Browser Recommender  Browser Recommender

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This essay does not describe an existing computer program, just one that should exist. This essay is about a suggested student project in Java programming. This essay gives a rough overview of how it might work. I have no source, object, specifications, file layouts or anything else useful to implementing this project.

This project outline is not like the artificial tidy problems you are spoon-fed in school, when all the facts you need are included, nothing extraneous is mentioned, the answer is fully specified, along with hints to nudge you toward a single expected canonical solution. This project is much more like the real world of messy problems where it is up to you to fully the define the end point, or a series of ever more difficult versions of this project, and research the information yourself to solve them.

Everything I have to say to help you with this project is written below. I am not prepared to help you implement it; or give you any additional materials. I have too many other projects of my own.

Though I am a programmer, I don’t do people’s homework for them. That just robs them of an education.

You have my full permission to implement this project in any way you please and to keep all the profits from your endeavor.

Please do not email me about this project without reading the disclaimer above.

I would like it if I could insert a bit of canned Javascript/Java bubblegum in every web page containing java that did the following:

  1. If the user has one of a list of suitable (as defined by me) browsers fully up to date, it does absolutely nothing.
  2. If the user has an older version of one of the suitable browsers it suggests an upgrade something like this:

    You are using Opera version 5.0. You need to upgrade your browser to use this Applet.

    Opera logo Opera 8.53 with the Java 1.6.0_17 Plug-in. This is the browser I use myself, so it is the one most likely to render correctly.
    Get Java Sun’s Java 1.5.0_05 Plug-in add on
    Click to download the latest browser software
  3. If the user’s browser is up to date, just suggest a plug-in upgrade.

    You are using Opera version 8.5 with and older Java Plugin 1.4.2. You need to upgrade your plug-in, but the browser is fine as is.

    Get Java Sun’s Java 1.5.0_05 Plug-in add on
    Click to download the latest browser software
  4. If the user has some other browser, it displays a selection of browsers and suggests updating like this:

    This Applet requires one of the following up-to-date browsers:
    Click the corresponding browser icon to download the latest free browser software, or click the browser name for more information.
    OperaOpera10.01with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Fast and light. Accurate CSS.
    AvantAvant11.7:41with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). It is a fast browser, especially at starting up. Has problems with JavaScript. Excellent and rendering and printing tables. It uses the IE rendering engine.
    FirefoxFirefox3.5.4with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Most widely supported next to IE. Many add-ins. Somewhat sluggish.
    Sea MonkeySea Monkey2.0with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Similar to Firefox, with integrated Email.
    SafariSafari4.0.3with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Now works both on Macs and PCs. Some rendering problems.
    FlockFlock2.5.5with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Similar to Firefox for social networking.
    Google ChromeGoogle Chrome3.0.195.27with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Frequently updated.
    IE8IE88.0.6001.18813with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Out of spite, blocks Java unless you OK. It has many bugs and crashes frequently. Renders column classes correctly.
    IE7IE77.0.6000with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). It is pain to get Java Web Start working.
    IE6IE66.0.2800with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Not secure.
    Get JavaSun’s Java1.6.0_17JRE (Java Runtime Environment)
Surely this deserves to be a task handled once and reused by the whole community.

It would be nice to just provide a list of suitable browser names and a range of suitable version numbers including + to mean "any future version" and be done with it.

This is mainly a project using search engines to scrounge up snippets of code to recognise various browsers, then organising it into a coherent whole. It is likely more JavaScript that Java, but the users of the end product will be grateful Java programmers.

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