517796 - application/octet-stream attachments cannot be viewed

Status: NEW

(MailNews Core :: MIME, defect)

Description

[Laszlo Valko]

User-Agent:       Opera/9.80 (X11; Linux i686; U; en) Presto/2.2.15 Version/10.00
Build Identifier: Thunderbird 2.0.0.22

Application/octet-stream attachments may only be saved, but not viewed. Other file types can be viewed as well - in case Thunderbird does not have a configured viewer, I have the option to chooser a viewer program.

Application/octet-stream type should not be handled differently.

An application/octet-stream file can be anything. For example, MS outlook sends .log files as application/octet-stream (probably all files with unknown extensions get this MIME type), even though they are plain text files.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. open a mail view with an application/octet-stream attachment
2 [review]. right-click on the attachment, choose 'Open'
3. a message dialog appears, which says
"You have chosen to open
<filename>
which is a: BIN file
from <server>
Would you like to save this file?"
Actual Results:  
I only have the option to save the file (or cancel).

Expected Results:  
I should also have the option to view the file (as with standard, known attachment types), with whatever viewer command I choose. Also, it would be great, if the viewer command could be set in the prefs so that I don't have to browse it up again and again.

Comment 1

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

I see the same in SeaMonkey:

Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.1.6pre) Gecko/20091106 SeaMonkey/2.0.1pre - Build ID: 20091106000704

a *.doc attachment erroneously sent (to me by someone else using YahooWebervice) as application/octet-stream could not be opened by "Right-click => Open" in the Mailer. After saving it to disk and displaying the directory in the Browser, "Right-click => Open" (on the link in that directory page) invoked oowriter with no problem.

Comment 2

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

P.S. And no way to add additional filetypes in "Edit => Preferences => Browser => Helper Applications"

Comment 3

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

P.P.S. SeaMonkey Mail (2.0.1pre) does not even offer to save the file, it just pops up an alert saying the required application is not available.

Comment 4

[M Lopez-Ibanez]

I wonder if this is the result of some uncommon broken configuration because I have been suffering this issue for a long time but I cannot find that many complaints in the web or this bugzilla.

Comment 6

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Bug 559014 comment 4 following has some worthwhile analysis of these problems provided by WADA.

Comment 7

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

Removing myslef on all the bugs I'm cced on. Please NI me if you need something on MailNews Core bugs from me.

Comment 8

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Luke do you still encounter this issue?

Comment 9

[Laszlo Valko]

Just tested this again in 91.9.0, and we still have the issue.
Feel free to go after it ;-)