Browser Management

1

• Browser Management
• Brett Burridge
• Computing Service, University of Essex,
• Colchester, UK

2
Scope of presentation

• Why have a browser policy?
• What browsers are there to choose from?
• Using browser administration kits
• Modifying the browser interface
• Browser security
• User Agent negotiation
• A few new developments to watch...

3
Why have a browser policy?

• Most institutions will have a clearly defined
  list of which applications are supported (e.g.
  spreadsheet, word processor etc.)
• Should there also be a policy for web browsers?
• Difficult to provide in depth user support for a
  large range of browser versions
• Difficult to develop Intranet apps on a wide
  range of different systems
• Browsers could be a big security risk, especially
  for staff working with confidential information
  etc.
• May not want staff installing their own browsers
  - can lead to problems for support staff

4
Browser policies

• An increasing number of companies specify which
  browser employees should use

Data from ZonaResearch (zonaresearch.com)
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Browser policies

• Of those with browser policies, an increasing
  number recommend Internet Explorer

Data from ZonaResearch (zonaresearch.com)
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What browsers are your users using?

• Knowing the answer to this is important...
• Your web designer(s) will find it useful
• You need to make sure your users dont have
  obsolete web browsers
• Requests to web servers should contain a
  HTTP_USER_AGENT header (e.g. Mozilla/4.5 en
  (WinNT I))
• Most server log analysis programs (e.g. Analog)
  produce detailed browser reports
• On IIS servers, use the Browser Capabilities
  component to automatically parse the user agent
  header

7
Browser survey - overview

• Used IIS Browser Capabilities component to record
  all sessions to our main IIS NT server over 4
  days in August 1999
• Quite a small scale study (2786 sessions)

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Browser survey - operating systems
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Browser survey - Internet Explorer by version
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Browser survey - Netscape by version
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Browser survey - statmarket.com statistics (1)

• Essex survey resembles statistics from other
  sites

Data from statmarket.com
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Browser survey - statmarket.com statistics (2)

• Some more statistics...

Data from statmarket.com
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Conservatism of Web users

• Increasing reluctance to upgrade
• More non-computer experts using the web
• Latest browsers dont have any essential new
  features
• Browser downloads get ever larger

Data from useit.com
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Which web browsers are worth supporting?

• According to Zona Research we have a Coke and
  Pepsi world in the browser market.

• Is it even worth considering
• Opera?
• New Netscapes?
• Lynx?
• Others?

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Netscape vs. Internet Explorer

• Netscape
• Available for a wide range of platforms
• Users are familiar with the product
• But
• Netscape not exactly the same on all operating
  systems
• Still no support for XML/Data Binding etc. etc.
  etc.
• Massive loss in market share over the last 12
  months
• Internet Explorer
• Now more popular than Netscape
• Integrates well with Windows (some applications
  require it)
• Companies are choosing it for DHTML, databinding,
  XML support and other technologies
• Good accessibility features
• But
• Its from Microsoft!
• Only the Windows versions have all the features

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Opera

• Small download installation. Works on old
  machines
• Good accessibility features
• Non-Netscape or Microsoft product
• Have to pay for it
• Difficult for people used to other browsers
• No administration kit (and a charge for
  customisations)

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Mozilla

• In early 1998 Netscape source code released
• Mozilla is the term for browsers derived from
  this code
• But...
• The current version has plenty of bugs
• Development has not gone as well as hoped. Will
  probably be another 6 months before anything
  substantial is produced - if ever?

18
Palm tops/mobile phone devices

• Gimmicks or the next big thing?
• The latest Palm VII connected organiser has
  wireless access to parts of the Internet
• Many palmtops allow downloading of web pages
• Mobile phones are gradually turning into web
  appliances
• Essex home page in IE5 (WinNT) and AvantGo
  (PalmOS)

19
WebTV

• Another gimmick, or the future of home Internet
  access?
• Currently only available in USA, Canada Japan
• Authoring for WebTV has many considerations...

20
Uses of browser administration kits

• Make simple modifications
• change homepage URL
• specify web cache settings
• install other apps at same time (e.g. Acrobat
  Reader)
• Also make more complex modifications
• specify which components to install
• enable or disable features (e.g. enforce cache
  usage)
• make kiosk mode browsers
• Both Netscape and IE have free administration
  kits

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Availability of browser administration kits

• Netscape Customization Kit
• Available for PC and Mac only
• No Unix or Linux version
• Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK)
• IEAK for Windows makes IE4/5 for Windows 3.x, 95,
  98, NT 4 and Unix.
• IEAK for Mac makes Mac versions
• IE5 version better than IE4 version
• Can save previous settings more easily
• More can be customised (including browsers
  toolbars)
• Includes foreign language support

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Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK)

• Synchronise to the latest version of the
  browser...

23
Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK)

• Specify various installation options...

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Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK)

• Customise a large number of other settings...

25
Using the Netscape Customization Kit

• Use the Configuration Editor to set program
  options
• The Install Builder will build the application
  with the specified options

26
Modifying the browser interface

• Modifications to both Netscape and IE quite easy
  (i.e. adding toolbar buttons menu links)
• Simple modifications to Essex version of IE5

Preset favorites
Customised search panel
27
Browser security

• What to do if a significant security hole is
  discovered?
• Windows UpdateNetscapes SmartUpdate for
  individual machines
• SMS or other apps for managing lots of machines
• Dont do anything because it doesnt matter?
• Most browser security problems caused by users
  surfing dubious sites
• Automatic downloading of Excel Word files a
  problem (ensure a virus checker is installed)
• Fake updates to programs always a problem
• Stealing of data through cut and paste bugs?

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User Agent negotiation

• The Browser Capabilities component of IIS
  converts HTTP_USER_AGENT headers into a list of
  properties that can be used in Active Server
  Pages...

• Could also use JavaScript to determine many of
  these properties

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Uses of User Agent negotiation

• Example 1 (JavaScript) Essex website only loads
  CSS in Netscape 4 and IE4 (with a different CSS
  used for UNIX versions of Netscape).
• Example 2 (ASP) visit Essex website in a
  non-English browser and get a link to a localised
  welcome page...

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Summary Conclusions

• Things to consider...
• Should your institution have a browser policy?
• What browsers are your internal and external
  users using?
• Is it worthwhile moving from Netscape to Internet
  Explorer?
• If you install large numbers of browsers, would a
  browser administration kit save time and money?
• Need to investigate further
• Browser security
• Management of plug-ins
• Growing use of WebTV type devices and PDA
  browsers
• The use of User Agent negotiation

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In the parallel session...

• Browser administration kits
• Hands on look at Netscape/Internet Explorer kits
• What browser features should we modify?
• Hands on look at Opera, Mozilla, PDAs, WebTV
• Should we monitor browser usage?
• Making kiosk mode browsers