Here's a hacky workaround for you: I found a strange entry in ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list
application/octet-stream=gedit.desktop; This means open almost any kind of binary file in gedit. Perhaps you have something similar. Deleting that line has solved the problem for me, until next time. There is very likely to be a next time; let me explain: Probably, one day I asked Ubuntu to open a file that I thought was text in gedit, only to get some kind of scrambled nonsense since the file was actually binary. My particular case aside, opening an unkown file in the wrong application is a very easy mistake to make. Ubuntu quietly, and insidiously, saved my mistake as a mime-application override (nothing indicates that your one-time choice will become permanent). Fortunately, this had no apparent affect on my everyday work in Ubuntu (this time, other times it has had an effect.). How could I have known that firefox gets its half-brained ideas about what applications open what from that list of overrides. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Desktop Packages, which is subscribed to firefox in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/918019 Title: Firefox does not use default application to open PDF files Status in “firefox” package in Ubuntu: Confirmed Bug description: This is beyond me, so I would like some help. Up until a software update within the last few months (maybe the upgrade to Ubuntu 11.100, I can't remember), if I opened a PDF file in Firefox, it would always ask, and the default aplication for that file type was Document Viewer. Now it defaults to 'gedit'. I have tried (through 'Edit --> Preferences') setting my default application for PDF files to 'Document Viewer', and then downloading a PDF file to open it, but for some reason the dialog box then says 'Open with...' and 'gedit'. I will attach screenshots of: 1. Application Preferences; and 2. Dialog box showing Open with... gedit (default). ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10 Package: firefox 9.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.11.10.2 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-14.23-generic 3.0.9 Uname: Linux 3.0.0-14-generic i686 AddonCompatCheckDisabled: False AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24. AplayDevices: **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices **** card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC260 Analog [ALC260 Analog] Subdevices: 1/1 Subdevice #0: subdevice #0 ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4 Architecture: i386 ArecordDevices: **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices **** card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC260 Analog [ALC260 Analog] Subdevices: 1/1 Subdevice #0: subdevice #0 AudioDevicesInUse: USER PID ACCESS COMMAND /dev/snd/controlC0: el_gallo_azul 1675 F.... pulseaudio BuildID: 20111228084953 CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory Card0.Amixer.info: Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xe8a00000 irq 44' Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC260' Components : 'HDA:10ec0260,103c3011,00100400' Controls : 24 Simple ctrls : 13 Channel: release Date: Wed Jan 18 14:31:02 2012 ForcedLayersAccel: False IfupdownConfig: auto lo iface lo inet loopback InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release i386 (20101007) IpRoute: default via 192.168.0.253 dev eth0 proto static 169.254.0.0/16 dev eth0 scope link metric 1000 192.168.0.0/24 dev eth0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.0.2 metric 1 Profiles: Profile0 (Default) - LastVersion=9.0.1/20111228084953 (Running) RfKill: 0: phy0: Wireless LAN Soft blocked: no Hard blocked: no RunningIncompatibleAddons: False SourcePackage: firefox UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-11-13 (65 days ago) dmi.bios.date: 05/18/2005 dmi.bios.vendor: Hewlett-Packard dmi.bios.version: 786D1 v01.03 dmi.board.name: 09F8h dmi.board.vendor: Hewlett-Packard dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 43e0119 dmi.chassis.type: 4 dmi.chassis.vendor: Hewlett-Packard dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHewlett-Packard:bvr786D1v01.03:bd05/18/2005:svnHewlett-Packard:pnHPCompaqdc7600SmallFormFactor:pvr:rvnHewlett-Packard:rn09F8h:rvr:cvnHewlett-Packard:ct4:cvr: dmi.product.name: HP Compaq dc7600 Small Form Factor dmi.sys.vendor: Hewlett-Packard To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+bug/918019/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages Post to : [email protected] Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
