Re: Opening a local HTML file in the default browser
Re: Opening a local HTML file in the default browser
- Subject: Re: Opening a local HTML file in the default browser
- From: has <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 22:55:02 +0000
Christopher Nebel wrote:
>> I'd say that's a bug in Standard Additions 'open location' command.
Its dictionary says "Opens a URL with ... (your favorite browser)",
It would be great to get this *bug* fixed.
I don't believe this is a bug, or if it is, it's only with the
dictionary comment.
Strangely, I'd also meant to suggest this possibility in my original
post. (I actually thought I did, but went back and checked, and nope,
didn't after all. Must've been in a bad mood or rush at the time,
sorry.) In which case, my recommendation is retroactively altered to
"file a bug on the dictionary error". :)
Still leaves the question of how best to locate and use the user's
choice of browser, however. I was about to suggest adding a new "open
location in favorite browser" command... but then I realised there's
a much broader issue lurking here: how to support common tasks
without being fascistic about the applications used.
As an example: iCal has the ability to send mail notifications, but
insists on using Mail to do it. This may be aggravating to users
whose tastes are inclined to Eudora, Entourage, etc. Fast forward a
couple years to the point where every important productivity apps is
regularly talking to its comrades, and you can maybe see where this
is going.
I don't think it's going to benefit Apple to lock out other comers,
and it's certainly not in users' best interests to do so. So perhaps
the solution is to start abstracting out some of these connections
_now_, before apps become inextricably coupled to one other so that
even a certain other vendor's product integration venture and
resultant legal spat looks tepid by comparison.
<idea>
It wouldn't take much more than a bunch of AppleScripts in
/System/Library/Application Integration/ and ~/Library/Application
Integration/ to make this happen. Each script would implement a
standard set of functions appropriate to web browsing (open url), or
email (send mail), or whatever.
Apple would determine the interfaces and provide a standard set of
scripts which use the bundled apps (Safari, Mail, etc). Other
vendors, or the users themselves, could write a script that
implements the same interface but uses a different application
(Explorer, Eudora) to perform the actual task. Users who are happy
with the default applications need do nothing; those who want to
customise the system just pop the alternate scripts in
~/Library/Application Integration/, and they're away. [1]
You'd still get the integration between apps that makes life so
pleasant, but without the rigidity because the the connections
between them are open and customisable. Apple's happy (their software
is more powerful thru integration), its users are happy (it works
with their choice of apps), and AppleScript gets to look damn good
occupying another key position in the New World Order.
</idea>
Thoughts?
has
[1] Well, okay, it's a little more complex than that. You need some
way to delegate commands which the custom script can't handle to the
default (Apple-supplied) script instead. But I'm sure it's doable.
--
http://www.barple.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk -- The Little Page of AppleScripts
_______________________________________________
applescript-users mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/applescript-users
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.