[Bug 231821] [NEW] Default file handlers can't be normally changed.

[Raziel-chan]

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: firefox-3.0

Binary package: firefox-3.0 (ver. 3.0~5+nobinonly-0ubuntu3)
System: Ubuntu 8.04 running KDE 3.5.9 from Kubuntu-desktop 1.75.

The problem lies in the file handlers. For my install of firefox the
preferences>applications tab was indeed filled up with applications, but
the effects weren't that great.

Detailed descriptions:
1. Firefox marked some applications as default. I found no way to change it but to uninstall them, what wasn't possible for, for example, file roller, as that would uninstall the whole ubuntu-desktop package. Even then the applications added by me weren't marked as default.
2. Directly linked with the previous point. The downloads window (or download manager, however one likes to call it) is working strictly in compliance with the applications list... Selecting the default applications. As this, there is no way to change its behaviour than to uninstall them, what brings up another linked problem described in the following point.
As an example, I've set up firefox to automatically download and open .zip files in Ark. This worked fine and the files were opened in ark, but when I opened the same files from the downloads window, they were opened in File Runner, the application marked as default that can't be removed without removing the whole Ubuntu-desktop package.
3. After removing transmission, which was the application marked as the default one by firefox, I got the 'choose an application' dialogue for the downloaded torrent files (but only in the downloads window) and selected ktorrent marking the remember this setting checkbox. While it worked for the torrent file in the download manager, it added a strange association to the applications tab: Now the file type 'file' is set to 'always open with ktorrent'.
4. (Already filed as bug 220504 ) Some file types, for example the already mentioned torrent files, have no application selection dialogue if their handling is set to 'always ask'. Torrent files, despite having two applications present in the applications menu (now it's only one and it still doesn't work), were given only the simplest 'cancel-save' dialogue. I found no way to change it.

Already tried solution involving removing the mimetypes.rdf file from
the profile folder. The only thing it changed was that several file
types disappeared completely from the applications menu and I had to
restore the file to get them back.

** Affects: firefox-3.0 (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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Default file handlers can't be normally changed.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/231821
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