12-28-2002, 09:18 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Pocket Internet Explorer and Downloads
Just when I think I can't possibly dislike Pocket Internet Explorer any more, some new fault crops up that makes me think "What on earth were they thinking when they designed this?" :evil:. Case in point: I created a Microsoft Reader-formatted eBook of Ed's long column, because I thought it would make for good reading on a Pocket PC (and hey, you can keep it on your device and show it to people when they say Palm is "simpler" than a Pocket PC). I then hit the mobile site on my XDA to download the book - because what can be cooler than downloading an eBook over the air onto your device, right? Well, apparently someone at Microsoft doesn't agree with me - go ahead, hit the mobile site and tap on the link. What happens? It downloads the file all right, but as raw code, not a LIT file. The same thing happens with Today themes - raw code, no download.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is because Pocket Internet Explorer doesn't have LIT and TSK as supported MIME file types - and since it doesn't know what to do with them as a file type, it downloads the files as raw code. Complete lack of intelligence, and we're not talking about some esoteric file format here - LIT and TSK are Pocket PC native file formats with applications that use them.
So, Microsoft, what are you thinking?
UPDATE: Uh, it would seem that this issue is tied to the MIME types setting on my server, which just might make my entire point moot.  ops: Still, I have to wonder why Pocket Internet Explorer doesn't deal with unknown MIME types like Internet Explorer does. If it's an unknown MIME type, it simply downloads the file. That makes more sense doesn't it?
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12-28-2002, 09:37 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 135
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Download
Jason,
You should have no trouble downloading a .LIT file and opening it. I do that all the time when I demo my eBook site. Maybe you have a bum setting somewhere.
Ken
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12-28-2002, 09:40 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 15
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What's your server setting the mime type to for those files? I'm not aware of a ".lit" specific mime type. A lot of servers will send unknown file types as "text/plain". Try setting it to serve .lit and .tsk as "application/octet-stream" instead. That should make it clear to the browser that it's to be saved. Hope that works.
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12-28-2002, 09:54 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 15
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Just checked and you are serving the .lit file as text/plain. Try the link in the article with a browser like Mozilla. It appears as raw text. This happens as Mozilla, for better or worse, is standards compliant and observes the mime type the server sends. It looks like PIE may well behave the same way.
For some reason the full desktop version of IE goes and merrily ignores mime types and works on the file extention :x. As a web developer it's been a bugbear for quite a while...
The upshot is the link works on desktop IE as is, because it works by file extentions. Fix the mime type the server's sending and it should work in all browsers too. Including pocket IE  .
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12-28-2002, 10:26 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 257
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Nice ebook - I did not know that mocrosoft ebooks allowed pictures - what did you use to create it ?
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12-28-2002, 10:43 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Green Dragon
For some reason the full desktop version of IE goes and merrily ignores mime types and works on the file extention :x. As a web developer it's been a bugbear for quite a while...
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Yup, even worse is the fact that this can lead to some interesting vulnerabilities. For example, with older versions of IE, you could send an .exe (or something like it) as a text/plain, and it wouldn't warn you about binary code being downloaded, but IE could still run the program if you chose to "open" it.
--janak
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12-28-2002, 10:55 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 312
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Shaun Stuart
Nice ebook - I did not know that mocrosoft ebooks allowed pictures - what did you use to create it ?
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You can create ebooks with the free Microsoft Reader Word 2000/2002 Add-in. http://office.microsoft.com/download.../wdReader.aspx
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12-28-2002, 11:05 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 355
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Re: Pocket Internet Explorer and Downloads
the mime type(s) may need to be added to your server, or there's some odd server settings. it's not the device as far as i can tell...
try this as an experiment.
1. make a html page and link to a .lit file.
2. place *both* files on the device.
3. tap the link, you'll see the the .lit file opens fine from the html page.
lemme know.
cheers,
pt
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12-28-2002, 11:45 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 143
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The irony is just sickening that after all your trouble, the article you were trying to make easyier to read and take on the go to show others was a document complaining that people unfairly judged the Pocket PC as "too complex". I think that they might start making surgeon general warning labels on Pocket PC boxes and ads that say something like "The surgeon general has determined that Pocket PCs are a major contributor to high blood pressure" :wink:
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12-28-2002, 11:52 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by KyleC
The irony is just sickening that after all your trouble, the article you were trying to make easyier to read and take on the go to show others was a document complaining that people unfairly judged the Pocket PC as "too complex".
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Well, that's the thing about this site. Jason is lambasted for being an MS apologist, but he does rant on them whenever appropriate. 
As the irony between the two posts, there might be an implied irony, but it really isn't. Ed was comparing PDA tasks. The Pocket PC can get quite complex, but his assertion was that the comparisons Palm makes (i.e., daily PDA organizer-style usage) are not valid.
--janak
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Linear Mode
