Re: ISSUE-131 (Code outside browser): Executing code outside of browser in 8.3.2.3 is vague / scary [All]

As per our 12/12 meeting, I am proposing removing the third bullet under
8.3.2 - "Web user agents MUST inform the user and request consent when web
content attempts to install or execute software outside of the browser
environment". There are many things that make this hard / impossible to get
right, and even harder to actually get the intended effect without being
totally annoying.

For instance, when you load a PDF, Acrobat Reader is launched outside of the
browser context. Yet I don't really want a dialog box every time I browse to
a PDF, I just want to see the PDF. Same thing when I click on a mailto: link
- it's going to get shell executed, and software (my MUA) is going to run
outside the browser. Or if there's an embedded video that causes the windows
mediaplayer plugin to do some funky COM stuff outside of the browser -
again, I really don't want dialog boxes here. I understand the intent and
think it's probably a good one, but it's really hard to actually get it
right in words, and I think it's something that browsers are doing pretty
well anyways.

I'm not going to rehash everything in this email, please see the 12/12 notes
for a full review of the conversation (
http://www.w3.org/2007/12/12-wsc-minutes.html ). In that meeting, I said I
would email back on this issue and propose that the best way to resolve it
is to simply remove the bullet point, unless anyone feels strongly about it.
If you do feel strongly about it, then please come up with some alternate
text.

Thanks,
Ian

On Nov 6, 2007 8:36 AM, <michael.mccormick@wellsfargo.com> wrote:

>
> The "install" part is very important, but the "execute" part is a rabbit
> hole we probably don't want to go down.
>
> For example, when I point IE at a resource of MIME type ms/xls, Excel
> launches outside the browser as a helper app.  It would be annoying if I
> got constant warning messages every time I pull up a XLS, PDF, etc.
> Constant warnings = ignored warnings.
>
> I do want to be warned when a page tries to install a plugin like
> Acroread, but not every time that plugin runs.  Same for helpers,
> toolbars, extensions, ActiveX controls, etc.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-wsc-wg-request@w3.org [mailto:public-wsc-wg-request@w3.org]
> On Behalf Of Web Security Context Working Group Issue Tracker
> Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 9:50 AM
> To: public-wsc-wg@w3.org
> Subject: ISSUE-131 (Code outside browser): Executing code outside of
> browser in 8.3.2.3 is vague / scary [All]
>
>
>
> ISSUE-131 (Code outside browser): Executing code outside of browser in
> 8.3.2.3 is vague / scary [All]
>
> http://www.w3.org/2006/WSC/track/issues/
>
> Raised by: Ian Fette
> On product: All
>
> 8.3.2.3 says "Web user agents MUST inform the user and request consent
> when web content attempts to install or execute software outside of the
> browser environment."
>
> This is a bit vague and probably not what we intend. For instance, when
> you navigate to a PDF on a browser using Acrobat Reader w/NPAPI plugin,
> what happens is that there is a plugin running in the browser, and then
> Acrobat Reader launches in the browser, and there's a ton of IPC between
> the plugin and Reader running in the background (which is doing the
> heavy lifting). This is executing software outside of the browser
> environment, yet I don't think this is really what we were intending to
> warn users about. At least, I will scream if I get a popup every time I
> navigate to a PDF. Seriously.
>
>
>
>
>
>