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From: DaveC on 9 Jul 2010 16:16
> The actual default is called WebKitOmitPDFSupport. Setting it to 1 will
> make PDFs download by default. With Safari quit, type this:

Thanks Chris! That was it.

All is well.

*This* is what the best of USENET is all about.

Cheers,
Dave

From: David Empson on 10 Jul 2010 01:37
AES <siegman(a)stanford.edu> wrote:

> In article <1jldecv.sdn9gb1xq792N%dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz>,
> dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:
>
> > The default is for PDFs to be displayed by Safari.
> >
> > It can be configured using third-party tools that manipulate hidden
> > application settings, notably TinkerTool and Onyx (both free).
> >
> > In TinkerTool, it is under the Safari category, "Disable native support
> > for display of PDF documents".
> >
> > In Onyx, it is under the Parameters category, Safari, "Automatically
> > open .pdf-files in Safari".
> >
>
> Out of curiosity, how do the programmers of TinkerTool or Onyx acquire
> the knowledge they need to assemble these utility tools?

Probably by examining the applications and looking for strings which
reference preference names, and finding ones that don't have any user
interface.

> I'm always a bit worried about using third-party tools like these, which
> operate on files that are part of the Apple apps on my system, not just
> documents created by apps. Seems like a bit of a risk, messing with
> components I don't fully understand.

TinkerTool (and the equivalent parts of Onyx) doesn't do anything to
modify any part of the system or applications. All it does is change
preference settings in files within your user account (or possibly for
all user accounts in some cases).

Some of the more advanced tools dig a little deeper: TinkerTool System,
Cocktail, and the rest of Onyx also manipulate caches and some deeper
buried configuration files. They still don't modify any system software
or application code.

Some tools go further and actually modify parts of the system, or
install extensions to change standard behaviour (e.g. anything based on
Application Enhancer). I try to steer clear of anything like that as it
is much more likely to introduce problems.

--
David Empson
dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
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