Google, with its latest Chrome Canary channel, is changing the way PDF files downloaded from the web are handled. The search engine giant, citing security concerns, claims that browsers are more secure when it comes to handling PDF files than third party applications like Foxit Reader, Adobe Reader or Nitro.
First noted by Google open-source Chromium evangelist François Beaufort, the developer pointed out that Chromium code review argues in favour of browsers against PDF applications. “Starting in Chrome Canary, opening a PDF you’ve downloaded in Chrome will open it by default in the browser since it’s safer”, notes Beaufort in a Google+ post.
“Of course, a new “Open with system viewer” menu item is now available so that users can still use the system application if needed”, he adds further.
Chromium Code review for issue 55063002 titled “Prefer opening PDF downloads in the browser” argues that PDFs are safer when opened in browsers. The patch designed for this “changes the handling of downloads to open such files in the browser by default instead of the system handler for the file type.”
Google has listed out the manner in which it determines whether the file is safer to open in a browser. First steps involves the use of DownloadTargetDetermine that will determine “whether the MIME type corresponding to the target filename of the download is one which is handled by the renderer or one that is handled by a sandboxed pepper plugin. If so, then the file is considered safely handled by the browser.”
Next ChromeDownloadManagerDelegate will determine “whether opening in the browser is preferred for the file type assuming the browser is able to handle it safely. Currently this is true for .pdf files.”
Finally, opening behavior for a download will default to opening in the browser if both results from a) and b) are true.
The change shouldn’t invite much wrath of online users as most of them actually wouldn’t mind a PDF being opened quickly right there and then against the file getting downloaded first requiring to be opened through a third party application.
