264429 - "do this automatically" when Content-Type: application/force-download is abused on different filetypes by many sites causes end-user confusion

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 345148

(Toolkit :: Downloads API, defect)

Description

[Chris Messina]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041001 Firefox/0.10.1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041001 Firefox/0.10.1

When clicking on this link: <a style="cursor: pointer; cursor: hand"
onclick="location.href='/get_stuff.php?id=1025';"><img
src="/images/download.gif" border=0></a> from this page:
http://webdesign.templatemonster.com/category/free-stuff/logo/?num=96, the MIME
type of the zip is misinterpreted as an MP3 file.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Go to http://webdesign.templatemonster.com/category/free-stuff/logo/?num=96
2. Click on a link to launch popup.
3. Click download.

Actual Results:  
See screenshot: http://www.factorycity.net/mozilla/zip_as_mp3.png

Expected Results:  
The .zip extension would have been recognized and thus called a "zip" file.

Comment 1

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

content-disposition: attachment; filename=1004.zip
Content-Type: application/force-download

(application/force-download ?!)

Comment 2

[Jamie Diamond]

WFM Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8b2)
Gecko/20050428 Firefox/1.0+ on 10.3.9

Comment 3

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

This is an automated message, with ID "auto-resolve01".

This bug has had no comments for a long time. Statistically, we have found that
bug reports that have not been confirmed by a second user after three months are
highly unlikely to be the source of a fix to the code.

While your input is very important to us, our resources are limited and so we
are asking for your help in focussing our efforts. If you can still reproduce
this problem in the latest version of the product (see below for how to obtain a
copy) or, for feature requests, if it's not present in the latest version and
you still believe we should implement it, please visit the URL of this bug
(given at the top of this mail) and add a comment to that effect, giving more
reproduction information if you have it.

If it is not a problem any longer, you need take no action. If this bug is not
changed in any way in the next two weeks, it will be automatically resolved.
Thank you for your help in this matter.

The latest beta releases can be obtained from:
Firefox:     http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/
Thunderbird: http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/releases/1.5beta1.html
Seamonkey:   http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/

Comment 4

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

This bug has been automatically resolved after a period of inactivity (see above
comment). If anyone thinks this is incorrect, they should feel free to reopen it.

Comment 5

[Mardeg]

The problem here is the user had already previously chosen an action for application/force-download on another site offering an Mp3 file, and the toolkit UI doesn't let you fix this issue because it tries to hide
the content-types from the user so it calls everything with a application/force-download an Mp3 file, or a jpeg file, or whatever was first encountered when the "do this automatically" box was ticked.

I'm pretty sure this is just a made up mimetype, but tutorials and forums for webmasters everywhere suggest using this on servers, so people encountering it on two servers is on the rise.

Since the server from the original report changed it's mimetypes, this can currently be reproduced on Minefield Nightlies by:
1. Go to http://wallpaperswide.com/happy_halloween_2-wallpapers.html and click on a size to download a jpg file and ticking "do this automatically" whatever your choice
2. Go to http://docs.eeng.dcu.ie:8888/em113/1495-EE/version/default/part/AttachmentData/data/ProblemSheet.pdf

This will identify the .pdf file in the dialog as a Jpeg

Comment 6

[Philip Chee]

Please do not reopen ancient bugs. File a new bug instead.
Please do not add random dependencies.

Comment 7

[Mardeg]

Found the open bug for this.