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How often do you have to spoof your user agent when using K-Meleon? I have found that I have to spoof Firefox 3.5 for certain sites like Bing Maps. Even SeaMonkey 2.0 has problems with Bing Maps!
Visit this site to check your user agent. I visit it in other browsers & copy & paste the agent into a word processor. Then I can use the custom user agent in K-Meleon.
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
I have found this site useragentstring.com
I change the string to firefox|ie when using hotmail. Otherwise I can not write into the text filed.
That's a really interesting site. I think I will leave my user agent as Firefox 3.5.5. for a while as it seems to be less of a problem getting into certain sites with K-Meleon then.
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
For specific purposes always.
I use a specialized install for it (Could be also a profile since the change is located in prefs.js).
This says as default 4 Your link.
Your User Agent is:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; de-DE; rv:1.8.1.23) Gecko/20091019
To achieve this - I deleted via about : config the string from general.useragent.vendor.
Reason: vendor is the only possible give-away when I spoof.
For detailed info about Your browsers go to gemal's browser spy.
At his page You can find out the possibly betraying strings.
K-Meleon dev kko's BBDetector page detects what layout engine Your browser has.
And it tries to figure out Your browser's real User Agent name.
It can find that I use a Gecko. That is all.
Which means: That my K-Meleon can flawlessly spoof any other browser with a Gecko Layout engine.
p.s. Mail Pages like: yahoo.mail, hotmail, gmail... and some social community pages have buggy browser detection that prevents full usage when You do not use a browser that they have white-listed.
For these pages I have installed Auto Agent Switch by disrupted.
If a page fails with get another browser looser
try with spoofed Firefox strings. 
Usually FF2 is sufficient rarely FF 3.x is needed.
This detailed browser sniffing works when JavaScript is active.
BTW. "To spoof always another User Agent String reduces the nominal %age in usage statistics. Nobody would find out even if K-Meleon had the needed market share. This would cause the nuisance to continue forever." Quoted from a Letter to hotmail.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2009 01:03AM by guenter.
That's all very interesting. You are right, Firefox 2 is good enough to get into Bing Maps!
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
Except for certain testing situations, I don't use any spoofing. If they don't work with KM, then I will go elsewhere.
K-Meleon 1.6.0 beta 2.4 Win 7 (32 bit)
I have to agree. I never spoof. But then, most of my web browsing is to information based sites only, not social trivia. Even my online banking accepts my browser, KMLite user string, Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.8.1.23) Gecko/20090825 KMLite/1.1.2
My user agent string is of 'one size fits all' type:
This way I am not really spoofing, but I don't get barred from sites either.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2009 05:41PM by foobarly.
I have noticed that if I spoof Firefox 3.5.5 more adverts & banners seem to get through K-Meleon's adblocker. So it is probably best to surf on default as a whole.
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
Recently I noticed and was surprised, there seem also to be sites, that do NOT work with a Firefox spoof, while working fine with "default KM" agent! (like imageshack)
Usually I'm surfing on "default", because it doesn't help the statistics if all websites (wrongly) count me as a firefox or anything user Rarely I switch, mostly for testing too, but have checked "Reset to default on exit", so as not to accidentally forget switching back afterwards ;-)
I find that everything actually works fine with K-Meleon, except for Bing Maps, which tells me it doesn't support KM but lets me use it anyway. It all seems to work fine. Firefox is over-rated if you ask me. I wish K-Meleon would have worked on my computer when I first downloaded it in December 2008. 1.5.1 wouldn't bookmark properly. It's fine now. It's just a happy accident that I thought I would give it another try!
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
*Sigh* I just discovered that Google Wave doesn't like K-M too well. Looks like spoof-time has come at last. *Dons Firefox mask and stalks the Wave...*
A.K.A. Arual the Wyrd
Glad to have read this thread, cuz it solved a long time question why I don't see closing crosses on MyYahoo in KM. They appear in FF. It never dawned on me that anyone would be stupid enough to use the user agent string to distinguish browsers...but there must be some bozos coding over there at Y!, I set myself up as FF2 and bingo -- they're they are.
