New Firefox Available

Mozilla has published a new Firefox. Version 2.0.0.5 fixes the FirefoxURL protocol handler issue by changing the calling convention for the protocol handler. Instead of the old calling convention:

C:\\PROGRA~1\\MOZILL~2\\FIREFOX.EXE -url “%1″ -requestPending

%1 is the string that urlmon.dll fills in with the request.The new calling convention puts all the parameters before the URL string. :

C:\PROGRA~1\MOZILL~1\FIREFOX.EXE -requestPending -osint -url "%1"

Using these parameters Firefox can determine that a request needs validated as a protocol handler call.

This version, like previous ones, does leave some detritus on the system after it is removed. Curiously, it leaves all three of its URL Protocol Handlers: FirefoxURL, FirefoxHTML, and gopher. Nevertheless, it should fix the failure to validate input from protocol handlers from prior versions. And, whatever else you can say about Mozilla, you have to admire a browser whose entire installer is just over 6MB and whose OS footprint is less than 20MB.

Published 19 July 2007 09:10 AM by jesper
Filed under:

Comments

# Sam Spade said on 20 July, 2007 12:09 AM

Are there any negative implications to leaving the protocol handlers behind?

# jesper said on 20 July, 2007 12:41 AM

No, there should be no adverse impact of leaving the protocol handlers behind since the binary that executes them is missing. There may be an error message about a missing application if the user is redirected to a site using one of those protocols, but that is all. It is merely bad form not to clean up after oneself when one is uninstalled. Firefox is far, far from the only application committing that particular violation, however.

Leave a Comment

(required) 
(required) 
(optional)
(required)