306007 - Opening Attachements: Requires OS integration

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Thunderbird :: General, defect)

Description

[Daniel Kasak]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux ppc; en-US; rv:1.7.10) Gecko/20050823 Firefox/1.0.6
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux ppc; en-US; rv:1.7.10) Gecko/20050823 Firefox/1.0.6

Thunderbird should integrate more with each operating systcem with regards to
the application it chooses to open attachments. So for example, it should ask
Windows Explorer ( or the Windows Registry directly ) under Windows, Gnome /
KDE's registry thingy under Linux, etc.

I was under the impression that TB did this to some extent, but now it appears I
was wrong. I have Abiword set up as my default for Word documents on my system,
and TB went to use a now non-existant install of OpenOffice-1.1.4.

The current method of using an internal database to store a list of which
application to use to open attachments be *abandoned* completely. This should be
replaced with a button that allows you open the relevent place to set up default
applications.

Failure to do this leads to a Desktop experience that is fragmented - it
reflects badly on open source software in general. A user should have *one*
location for setting up default applications. For most ( if not all ) users,
this is their file manager. All other applications should therefore ask the file
manager what to do with applications, and if it doesn't know, then the user
should be taken to the *one* location they are used to to set up the default
application.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Try to open attachment that user's file manager has not been trained to open
Actual Results:  
TB offers a dialog box to set the default application

Expected Results:  
TB should open the file manager's tool for setting default applications

Comment 1

[peter]

I agree. When I use Thunderbird under GNU/Linux, it uses just some basic associations and dosen't mind those I have created in GNOME on user basis.

For example, I have userspace associations in GNOME (.local directory in user's home) that override the defaults in GNOME. They function in GNOME, however Thunderbird dosen't use them either.

Firefox the same..

Comment 2

[Gary Kwong [:gkw] [:nth10sd] (NOT official MoCo now)]

When I want to open attachments, I get a Open With dialog, so is this still an issue in the latest supported 2.0.0.x / trunk nightlies?

Comment 3

[Joshua Cranmer [:jcranmer]]

RESO INCO per lack of response to the last question(s). If you feel this change was made in error, please respond to this bug with your reasons why.