I'm sure you're aware of this, but a number of us use programs that block hitbox tracking cookies being placed on us at all - I know that it's one of the many that SpywareBlaster protects against, and a good number of other programs as well.
So, you're still not going to be getting data from those of us that are, well, anal about our computers - which might be slightly detrimental, as we also tend to be the ones who use the esoteric operating systems and browsers, not to mention the computers with very high screen sizes.
Well, given that you can opt out of being tracked anyway, I'm not sure it makes much of a difference. :) I mean, those that are anal about their computers would likely run to the admin console to opt out of it anyway, so it doesn't make much of a difference that you block it from your end as well.
Except that now makes two unique groups of people that LJ misses out on, making their sample no longer completely random, or at least not completely representative. I'm sure they're aware of that, but still.
(On the other hand if it's just a fringe population, losing it doesn't do much at all to your statistics, really.)
I hypothesize that likely, the two groups will have an overlap. To me, it seems like only a person who cares enough would block Hitbox cookies and the like to begin with, and that they're probably the same people who would care enough to opt out. But, good points are being brought up.
the fact that the statistics back their belief up, just makes it worse...
they're likely to discount the proposition that those users are more likely than windows users to block the statistics gathering because that conflicts with their preconceived notions...
Well, yes - I'm just saying that there will be people who will be opting out without necessarily realising that they're opting out, because of the number of spyware programs that block hitbox.
People who are truly anal about their browsers don't have JavaScript enabled… so that stops HitBox right there.
(As I've said elsewhere, I also object to it reporting my screen resolution instead of my browser size - I refuse to have the browser filling my whole screen. I know it's possible to get the browser size from JavaScript, but I forget how, and no one ever does it anyway.)
Yeah, I didn't even think about that. I run my screen at 1600x1200 larger but my browser window is NEVER that large... It tends to be fixed at 1024x768. Screen size is going to be less and less useful as time goes on I think...
So, you're still not going to be getting data from those of us that are, well, anal about our computers - which might be slightly detrimental, as we also tend to be the ones who use the esoteric operating systems and browsers, not to mention the computers with very high screen sizes.
*shrugs*
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(On the other hand if it's just a fringe population, losing it doesn't do much at all to your statistics, really.)
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they're likely to discount the proposition that those users are more likely than windows users to block the statistics gathering because that conflicts with their preconceived notions...
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even better would be a way to lie to hitbox..
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(As I've said elsewhere, I also object to it reporting my screen resolution instead of my browser size - I refuse to have the browser filling my whole screen. I know it's possible to get the browser size from JavaScript, but I forget how, and no one ever does it anyway.)
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