jQuery/Javascript to detect OS without a plugin?

Question

I am looking for a way to detect the OS for a downloads page using jQuery or Javascript to recommend specific files for Mac vs Windows. I was hoping to do it without adding

Answer 1

Plain JavaScript might be all you need.

var OSName="Unknown OS";
if (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("Win")!=-1) OSName="Windows";
if (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("Mac")!=-1) OSName="MacOS";
if (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("X11")!=-1) OSName="UNIX";
if (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("Linux")!=-1) OSName="Linux";

document.write('Your OS: '+OSName);

As Nick suggested you could use navigator.platform as well.