Internet Explorer

[hectortheinspector]

I Have downloaded bitcomet 0.77.

Bit Comet seems to be tied to Intyernt Explorer. I do not use Internet Explorer but Firefox. Why does Bitcomet not permit me to choose my browser?

[dawin45]

what????? I didn't understand that, maybe cas you chose iexplorer 2 be youre basic internet browser ,I think firefox has a button in theire settings called make this browser my first browser(or something similar)

[hectortheinspector]

Sorry Firefox is my default browser. Bitcomet chose Internet Explorer. I cannot find the switch button. Some programs only work with Internet Explorer. Is Bitcomet such a program?

[The UnUsual Suspect]

Hi,

Bit comet has a built in web browser, which is a very basic copy of I.E..

There is no reason that you need to use Bit Comets browser.

It is just an extra feature that some users like about bit comet, that you can browse and download torrents from within your client.

The reason that Bit comet uses IE for its integrated browser is simple, Every windows user has IE already, so Bit Comet can simply use what parts it requires. If Bit Comet was built around Firefox (for example), then everyone that installed it would need to download firefox before they installed Bit Comet.

I suggest you just ignore the browser, and find your torrents in any browser you like (if you don't want to use Bit Comet's IE)

I hope this explains this issue to your satisfaction

Suspect

[hectortheinspector]

Thank you very much for your response it does answer my question. I did go to my Firefox 2.0 browser; added the appropriate extension(torrent-search toolbar). It works extremely well. It is fast and easy to use.

Although I understand why Internet Explorer was chosen as the browser, I do question choosing it because it is not an open sourced product. It fact Microsoft is very jealously protecting Internet Explorer 7 from being downloaded by so-called authorized persons as they are with all their programs.

Browsers like Firefox are available to everyone. It is an open sourced product which is more in keeping with the spirit of programs like Bitcomet and the Torrents.

There I have had my say.

[The UnUsual Suspect]

I can tell you that our developers are looking at firefox, but I'm not sure if it will be possible to integrate it with bitcomet.

If it is, then bit comet would need to actually have the firefox setup included with it, which its not likely to get consent to distribute it with bit comet. IE is already included with windows, so all setup files are already on users computer, they just have to be copied to bitcomet.

I'm not a developer, but I think it would be no simple task to include the ability to integrate a choice of browsers into bit comet. I would be very happy if it is done, but for now, I use Bit Comets browser for testing and supporing its use, not for my primary browser.

Regards,

Suspect and all the Bit Comet Team

[Dark_Shroud]

I'll make this simple the programmers used IE because everyone has it because BC is only for Windows. This cuts down on the size of the install. Plus IE is lighter than Firefox in memory usage. So using it doesn't put as much of a strain on some systems.

And don't bother bringing up open-source vs closed source because BitComet is closed source as well as µTorrent. That is only the ownership and it really doesn't matter in this sense. I have IE7 and am able to use Bitcomet's browser just fine.

Yes since FF is open source BitComet can use it as a browser. So either people will have to install it or we add it to BC's install and add no less than double the size.

And not all people want Firefox either. I use IE7 & Opera9. And I know a lot of people who can't stand Firefox.

[dimchopicha2003]

well why ff to be integrated. I wish just to make bc to open the links with your default browser. there are alot of programs that open links externally with your default browser and some that open them with ie no matter which is your default browser

Sorry Firefox is my default browser. Bitcomet chose Internet Explorer. I cannot find the switch button. Some programs only work with Internet Explorer. Is Bitcomet such a program?

i think we are not talking for bultin browser here but why when you set in preferences to not open links with built in browser bc open ie not your default browser?

[Dark_Shroud]

You already can set the links to open in your default browser. Just go into the settings and uncheck "open url in BitComet" and they will open in your defautl browser.

[The UnUsual Suspect]

I was able to reproduce this problem on my system.

Please stand by while I look into this...

[kluelos]

Between the time the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Areus, there was a war.

It was a great battle for the future of the web, between mighty Netscape and the evil scourge, Microsoft. Netscape was clever and nimble, and won much fame and many awards, Alas, its fame went to its head, it grew soft with fine living and rich food, and became fat and bloated. Microsoft, cunning as a vole, planned and schemed to subvert mighty Netscape, lest the future of the web escape its greedy clutches.

So Microsoft created an application program interface, to lure innocent programmers into its clutches by making it simple to incorporate their browser into any products. Many programmers, both wise and foolish, fell into this trap. The hapless and helpless AOL became a victim, and based their browser on MSIE. So did many others.

In time, Microsoft came to dominate the web, and regretted their rash deed of exposing the interface to their browser, but the deed was done: the interface was loosed upon the world, and it was still easy for programmers to integrate the browser into their applications. Mighty Netscape surrendered its bloated carcass to the followers of the Source that is Open, yet many years passed as these acolytes trimmed its bulk. Alas, they had no brief to create a simple API, and so they did not.

And even to this day, there is a simple API into earlier versions of MSIE, but none into Netscape/Firefox.

[Astrolox]

Hello,

I have BitComet 0.76 (about to upgrade to 0.77 but not done it yet).

I have IE 7.

I have Firefox 2.

I have Opera 8.

I've set Firefox as my default browser - In the usual place that you do such things on XP.

I've set BitComet under Options -> Preferences -> Appearance so that Open URL inside BitComet is turned off, that is to say not ticked.

