User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Kai Großjohann]

WIBNI one could see from the User-Agent whether the user was using
Windows?  I think this is currently possible for XEmacs users, but not
Emacs users.

kai
-- 
Lisp is kinda like tpircstsoP

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Per Abrahamsen]

Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Großjohann) writes:

> WIBNI one could see from the User-Agent whether the user was using
> Windows?  I think this is currently possible for XEmacs users, but not
> Emacs users.

Yes, I have often missed system-type in User-Agent. 

When answering questions from Netscape users, one can see whether to
give a Unix or MS Windows centric answer by looking at the User Agent
line.

Also, I'm curious about how common Gnus is on MS Windows.

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Simon Josefsson]

Per Abrahamsen <abraham@dina.kvl.dk> writes:

> Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Großjohann) writes:
>
>> WIBNI one could see from the User-Agent whether the user was using
>> Windows?  I think this is currently possible for XEmacs users, but not
>> Emacs users.
>
> Yes, I have often missed system-type in User-Agent.

I added `system-configuration'.  It might be a privacy issue, but it's
fairly obvious and easy to disable anyway.

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Frank Schmitt]

Simon Josefsson <jas@extundo.com> writes:

>>Yes, I have often missed system-type in User-Agent.
>
>I added `system-configuration'.  It might be a privacy issue, but it's
>fairly obvious and easy to disable anyway.

Argh, it somehow kills my local newsserver. (He rejects the articles
with this header saying something like this: (it's in German, so I've
got to translate) "The list index is bigger than the maximum (-1)".

I get the error with
User-Agent: Gnus/5.090004 (Oort Gnus v0.04) XEmacs/21.4 (Academic Rigor, i586-pc-win32)

-- 
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
19. Dezember 2001

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Simon Josefsson]

Frank Schmitt <usereplyto@Frank-Schmitt.net> writes:

> Argh, it somehow kills my local newsserver. (He rejects the articles
> with this header saying something like this: (it's in German, so I've
> got to translate) "The list index is bigger than the maximum (-1)".
> 
> I get the error with
> User-Agent: Gnus/5.090004 (Oort Gnus v0.04) XEmacs/21.4 (Academic Rigor, i586-pc-win32)

Huh?  I can't see anything wrong with the line when I look at the
USEFOR article EBNF.  Does it complain if you replace "i586-pc-win32"
with "xxxxxxxxxxxxx"?  Maybe it is the line width?

Do you have source code to the news server?  Maybe you can have a look
to see what the error really means.

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Frank Schmitt]

Hallo Simon Josefsson,

Am 23.10.2001 um 22:57 sagtest du:

>>Argh, it somehow kills my local newsserver. (He rejects the articles
>>with this header saying something like this: (it's in German, so I've
>>got to translate) "The list index is bigger than the maximum (-1)".
>>
>>I get the error with
>>User-Agent: Gnus/5.090004 (Oort Gnus v0.04) XEmacs/21.4 (Academic Rigor, i586-pc-win32)

>Huh?  I can't see anything wrong with the line when I look at the
>USEFOR article EBNF.  Does it complain if you replace "i586-pc-win32"
>with "xxxxxxxxxxxxx"?  Maybe it is the line width?

>Do you have source code to the news server?  Maybe you can have a look
>to see what the error really means.

Just had a short look. It seems that's a bug in the newsserver. I
posted it to the appropriate group and hope it's fixed soon. The only
thing which really amazes me is that I can send an article with the
same header from an other newsreader (xnews) without problems.

Well, let's see what the maintainers (of hamster) say.
-- 
MFG Frank (At the moment on a machine without proper programs and
hoping The Bat! won't produce to much bullshit. )
mailto:Azzrael@rz-online.de

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Frank Schmitt]

Frank Schmitt <Azzrael@rz-online.de> writes:
 
>>Huh?  I can't see anything wrong with the line when I look at the
>>USEFOR article EBNF.  Does it complain if you replace "i586-pc-win32"
>>with "xxxxxxxxxxxxx"?  Maybe it is the line width?
>
>>Do you have source code to the news server?  Maybe you can have a look
>>to see what the error really means.
>
>Just had a short look. It seems that's a bug in the newsserver. I
>posted it to the appropriate group and hope it's fixed soon. The only
>thing which really amazes me is that I can send an article with the
>same header from an other newsreader (xnews) without problems.
>
>Well, let's see what the maintainers (of hamster) say.

It's fixed in the source now. (The problem were the additional
whitespaces, which were stripped somewhere as a sideeffect and then
hamster failed in finding the original header (because it was modified)
and searched over the end of the headers list.)

-- 
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
19. Dezember 2001

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Stainless Steel Rat]

* Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Großjohann)  on Mon, 22 Oct 2001
| WIBNI one could see from the User-Agent whether the user was using
| Windows?

No, I don't think inserting a person's OS information in publically posted
and often archived messages is a good thing.

[Insert privacy and security rant here]

Okay, perhaps it might be useful for debugging purposes, but I think it
should not be done in released versions of Gnus.
-- 
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>    \ Happy Fun Ball contains a liquid core,
Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ which, if exposed due to rupture, should
PGP Key: at a key server near you!  \ not be touched, inhaled, or looked at.

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Kai Großjohann]

Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> writes:

> No, I don't think inserting a person's OS information in publically
> posted and often archived messages is a good thing.

If it is a problem, maybe it should be disabled for XEmacs-on-NT
users?  I think you can see their OS.

Also, if Netscape users don't have a problem with that...

kai
-- 
Lisp is kinda like tpircstsoP

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Stainless Steel Rat]

* Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Großjohann)  on Mon, 22 Oct 2001
| If it is a problem, maybe it should be disabled for XEmacs-on-NT
| users?  I think you can see their OS.

A big black tarp is just as obvious as what it covers.  The OS should be
excluded by default for all released versions of Gnus.  At least that is my
rather extreme opinion.

| Also, if Netscape users don't have a problem with that...

Netscape is about the last benchmark I would use to measure Gnus'
performance.  The Communicator mail and news client is notorious for
breaking standards in ways that cause other things to break.  It is worse
than Outlook (scarey, huh).
-- 
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>    \ If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get
Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ away immediately. Seek shelter and cover
PGP Key: at a key server near you!  \ head.

Re: User-Agent header: indicate system-type?

[Paul Jarc]

Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> wrote:
> The OS should be excluded by default for all released versions of
> Gnus.

Most people won't care whether they publish that information.  Some
people will want to withhold it, but will they trust the default
anyway?  They'll be able to withhold it in any case.


paul