Last modified: 2012-12-16 03:50:01 UTC
When attempting to use the search functionality of wikimedia sites (e.g., wiktionary, wikipedia) with a blank user agent string, the following error is returned to the user: "Scripts should use an informative User-Agent string with contact information, or they may be IP-blocked without notice." https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=32584 suggests that this is a squid configuration issue. It makes sense to me that edit functionality would be blocked from access by scripts that do not send trackable information, but blocking search seems counterproductive.
Okay, it's been a week. It would be nice if someone would at the very least acknowledge the behavior, as this is currently preventing my use of Wikimedia sites.
Hi rharwood! Sorry that nobody has taken a look at this report yet and given feedback. Which browser does this happen with?
Per [[m:User-agent_policy]] you need to send a user-agent string, and presumably it shouldn't be blank.
This is a feature, not a bug.
I'm sorry that policy has been decided that way, as it is an inconvenience to at least me if not others. However, this is not the appropriate location for it to be argued, I think.
