this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2025
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One way to get around that is changing the user agent. I've never changed the user agent and had a loss of functionality, it always seems like they have a stupid user agent check just to make sure you're using windows/chrome.
They have a really weird definition of "upgrade"
man i hate those online content that you MUST pay to do homework for the courses. They were over priced and back when i use them, they didnt even grade the homework correctly. E.g. the stupid Mastering series Mastering Physics, Mastering Chemistry and Cengage. I once spent 3 days on a problem because the system didnt like how I wrote the answers. So something like
- coordinate (3x,space herey)
instead of what they want:
- coordinate (3x,y)
pirate the book, they clearly don't deserve your money
The problem is most courses require a code that costs about ten dollars less than the book. Pearson did this to destroy the used book market.
The ONLY money I spent during my entire time at uni has been on these stupid Cengage and Connect courses. I blame the teachers, more than anyone, for using these awful services. I also blame the Uni for not advertising that it would be required for the coursework. The teachers are either too lazy or too overworked to make their own materials or teach from an analogue book which doesn't spoon-feed the lessons and grade things for them. It's a shit system and nothing made me madder than a required class using these services.
For a few of them, I just lobbied the department to pay for it saying I wasn't able to afford it, and they paid for my license or whatever.
Hold up, I can trigger a trauma response:
Answer entered:
25
Incorrect. The correct answer is:
25
Fucking goddamn bullshit
I also blame the Uni for not advertising that it would be required for the coursework.
Just like Steam now says "REQUIRES KERNEL LEVEL ANTICHEAT" like a big ugly Surgeon General's warning, I think college courses should say stuff like this too.
Along with "REQUIRES INVASIVE KERNEL LEVEL REMOTE ACCESS MALWARE BROWSER TO TAKE EXAMS"
100% agree on both counts
Pearaon also has homework on their site these days. I've only used pearson for physics homework, because I didn't have the need to read the book. I needed to buy the book for the homework though
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Pearson is indirectly asking you to pirate their courses.
They did a long time ago. Overpriced books that only changed layouts yearly just so that they can charge you for it again. Like having to keep up with the editions so that you can follow the lessons.
Yarrrrrr
Pearson, HMH, and all the major for-profit educational resource providers (and much of the not-for-profits, too) are literally actually evil.
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Nah, its pretty direct
Some websites do this.
Change the user agent to windows and it works.
Fuxk you piece of shit!
Amazon does this too. After you bought a movie you can't watch it in full hd on Linux. User agent doesn't help.
However if you tell their api that you are an smart tv running Linux it works....
Same goes if you're running Firefox.
I once had Hotmail take forever to get past the loading screen, then actually navigating my mail was hellishly slow. Switched my user agent to Edge and "magically" it loaded instantly and everything was snappy...
Had a few other sites do similar slowdowns but that and Youtube were the most unashamedly blatant.
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DRM - the bane of good user experience.
GOG nailed it - no DRM, low prices, convenience.
If most book publishers released their texts with new features (e.g. linking references, or adding additional notes to proofs/solutions) they'd get their sales. Instead they just slap DRM on and...
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Maybe they should upgrade to support other OSes?
I have this exact problem when I have to manage Apple devices for work. Nothing that user agent switcher can't fix.
Pearson is a testing company. They use all sorts of sketchy shit under the guise of anti-cheating. Much of that requires specific plug-ins and stuff that only work in Windows.
Even if you could get it working, but they'll likely just say you were cheating, and take the $300+ you paid to take that required test.
Pearson using all sorts of extremely invasive and questionable kernel-level access plugins to make sure people don't open notes to cheat on their test on their computer. People just open their notes on another device. Or, you know, paper.
Or, you know, paper.
- That's what desk/workspace scanning in the most extreme cases is meant to detect. This is why I really don't like online schooling, because in the absolute worst case, your school will literally scan your place.
You know what would be a really good way to show if your students learned your course material? Let them show it with a practical test of some kind...
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It's kinda wild that an IT Certification company can't handle Linux, but I'm sadly not surprised.
"upgrade" no you mean emulate/switch.
I call it the "shame box."
Ughgggh. Am I gonna need to get a device I can put propriety garbage on for school?
I should be fine right? A software dev program couldn't possible force you to use windows right?
I used a Windows VM when I was in college. Even if you are pursuing a computer science degree, yes, some professors assume/expect that everyone will be using Windows. Using a VM also has the added benefit of you being easily able to get rid of all the programs they made you install as well once the semester is over.
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π΄ββ οΈπ΄ββ οΈπ΄ββ οΈ
My bank blocks it completely. I can never log in without changing the user agent.
Change banks.
It's easier to spoof user agents.
Oh absolutely not. Lmao. Do you know how much work that would need after being with them for 15 years?
Seems to be that learning sites in general are assholes. I once attended a language course, and while their "solution" was web based, it was focused on IE. I had serious issues attending the course under Firefox.
I logged a lot of errors on their site, but their tech support could only manage accounts, the web site had been built by an external company ages ago, and they had no fingers into that.
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