308758 - Clarify FTP behavior when another app is set as FTP helper

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Camino Graveyard :: OS Integration, defect)

Description

[Smokey Ardisson (offline for a while; not following bugs - do not email)]

In bug 308627 comment 3, I wrote:

Also, Camino doesn't repect the FTP pref, either, if it's set.  I have NetFinder
set as my FTP client and Camino blithely ignores it and handles FTP itself. 
This is not always a bad thing (say, for ADC downloads where the URL keeps
requiring a password), but I don't think Camino should be doing it.  I can open
another bug on this if needed.

And Mark responded:

Regarding comment 3, I'd rather not pass things to the ftp handler unless
Safari-like behavior was implemented: if an ftp URL doesn't end in a slash,
attempt an FTP download, retrieve if a file, and pass to the ftp handler if a
directory.  Usernames and passwords, when needed, can be passed in the URL. 
That's another bug.

or maybe:

If the Finder is the ftp handler, handle ftp internally, otherwise, pass it to
the ftp handler.  (It's still another bug.)

Comment 1

[Smokey Ardisson (offline for a while; not following bugs - do not email)]

The other issue is that, in the case where Camino *should* be set as the FTP
helper (and I agree with Mark, if the Finder is the FTP helper--which I believe
is Mac OS X default--we should handle FTP internally), there's no system (or
Camino) UI to do it; one has to use 3rd party tools or a FTP client that has
added this UI.

Could we add a checkbox to the first-launch dialogue and to the General prefPane
for "handle FTP internally", or does that create some complex/confusing UI?  It
strikes me as a dumb pref to (have to) have, but since Apple removed the UI from
the system.... :-(

Comment 2

[Simon Fraser [no longer active]]

I don't think mozilla browsers have ever handed off FTP urls.

Comment 3

[benc]

When you talk about FTP, you are really talking about two uses:

1- using Camino as an FTP client. (I look for a file, I download it). Okay. I think we can agree that Netscape-style implementations of FTP client have never won over the hard-core FTP client user. This makes sense.

2- Camino, as a browser, using content that is behind and ftp URL.

The problem here is that we don't really have a clear way of distinguishing the two. You could probably break out the usage at what I've sometimes called the "URL entrypoint"...

For example: images in a page -> Camino. ftp URL's from location bar -> ftp client.

The previous bug, although sounding closely related and similar, is actually much clearer in scope. It draws the line between Camino servicing "all ftp URLs on the system", and "all ftp URLs internal to Camino". 

The problem is, this is a really thin line to draw. And it is bound to be controversial. The Necko FTP stuff is very functional, but not spotless. People are going to want different levels of integration because they see Gecko/Necko FTP's limitations in different ways.

Comment 4

[Smokey Ardisson (offline for a while; not following bugs - do not email)]

Mass-reassign of bugs still assigned to pinkerton to nobody; filter on "NoMoPinkBugsInCamino".