| 2007-03-07 13:36:00 |
Nikolaus Rath |
description |
Binary package hint: firefox
When firefox downloads a file and the user chooses to open this file directly with an application (openoffice, gedit ..), the file is saved in a temporary folder. The file is removed by firefox at some later point (I couldn't figure out when exactly).
The problem is that in the application, the user is presented with a completely normal, writable file. An average user can not know that any changes he makes will be lost *even if he saves the file*, because the application does not ask for a new filename. But also as a more experienced user I often forget that I am dealing with a temporary file. I assume that my data is safe when I press save. If for some reason the data cannot be saved (because it was downloaded from the net), I expect to be asked for a new filename.
Although this is neither a real firefox nor openoffice (or gedit etc) bug, it easily leads to dataloss.
I see three options to fix this:
1) Firefox should mark downloaded files read only when they are just temporary. This will hopefully cause applications to show the correct behaviour when changes are made.
2) Firefox should not delete temporary files if they have been changed. Problem here is that the file still has an obscure name and sits in a tmp directory.
3) Firefox should tell the called application to show the data without associating it with a filename. This would be the best option, but it is most likely not possible to implement for all files.
It is very easy to forgot that the file is temporary and will be deleted soon. |
Binary package hint: firefox
When firefox downloads a file and the user chooses to open this file directly with an application (openoffice, gedit ..), the file is saved in a temporary folder. The file is removed by firefox at some later point (I couldn't figure out when exactly).
The problem is that in the application, the user is presented with a completely normal, writable file. An average user can not know that any changes he makes will be lost *even if he saves the file*, because the application does not ask for a new filename. But also as a more experienced user I often forget that I am dealing with a temporary file. I assume that my data is safe when I press save. If for some reason the data cannot be saved (because it was downloaded from the net), I expect to be asked for a new filename.
Although this is neither a real firefox nor openoffice (or gedit etc) bug, it easily leads to dataloss.
I see three options to fix this:
1) Firefox should mark downloaded files read only when they are just temporary. This will hopefully cause applications to show the correct behaviour when changes are made.
2) Firefox should not delete temporary files if they have been changed. Problem here is that the file still has an obscure name and sits in a tmp directory.
3) Firefox should tell the called application to show the data without associating it with a filename. This would be the best option, but it is most likely not possible to implement for all files. |
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