Re: [phplib] Protected Files From: Aric Caley (greywire <email protected>)
Date: 05/12/00

----- Original Message -----
From: Adam N. Thompson, MCNE, MCSE <athompso <email protected>>
To: Aric Caley <greywire <email protected>>; PHPLib Mailing list
<phplib <email protected>>
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2000 3:04 PM
Subject: Re: [phplib] Protected Files

> 1) If GetRight is installed, it works automatically. It literally takes
> over the downloading function of the browser.

It usualy does, but not with this system as I have it now. I dont know why,
far as I know GetRight understands FTP and HTTP downloads (this being HTTP).

>
> 2) Plugins automatically do their dirty work. THERE IS NO WAY (afaik)
> to tell a browser to *SAVE* a file that it wants to open or play
> automatically. The end-user can select "Save link as" or "Save Target
> as" (depending on which browser they're in) but the website has no
> control over this.
>
> In my own tests, setting Content-Disposition headers for things like PDF
> and MPG files made absolutely no difference whatsoever - the !@#!%^&
> plugin opened the file anyway. According to Netscape's developer
> documentation (no, I don't have the link handy), this behaviour is
> determined entirely client-side and the server has no input into the
> process.

Right. For instance, I tried this with downloading a realaudio file, and it
insisted on streaming it into realplayer no matter what I tried.

>
> 3) Some download agents (like GetRight, for example) register their own
> file type. What this means is that you can offer a *separate* link on
> your site that points to a GetRight control file. Unfortunately, I
> don't know of any way to determine automatically that a user has
> GetRight (or any of the others) installed - which means you always have
> to show the link, potentially confusing users.
>
> --
> Adam Thompson, MCNE, MCSE, CWT, A+
> Vice-President / Chief Technology Officer, Commerce Design Inc.
> <athompso <email protected>>
> tel: (204) 942-1648, fax: (204) 989-8080, cell: (204) 782-6198

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