Quicktime fudged my MP3 and PNG weblink handling >:(

[Guest]

Ok I get it. Apple software sucks! And their developers don't know what
they're doing when it comes to Vista.

When I install Apple Quicktime on Windows Vista, it tries to take over MP3
weblink handling with their own browser plugin despite having it set to the
contrary. Even after reassigning MP3's to Windows Media Player using Vista's
Default Programs option, the plugin tries to take over the MIME-type again
from time to time.

Also, the same goes for PNG handling, and there isn't even an option to
prevent that. Worse, there is no option to default back to IE7 for HTTP PNG
links short of removing Quicktime.

Anyway, the offending program is gone now. I don't expect a solution
because Apple just doesn't get it - they're being ignorant to the vast
majority of customers and market share: Windows users.

So here's my suggestion to Microsoft: come up with some way to lock down
file associations and MIME-types so stupidly-written programs like Quicktime
don't try to reassume control of them.

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/co...osoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup

 

[dean-dean]

You may be right about QuickTime. I faithfully installed it for years on
XP, but am hesitant to do so on Vista, because of it's file extension
quirks, especially via MIME, and the .png problem in IE7 continuously
reported in these newsgroups. Mp3's do come to mind also. Uncheck that
extension in QT's options, MIME or otherwise, and guess what? By cursory
registry inspection you'd think it were true, Qt is not associated with
..mp3's. Making sure Windows Media Player extensions are okay by the usual
means yields nothing. But QT was irritatingly always popping up to play
them via Internet Explorer. On XP, I had to download MIMEView by NirSoft to
figure out how QT was doing it, and disable the registry value.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/mimeview.html

 

[Andrew McLaren]

So here's my suggestion to Microsoft: come up with some way to lock down
file associations and MIME-types so stupidly-written programs like
Quicktime
don't try to reassume control of them.

That's not an inherently bad idea (having had my own file associations
hijacked by iTunes!).

But it will never happen; it is totally impossible. Microsoft is subject to
extremely close scutiny as a result of the 2001 Consent Decree with the US
DoJ:
http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/settlementprogram/default.mspx
as well as ongoing antitrust investigation by the EU:
http://www.microsoft.com/about/corp...enship/businesspractices/legalcompliance.mspx

Any attempt by Microsoft to lock down file associations would result in a
massive backlash from aggrieved vendors (eg Apple, Real Networks)
https://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/settlementprogram/complaintform.asp
as well as anti-trust authorities in the US and in Europe (and possibly
elsewhere).

The days when developing software was simply a matter of technical
excellence have long since gone. Microsoft operates in the middle of a legal
minefield; and every design decision it makes has to be reviewed for legal
compliance. There is absolutely no way Microsoft could restrict the access
of 3rd party vendors to Windows features like this. Even if Apple operates
like an association-stealing bully.

I'm not saying I like it .. but that's the way it is.

But yeah - I understand your frustration. I'm still picking bits of iTunes
out of my system, after it inserted itself like a virus.