Google Analytics, why does it require a plugin?

mericson

I was wondering why Google Analytics requires to be implemented by a plugin. Why can't I just cut/paste code into my template?

I noticed when I did that, I get a bonk page! Putting the block just before the header is what I do with almost every other site/template system I use.

mericson

Would Smarty {literal} tags work to embed the Google Analytics javascript directly in the template within the header?