95828 - Running Mozilla as root prevents helper apps from launching

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: File Handling, defect)

Description

[Timur Tabi]

From Bugzilla Helper:
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:0.9.3+) Gecko/20010815
BuildID:    2001081514

I know this is considered a feature, but I consider it a bug.  I cannot get
Mozilla to launch a helper application when I download an unknown file.  For
instance, I can't get Mozilla to launch xmms whenever I try to play a Shoutcast
stream.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Install a fresh copy of Mozilla, with no helper apps or plug-ins configured.
2. Log in as a regular user.
3. Lauch Mozilla and click on the URL about.
4. Notice how Mozilla asks if you want to download the file, or associate it
with some application.
5. Close Mozilla.  Now log in as root and repeat step #3.
6. Notice now that Mozilla will only let you save the file to disk. Even if you
specify a helper application, Mozilla ignores it and insists on downloading the
file.

Actual Results:  Mozilla insists on downloading any unknown file.

Expected Results:  Mozilla should ask whether you want to download the file or
whether you want to launch an application with it.

Comment 1

[shrirang khanzode]

reassign :mscott to take a look

Comment 2

[av (gone)]

--> XP Apps

Comment 3

[Greg Breland]

I see this behaviour also.

Comment 4

[Timur Tabi]

I just wanted to add one thing.  I understand that many Linux users would think
that this feature is a good idea, and that I shouldn't be running Mozilla as
root anyway.  Well, if that's the case, then why let Mozilla run at all?  I have
no problem with the default behavior being "don't run plug-ins as root", but I
definitely think there should be some kind of user option, under "Privacy and
Security", that will let me disable the restriction.  I think that will make
everyone happy, and it shouldn't be too hard to implement.

Comment 5

[Colin Blake]

Is this true that root can't launch helper apps?

Where is the code that performs the check?

Comment 6

[Daniel Mario Vega (Restore MNG Support --> #18574)]

I usually run mozilla as root and I can confirm that helper applications are not
working. It's very annoying. I know I should not run Mozilla as root, but I use
Mozilla in a home PC and a Laptop, not a production server.

I think there should be at least a hidden preference to disable this behavior.

Comment 7

[Colin Blake]

Where is the Mozilla code that performs the "root check"????

Comment 8

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Isn't this just bug 115819 (the "resolved" part of that; note that it has never
been checked in).

Comment 9

[Daniel Mario Vega (Restore MNG Support --> #18574)]

Boris, I think you are right. Bug 115819 seems to describe (in part) the same
problem.

Colin, read that bug for a description of the cause of this behavior.

Comment 10

[Harry Lu]

Yes, the patch from 115819 can fix this bug. Why the patch cannot get in?

Comment 11

[Jed Davis [:jld] ⟨⏰|UTC-7⟩ ⟦he/him⟧]

I ran Firefox as root and successfully used a helper app for a PDF download, so this seems to have been fixed at some point.