eHelpIdeally, a web page would work with every browser, but browsers improve over time, and many web pages want to make use of the latest browser features. One way web pages can customize features for specific browsers is called "browser sniffing": Every browser sends web servers a "user agent string" identifying itself, and the web server can use that information to provide browser-specific content.
Although this might seem like a good idea, sometimes it can go horribly awry: the web server can exclude, or mess up, perfectly good browsers just because they are new and it hasn't heard of them yet.
Fortunately, many browsers have a way of changing the user agent string that they send, so they can masquerade as different browsers. Sometimes deceiving the server can work out poorly, and even cause a page to stop functioning, but at other times it can help a page work properly.
The methods outlined on this page are not supported, and we do not guarantee that they will work, even though we have tried them all. None of them will do any harm if you are only viewing information, but if you are entering information, you might want to use a supported browser just to make sure that there aren't any problems.
If you use a Macintosh because you don't like to work with the command line, this method probably isn't for you.
Open the Terminal application (it is in the Applications::Utilities folder). At the prompt, enter:
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1
Start Safari (or restart it if it is already running). It will now have an additional menu on the far right called Debug. Select Debug / User Agent, and pick Netscape 7.2.
To undo all this, first restore Debug / User Agent to Automatically Chosen. Although there is no harm in leaving the Debug menu, , if you don't want to see it, open the Terminal application and enter:
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 0
The menu will be gone next time you start Safari.
This method was developed for use with BroncoDirect, which has been spotty in its Firefox support, and even now gives problems with printing on a Mac. It relies on changing Firefox's User Agent string so that it still tells the world it is Firefox, but also that it is "like Netscape 7", which will fool BroncoDirect. The screen shots are from Firefox in Windows, but the procedure is the same on a Mac.
Make sure you are looking at this in Firefox! Your browser's User Agent string is currently:
So the string you should use is:
You will be copying this value (it is also reproduced below for your convenience) and pasting it into the appropriate place.
Now open a new window (File / New Window) and in the address (URL) bar, type:
about:config
and hit Return. You will see a list of all sorts of things you can configure in Firefox. Scroll down and look for an entry called general.useragent.override (they are in alphabetic order). You probably won't find it, but if you do, the steps are different.
Right-click anywhere on the list. You will see a context menu. Select New, and then String:
You will then see a dialog box asking you for the preference name:
Enter general.useragent.override and select OK. Then you will see a dialog asking you for the string value:
Paste the User Agent string:
Select OK and you're done. Your browser should now be able to use BroncoDirect. Go to https://broncodirect.csupomona.edu to try it out, or go to the Browser Compatibility page to see that it can be Firefox and Netscape at the same time.
If general.useragent.override already exists, there should be nothing in the "value" column. Double-click it (or right-click it and choose Modify). You will see a box that looks like this:
Paste the User Agent string:
Select OK and you're done. Your browser should now be able to use BroncoDirect. Go to https://broncodirect.csupomona.edu to try it out, or go to the Browser Compatibility page to see that it can be Firefox and Netscape at the same time.
To undo this change, simply blank general.useragent.override.
Go to https://broncodirect.csupomona.edu (or any other page for which you wish to emulate another browser). rom the menu, selec t Opera / Quick preferences / Edit site preferences.... The site domain should be pre-filled in the General tab under Site. Select the Network tab. At the bottom os a drop-down, Browser identification. Choose "Identify as Internet Explorer: Select OK.
To undo this, simply change back to "Identify as Opera".
We've noticed some issues with printing from BroncoDirect using Opera, even when it emulates Internet Explorer.
