We’re all annoyed when a website tells us that we need to be using Internet Explorer on Windows. I got *really* annoyed at NineMSN when one of its sites told me that I needed IE 5 on Windows, with Flash 5 and Windows Media Player 9. I even e-mailed the web developers, telling them that I was using Firefox on Linux with Flash 5 and the MPlayer plugin with w32codecs. In reply, I got the same old crap about "Internet Explorer has essential security features" and "we will look into allowing Firefox users into our site".
For these kinds of reasons, I’ve always hated browser detection. It’s okay if it merely says "These are the system requirements, which you don’t live up to, but click here if you want to continue nevertheless". But I’ve just come across an example of why browser detection is the MOST EVIL thing on the web.
Using your sparkling new Flash 9 beta for Linux and Firefox, surf to www.hi-5.com.au. You will be told that you need Flash 8, and not let into the site. "That’s bad", I hear you say, "But it’s obviously set up to detect whether you’re running Windows too".
Not so. I tried going to the site using Firefox for Windows on Wine, which also has the Flash 9 plugin. Same problem. It used to work when I had the Flash 8 plugin installed on it. Curiously enough it works with Internet Explorer on Wine; I think it might have the Flash 8 plugin.
I’m running an XGL session right now so that might be the problem, but I doubt it.
I’m sure there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of websites with browser detection that have broken now that IE 7 has been released.
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