69644 - only able to register all file types or none

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Core :: Preferences: Backend, defect)

Description

[Kai Stukenbrock]

From Bugzilla Helper:
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; 0.8) Gecko/20010220
BuildID:    2001022020

When installing Mozilla, window comes up, asking, whether user wants to register
file types mozilla can be associated with. Only options are yes or no. 
In my case, I want http, .htm and all that stuff to be registered with mozilla,
but for images (.gif, .jpg, .png) I use another program. So I can either say
"yes" and then change the associations in the preferences and re-register image
file types with the other application, or "no" and then change preferences in
mozilla.
I think, user should also be given option to chose which file types he wants to
register during setup of mozilla!


Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
Deinstall mozilla.
then re-install current build.

Actual Results:  At end of install, window asks, whether file types should be
registered. Only options are "yes" or "no".

Expected Results:  Additionally, option should be given to select, which file
types user wants to have registered.

Comment 1

[Henrik Gemal]

This is not the installer.
If the splash screen show we're past the installer.

Comment 2

[Sean Su]

This is actually Bill Law's code.  The user can still go to the preferences menu
and restore/set the associations that have changed/not set individually.

Comment 3

[Bill Law]

The vast majority of users, I strongly suspect, don't want that level of
complexity.  There is already a way for more advanced users to fine-tune this.

Comment 4

[Kai Stukenbrock]

I did not mean to force users to select file types. I thought, one could add a
button like "details" to the current dialog, which gives users the option to
select the file types they want. So they can still click "yes" or "no", or, if
they bother, click the "details" button and fine tune.
I, for my part, would find that a very handy enhancement, and many other
programs let users select file types - Netscape 4.x did so, too.
Just my 2 cents...

Comment 5

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

confirming...

Comment 6

[Brigitte]

Want to change JPG file association.  No longer allows Microsoft Photo Editor.

Comment 7

[Gabriele Fava]

I can't remember past builds' one, but the current message at mozilla's first
launch is "Mozilla is not currently set as your default browser. Would you like
to make it your default browser?". When I click yes I expect Mozilla will only
become the default web browser, thus handling html, xhtml, xml, and http: and
https: URIs schemes (possibly ftp: too).
Instead, clicking on yes set mozilla to hanlde almost all file types it can
handle: jpeg, gif, png, mng (...) and xbm.
I think that this should not be done.
Clicking on "Set default browser" in preferences -> navigator sets only html,
xhtml, xml, http:, https: and ftp: .

Both  first launch message OK button and "Set default browser" button should set
only html, xhtml and xml file types to be handled (maybe xul too, even if it
isn't much relevant) in addition to probably all supported protocols.

Comment 8

[Tom Hundt]

(In reply to comment #3)
> The vast majority of users, I strongly suspect, don't want that level of
> complexity.  There is already a way for more advanced users to fine-tune this.

I disagree 100%.  During installation one gives Mozilla permission to act as the
default browser.  Not to act as the default image viewer/editor!

Most people nowdays have programs specifically designed to display images. 
(Examples: IrfanView, Photoshop.)  This will only increase as everyone, even
"less advanced" users, moves to digital photography.  (If they are used to a
particular program to view images, and suddenly Mozilla takes that over, they
are not going to be happy.  They will be even less happy if the program is
primitive and doesn't make it easy to rebind the associations, as with the
default Windows image viewer.)

It would be good enough to add one more query: "Use Mozilla to display images?"
in addition to the "Use Mozilla as your default browser?" (aka "Use Mozilla to
display web documents?")

BTW, IE has the same problematic behavior, and Mozilla is merely copying it. 
(As with many things in IE, it is just plain wrong.)

And as for the "more advanced users": They will have noticed that, even if they
uncheck Mozilla's handling of image types in the preferences, when they install
an updated Mozilla, it does not pay attention to these settings, and merrily
clobber the image bindings anyway!  (Probably this is a bug in its own right.)