect more than 70% of users who visit will be using IE. So I design for that, everything else is just an after-thought and always will be until Firefox or god-forbid Opera rises past IE in the rankings.

I don't see that happening in the next several years, if ever. Not trying to be a troll, just face the facts.

Score: 0

By gawd21

posted Aug 3, 2005 - 1:04 PM

I don't see Opera making it to even 5% within the next 5 years. Not trying to be mean just honest. It's ad/spy ware, I go out of my way to keep from being force fed ads. I won't even watch TV. Most people don't like ads.

Score: 0

By Kramy

posted Aug 1, 2005 - 4:48 PM

IE doesn't adhere to the standards. It adheres to Microsoft's standards, which as we know are completely different from anyone else's.

Score: 0

By Destian

posted Aug 1, 2005 - 3:33 PM

There are a lot of people attempting to create an "industry standard." Most browsers are trying to adhere to this. Microsoft is not.

http://w3c.org

Score: 0

By bleedh

posted Aug 1, 2005 - 1:04 PM

"Starting with version 8.02 Opera will now identify itself as Opera with optional spoofing on a per-site basis."

From v8.10 preview 2
http://snapshot.opera.com/windows/w810p2.html

Per site spoofing in the form of the UA.ini has been around since at least 8.0

Score: 0

By willykreim

edited Aug 1, 2005 - 12:54 PM

"For example, DHTML supported only by Internet Explorer can be disabled for visitors using Firefox."

You seem to be implying that DHTML is something supported by Internet Explorer but not Firefox, when in fact the Mozilla Gecko engine used by Firefox supports DHTML from day one!.

What crappy writing and sloppy reporting!

Willy

Score: 0

By sethadam1

posted Aug 1, 2005 - 3:02 PM

"You seem to be implying that DHTML is something supported by Internet Explorer"

Eh... no. There is a TON of DHTML that is IE only because of Microsoft extensions. Many event.* calls are IE only, and let's not even get into layers or XMLHttpReq. There is plenty of DHTML that sites actively withold from users not displaying an IE user agent, and Opera users got borked on this many times. Now, Opera will announce itself, because thanks to Firefox and Safari, many sites are finding that not supporting alternative browsers is bad business.

Score: 0

By LRN

posted Aug 1, 2005 - 12:12 PM

Maybe now we'll see pages, optimised for Opera, not only for IE or FF

Score: 0

By DJGM

edited Aug 1, 2005 - 2:49 PM

Webpages should not be optimised for ANY specific browser, whether it's an
existing market leader such as IE, or a fast growing alternative like Firefox.

Score: 0

By crashoverride

edited Aug 2, 2005 - 1:50 AM

Yet another case where Microsoft is at fault. W3C is trying their level best to set some industry standards. Firefox, Opera, and Safari are trying their dead level best every day to adhere to those standards. Microsoft is trying their dead level best to adhere to Microsoft standards. Microsoft would rather we not have any choice but to use their software. Don't get me wrong I use a lot of their programs I'd just rather not use their web browser. I jmay have a rather flawed opinion but this is just the way I feel about the "optimised for this browser and that browser" subject.

Score: 0

By THZGryphon

posted Aug 1, 2005 - 12:05 PM

"In an effort to raise its bottom-rung ranking...Opera will now identify itself as Opera ", it's going to need a lot more than that.

Score: 0

By divxguy

edited Aug 2, 2005 - 3:35 PM

I think Opera is great and use it every day. "Hardcore" open source fans can say whatever they want...

Score: 0

By captainahab

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 12:51 AM

Yes, it will take people who are actually smart enough to download and try the most advanced web browser.

Score: 0

By Prodder

posted Aug 2, 2005 - 1:19 AM

Be thankful of that fact ;)

I'd hate to see Opera afflicted with spyware...

Score: 0

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