Often in the course of a task I need to ask someone what browser they’re using, what OS they’re on, and sometimes even their IP address. This usually entails explaining how to look in their browser’s help menu (and occasionally, what a browser is in the first place) and I’ve pretty much given up on asking people their OS version unless it’s critical to know, because it usually means an extra round of emails to help them find that.
On top of that, when I need somebody’s IP address or when they need to know it to remote into their office or whatever, I’ve been telling them to go to whatismyip.com. Recently I looked at that site with adblock turned off and javascript on, and found out I’d been sending people to a site full of ads I didn’t know were there– annoying!
Luckily I found a better site to send people to: http://www.supportdetails.com not only shows the IP address, but the user’s OS version, browser version, and also other useful info such as whether cookies, Javascript, and Flash are enabled. It only has one ad (so far anyway.) Even better, if the user fills in their name, email address, and your email address, they can automatically send the results to you.
This is already saving me time, so I’m passing it along in case you find it useful too.
