MS' Virtualearth claims Opera has no SVG support
Wednesday, 20. August 2008, 19:29:12
As seen in this discussion, the BBC site uses a map from maps.live.com - and all we Opera users get is an error message:
Looking into it, first there is some Opera-sniffing from the BBC itself that detects Opera and displays the warning instead of the map.
With that sniffing neutralised, the map loads - but shows the United States, not Beijing. Come one Live Maps, admit you're wrong by several thousand kilometers.. Or?
Not in the mood to admit any fault, the script instead spits out an error laying the blame on us:
So, my web browser does not support SVG, eh? Let's have a closer look at how you figured that out..
Yes, nothing but browser sniffing.. Not a single attempt at intelligent feature detection. Basically, by claiming Opera doesn't support SVG and can't load the map Microsoft is lying to the BBC and to our users.
We're sorry but your browser does not support BBC Sport's Olympic map.
Looking into it, first there is some Opera-sniffing from the BBC itself that detects Opera and displays the warning instead of the map.
With that sniffing neutralised, the map loads - but shows the United States, not Beijing. Come one Live Maps, admit you're wrong by several thousand kilometers.. Or?
Not in the mood to admit any fault, the script instead spits out an error laying the blame on us:
JavaScript - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/7493757.stm Timeout thread: delay 10 ms Error: name: Msn.Drawing.Exception message: Your Web browser does not support SVG or VML. Some graphics features may not function properly. stacktrace: Line 1 of linked script http://dev.virtualearth.net/mapcontrol/mapcontrol.ashx?v=6.1
So, my web browser does not support SVG, eh? Let's have a closer look at how you figured that out..
if(document.all)
return new Msn.Drawing.VMLGraphic(e,b);
else{if(navigator.userAgent.indexOf("KHTML")!==-1)
return new Msn.Drawing.SVGGraphic(e,b);
var c=0,f=0,g=new RegExp("Firefox/(.*)"),d=g.exec(navigator.userAgent);
if(d&&d.length>=2){
var a=d[1].split(".");
if(a){c=a[0];
f=a[1];
if(parseInt(c)>0&&parseInt(f)>=5||parseInt(c)>=2)
return new Msn.Drawing.SVGGraphic(e,b)
}
}
throw new Msn.Drawing.Exception(L_GraphicsInitError_Text)
Yes, nothing but browser sniffing.. Not a single attempt at intelligent feature detection. Basically, by claiming Opera doesn't support SVG and can't load the map Microsoft is lying to the BBC and to our users.
WIDGETIZE
hallvors # 20. August 2008, 19:30
document.implementation.hasFeature('http://www.w3.org/TR/SVG11/feature#SVG', 1.1)Chas4 # 20. August 2008, 20:23
xErath # 20. August 2008, 22:27
So incredible... MS has to have the most incompetent programmers ever working for them...
Hey Opera, why not sueing MS in an american court by stating that MS is deliberately misleadingusers andfuding Opera ?
Hallvord, please ! Browser js patch before the Olympics end.
Chas4 # 21. August 2008, 00:58
Opera tells EU that Microsoft's IE hurts the Web:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9052982
Update: Microsoft to appeal $1.3B EU fine:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9084578
The US already tried Microsoft for Monopoly stuff, there is an artilce on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft
Chas4 # 21. August 2008, 01:05
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HP010407651033.aspx
Strength in numbers
dapxin # 21. August 2008, 05:28
dduenker # 21. August 2008, 05:59
Schalandra # 21. August 2008, 07:27
Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper...(Tracy Chapman)
Interesting article, well worth digging it.
http://digg.com/software/MS_Virtualearth_claims_Opera_has_no_SVG_support
fearphage # 21. August 2008, 08:10
Guille # 21. August 2008, 13:02
EagleMKD # 21. August 2008, 15:41
Chas4 # 21. August 2008, 15:59
malsumis # 22. August 2008, 10:36
I've been using Opera for years and years, but this is getting mildly annoying. Opera is perfetly capable of displaying any webpage on the net(unless it's intentionally broken or sth), and I don't believe that it has more bugs than any other browser on the market, but stories like these make me go and weep. I mean, the ignorance is enormous, what are they thinking?
I ask, what can be done to avoid such situations in the future? Get more users ASAP, especially in the US which think that they're alone in the world and then spread the word on the net, that there are only 1% or less of opera users. Oh, I don't know, a big marketing campagn? Like numerous ads in a newspaper, bilboards and stuff? TV ads?
hallvors # 22. August 2008, 14:07
Very much so!
We're fighting back though: I'm preparing a browser.js workaround right now, to make sure VirtualEarth enables its SVG features on every site it runs on..
hallvors # 22. August 2008, 16:32
This took the size of Opera 9.50 for Desktop's browser.js to 101350 bytes, packing in 152 active fixes. I'd say there is quite a lot of bang for your buck
Schalandra # 22. August 2008, 16:39
OmegaJunior # 23. August 2008, 14:39
Unfortunately, browser.js doesn't teach anyone out there anything. It only shows us and the Opera programmers (like Hallvors) how sick the world out there can be.
So please don't stop the 'Open the web' project, thinking browser.js will take care of it. Granted: it will correct the mistakes... but it won't correct the attitude. Get them where it matters: in their wallet.
Chas4 # 25. August 2008, 03:29
http://www.opera.com/docs/browserjs/
allenjs # 26. August 2008, 19:51
xErath # 26. August 2008, 20:53