I sent them info on what the problem is and how to fix it. But I doubt that will change anything.
Then last night I get a warning that my browser is out of date from Travelocity so they must be morons as well.
Is there any built-in function that strips the browser name from the UA string? I want to give KM credit in stats but I guess as long as it registers in there with "other" that might be okay. Then I could just use the combo FF/KM UA string that was quite cleverly suggested above.
Thinking about a real solution, maybe we could just lobby Mozilla to start sending a blank UA. That would force people to do real browser or engine sniffing or they would lose the whole Moz userbase. This whole UA thing is really ridiculous, it needs to end !!!
A waste of time IMO to contact them. I use disrupted's auto switcher.
Complain, appeal to logic?
It is a known Problem - for all Gecko browsers except firefox.
The issue is a FAQ in this forum, hotmail, yahoo, facebook,.... and a in length discussed.
Legion is the name of pages that have idiots' browser switch. Google: wrong browser or similar. Guess most of them would like to be listed for other keywords.
They want visitors after all.
&
p.s. Glad to hear You fixed the problem with the cross in the tabs.
That is what matters to me.
Add auto switcher to the browser, maybe reviewers speak about it.
It would be a nice to have for users and a slap into the face of ppl using such scripts on their pages.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2009 09:45PM by guenter.
I think I prefer foobarly's approach because it is much simpler than using a switcher and always shows K-Meleon in the UA string.
But does anyone know how it will really be treated in stats since Firefox is also mentioned?
I'm using K-Meleon because it's so much faster than Firefox and I want credit to go where it is due.
OK, in the last 24 hours my custom UA string has stopped working properly in Facebook and the only string that seems to provide full functionality is the built-in FF2. Unfortunately, this gives no credit to KM and isn't acceptable to Myspace (too old, although MS is quite happy to accept the default KM string).
So I've installed the UA switcher. Switching is not seamless if FB is opened in a tab but giving it it's own window seems to overcome the problem.
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
So sorry to be reviving a long dead thread, but it just really seems the most appropriated place to be posting some info about how User Agent String (UAS) manipulation is dealt by the Mozilla masters, along the with the total lack of concern (should I say downright contempt?) for user experience and/or autonomy:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=581008
If I got it right, what this means is that appending to UAS via the about:config option 'general.useragent.extra*' is now disabled in all FF versions > 4.* and the only option remaining for that is using "general.useragent.override" to replace the whole UAS...
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2011 05:16PM by foobarly.
I need to use this for my bank. I spoof KM 1.5.4 when I am using 1.6.0 because they won't accept a beta version.
I need it also for my brokerage. I have to spoof FF for them.
K-Meleon 1.6.0 beta 2.4 Win 7 (32 bit)
KM uses the override pref, not the extra pref. So you shouldn't be effected.
General discussion about K-Meleon.
How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
Daveski17
Date: November 12, 2009 11:33PM
How often do you have to spoof your user agent when using K-Meleon? I have found that I have to spoof Firefox 3.5 for certain sites like Bing Maps. Even SeaMonkey 2.0 has problems with Bing Maps!
Visit this site to check your user agent. I visit it in other browsers & copy & paste the agent into a word processor. Then I can use the custom user agent in K-Meleon.
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
mslayer
Date: November 13, 2009 12:12AM
I have found this site useragentstring.com
I change the string to firefox|ie when using hotmail. Otherwise I can not write into the text filed.
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
Daveski17
Date: November 13, 2009 12:47AM
That's a really interesting site. I think I will leave my user agent as Firefox 3.5.5. for a while as it seems to be less of a problem getting into certain sites with K-Meleon then.
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
guenter
Date: November 13, 2009 12:51AM
For specific purposes always.
I use a specialized install for it (Could be also a profile since the change is located in prefs.js).
This says as default 4 Your link.
Your User Agent is:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; de-DE; rv:1.8.1.23) Gecko/20091019
To achieve this - I deleted via about : config the string from general.useragent.vendor.
Reason: vendor is the only possible give-away when I spoof.
For detailed info about Your browsers go to gemal's browser spy.
At his page You can find out the possibly betraying strings.
K-Meleon dev kko's BBDetector page detects what layout engine Your browser has.
And it tries to figure out Your browser's real User Agent name.
It can find that I use a Gecko. That is all.
Which means: That my K-Meleon can flawlessly spoof any other browser with a Gecko Layout engine.
p.s. Mail Pages like: yahoo.mail, hotmail, gmail... and some social community pages have buggy browser detection that prevents full usage when You do not use a browser that they have white-listed.
For these pages I have installed Auto Agent Switch by disrupted.
If a page fails with get another browser looser
try with spoofed Firefox strings.
Usually FF2 is sufficient rarely FF 3.x is needed.
This detailed browser sniffing works when JavaScript is active.
BTW. "To spoof always another User Agent String reduces the nominal %age in usage statistics. Nobody would find out even if K-Meleon had the needed market share. This would cause the nuisance to continue forever." Quoted from a Letter to hotmail.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2009 01:03AM by guenter.
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
Daveski17
Date: November 13, 2009 01:31AM
That's all very interesting. You are right, Firefox 2 is good enough to get into Bing Maps!
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
JamesD
Date: November 13, 2009 03:08AM
Except for certain testing situations, I don't use any spoofing. If they don't work with KM, then I will go elsewhere.
K-Meleon 1.6.0 beta 2.4 Win 7 (32 bit)
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
Davep
Date: November 13, 2009 12:51PM
I have to agree. I never spoof. But then, most of my web browsing is to information based sites only, not social trivia. Even my online banking accepts my browser, KMLite user string, Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.8.1.23) Gecko/20090825 KMLite/1.1.2
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
foobarly
Date: November 13, 2009 05:38PM
My user agent string is of 'one size fits all' type:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.5pre) Gecko/20091013 Firefox/3.5.4 K-Meleon/1.5.2 www.geckoisgecko.infoWhenever I get a new browser version, I check its gecko engine version, match its release date with the nearest anterior Firefox release and add it in the proper place...
This way I am not really spoofing, but I don't get barred from sites either.
--- sig ---
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2009 05:41PM by foobarly.
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
Daveski17
Date: November 13, 2009 08:35PM
I have noticed that if I spoof Firefox 3.5.5 more adverts & banners seem to get through K-Meleon's adblocker. So it is probably best to surf on default as a whole.
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
siria
Date: November 13, 2009 08:52PM
Recently I noticed and was surprised, there seem also to be sites, that do NOT work with a Firefox spoof, while working fine with "default KM" agent! (like imageshack)
Usually I'm surfing on "default", because it doesn't help the statistics if all websites (wrongly) count me as a firefox or anything user
Rarely I switch, mostly for testing too, but have checked "Reset to default on exit", so as not to accidentally forget switching back afterwards ;-)Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
Daveski17
Date: November 13, 2009 11:37PM
I find that everything actually works fine with K-Meleon, except for Bing Maps, which tells me it doesn't support KM but lets me use it anyway. It all seems to work fine. Firefox is over-rated if you ask me. I wish K-Meleon would have worked on my computer when I first downloaded it in December 2008. 1.5.1 wouldn't bookmark properly. It's fine now. It's just a happy accident that I thought I would give it another try!
K-Meleon ~ Not a Melon!
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
Matera the Mad
Date: November 30, 2009 05:03AM
*Sigh* I just discovered that Google Wave doesn't like K-M too well. Looks like spoof-time has come at last. *Dons Firefox mask and stalks the Wave...*
A.K.A. Arual the Wyrd
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
snuz2
Date: November 30, 2009 01:58PM
Glad to have read this thread, cuz it solved a long time question why I don't see closing crosses on MyYahoo in KM. They appear in FF. It never dawned on me that anyone would be stupid enough to use the user agent string to distinguish browsers...but there must be some bozos coding over there at Y!, I set myself up as FF2 and bingo -- they're they are.
I sent them info on what the problem is and how to fix it. But I doubt that will change anything.
Then last night I get a warning that my browser is out of date from Travelocity so they must be morons as well.
Is there any built-in function that strips the browser name from the UA string? I want to give KM credit in stats but I guess as long as it registers in there with "other" that might be okay. Then I could just use the combo FF/KM UA string that was quite cleverly suggested above.
Thinking about a real solution, maybe we could just lobby Mozilla to start sending a blank UA. That would force people to do real browser or engine sniffing or they would lose the whole Moz userbase. This whole UA thing is really ridiculous, it needs to end !!!
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
guenter
Date: November 30, 2009 09:37PM
A waste of time IMO to contact them. I use disrupted's auto switcher.
Complain, appeal to logic?
It is a known Problem - for all Gecko browsers except firefox.
The issue is a FAQ in this forum, hotmail, yahoo, facebook,.... and a in length discussed.
Legion is the name of pages that have idiots' browser switch. Google: wrong browser or similar. Guess most of them would like to be listed for other keywords.
They want visitors after all.
&
p.s. Glad to hear You fixed the problem with the cross in the tabs.
That is what matters to me.
Add auto switcher to the browser, maybe reviewers speak about it.
It would be a nice to have for users and a slap into the face of ppl using such scripts on their pages.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2009 09:45PM by guenter.
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
melonhead
Date: December 02, 2009 12:32AM
I think I prefer foobarly's approach because it is much simpler than using a switcher and always shows K-Meleon in the UA string.
But does anyone know how it will really be treated in stats since Firefox is also mentioned?
I'm using K-Meleon because it's so much faster than Firefox and I want credit to go where it is due.
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Posted by:
melonhead
Date: December 02, 2009 01:13PM
OK, in the last 24 hours my custom UA string has stopped working properly in Facebook and the only string that seems to provide full functionality is the built-in FF2. Unfortunately, this gives no credit to KM and isn't acceptable to Myspace (too old, although MS is quite happy to accept the default KM string).
So I've installed the UA switcher. Switching is not seamless if FB is opened in a tab but giving it it's own window seems to overcome the problem.
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent? Posted by:
foobarly
Date: October 21, 2011 05:12PM
So sorry to be reviving a long dead thread, but it just really seems the most appropriated place to be posting some info about how User Agent String (UAS) manipulation is dealt by the Mozilla masters, along the with the total lack of concern (should I say downright contempt?) for user experience and/or autonomy:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=581008
If I got it right, what this means is that appending to UAS via the about:config option 'general.useragent.extra*' is now disabled in all FF versions > 4.* and the only option remaining for that is using "general.useragent.override" to replace the whole UAS...
--- sig ---
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2011 05:16PM by foobarly.
Re: Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent? Posted by:
JamesD
Date: October 21, 2011 05:18PM
I need to use this for my bank. I spoof KM 1.5.4 when I am using 1.6.0 because they won't accept a beta version.
I need it also for my brokerage. I have to spoof FF for them.
K-Meleon 1.6.0 beta 2.4 Win 7 (32 bit)
Re: Re: How often do you spoof your user agent?
Re: How often do you spoof your user agent? Posted by:
jsnj
Date: October 22, 2011 05:34AM
Quote
JamesD
I need to use this for my bank. I spoof KM 1.5.4 when I am using 1.6.0 because they won't accept a beta version.
I need it also for my brokerage. I have to spoof FF for them.
KM uses the override pref, not the extra pref. So you shouldn't be effected.