When I do Start Menu -> Run in windows, type http://www.bitcomet.com/ and click on OK, I get Firefox. This proves I have my default correct.

When I do Help -> About BitComet in BitComet and click on the URL there, I get IE7. This proves that regardless of my choice of browser BitComet will always use IE.

This is annoying as it means to use Firefox (or Opera which is also a good browser), I can't set it as default but instead have to copy the web address out of BitComet and paste said address into my browser.

Also, when I'm prompted to download the newer BitComet version, IE is loaded rather than my default after I select Yes (which I will note is not OK as indicated by the instructions).

I hope that helps explain the issue that I'm having, which I suspect is the same issue as above.

--

On a side note, the engine behind Firefox can be embedded into BitComet. It's the Gecko embedding API that you would use for this purpose - but I won't bore you with the details as I personally have no interest in having Firefox embedded into BitComet. Such an arrangement would prevent me from switching to Opera or IE at a time of my own choosing.

[kluelos]

When I do Help -> About BitComet in BitComet and click on the URL there, I get IE7. This proves that regardless of my choice of browser BitComet will always use IE.

Ehh, no, it doesn't, Doc. It proves that help files use MSIE components to display themselves, which is not a configurable option in anything.

Embedding the display engine is a long ways from being able to integrate the entire application into another one. Not that it's extremely difficult, but it's also not being paid for in any way, and there are other tasks to hand.

Me, I think it might be wiser to just abandon the whole idea of an integrated browser, since every other bittorrent client gets along just fine without. But it's not my call, and BitComet is by far the easiest one to learn and use.

[The UnUsual Suspect]

I was able to reproduce this problem on my system.

Please stand by while I look into this...

I have spoken to the developers regarding this.

They are aware of this bug, and it is on the list of things to be fixed, however, it is not even close to being on the top of the list. We are sorry about this, but I'm sure you understand that our developers are are quite busy with then new clients development.

Suspect

ps. We are all volunteers working hard to develop and support a free program, and spend what little free time we have supporting the file sharing community.

[hectortheinspector]

First may I say I was surprised by the amount of discussion the topic raised. Second I was realy surprised by the amount of passion it generated. For something that was more of a query from a computer semi literate it sure did stoke some people's emotions.

I found a simple way through Firefox to access all the torrents etc. When I find a program I want download, it uses BitComet. It is easy and very simple. It has to be for me. It is by and large very fast.

The reason I use Firefox and it accompanying program Thunderbird is, not only, are they good programs, but also, they put the word fun back into surfing the internet. One can add extensions and themes almost ad infinitum. I am forever adding and deleting. There is an extension that tells you if Abe Vigoda(Fish from Barney Miller) is alive and well. Silly irrelevant maybe but still it is fun to play around with the various addons. Maybe if Microsoft remembered for most of us the Internet is a source of play, then maybe they would not need Microsoft Genuine Advantage Validation

[Dark_Shroud]

One can add extensions and themes almost ad infinitum. I am forever adding and deleting. There is an extension that tells you if Abe Vigoda(Fish from Barney Miller) is alive and well. Silly irrelevant maybe but still it is fun to play around with the various addons. Maybe if Microsoft remembered for most of us the Internet is a source of play, then maybe they would not need Microsoft Genuine Advantage Validation

IE has had add-ons since version 4.0, this was before Firefox even exsisted. I have IEspell, and a download manager.

hectortheinspector, you have no idea of how heated a topic this is on the web. Most people use IE because it's simple and doesn't require work. Then here come people with Firefox and a huge bucket of myths and misinformation and a million little plug-ins. Funny thing is most of the major plug-ins were included in Opera from the start. Tabs were invented by Opera. Opera has built in quicktabs, pop-up blocker, content(ad) blocker, and RSS. Opera is the only browser to pass the acid2 test, and it has better boot times than FF.

Just like that I now sound like an Opera fanboy when I'm just a normal fan and that's one of a few browsers I use. Personally, I don't care what browser people use as long as they're not spreading rumors/lies about others (Internet Explorer). But after a few comments just to correct blatent lies and incorrect information I already sound like a fan-boy. I'm about to give FF yet another try since Mozilla isn't as helpful as it used to be. But FF will never be my main browser due to the trouble it's given me in the past.

[Astrolox]

I have spoken to the developers regarding this.

Cool :) Many Thanks.

Ehh, no, it doesn't, Doc. It proves that help files use MSIE components to display themselves, which is not a configurable option in anything.

Rant

I take offence to your comment. Simply due to the lack of respect you've shown me, after I tried as hard as I could to be clear, concise and accurate.

If you'd bothered to do what I described and compared it to what you see when you open an MSHTML help file, you'd have realised that I'm not talking about the MSHTML help viewer. Not to mention the fact that bitComet doesn't have MSHTML files - which can be proven by looking in the folder, obviously something else you didn't bother to do.

Now I feel like never bothering to put effort into describing problems and situations - I mean why should I when by doing so I have to put up with hassle from people who can't even be bothered to verify their own theories before trying to shoot mine down.

End Rant

P.S. I am in no way saying that Firefox is better than IE, or that IE is better than Firefox. I simply think people should have a choice. You should use what you want, let others use what they want, and software developer's shouldn't force me to use what they want.

[kluelos]

You may have noticed that we are not talking about an html file here, or indeed a file of any kind, which might invoke the file association mechanism, which would follow user preferences. We are talking about an embedded url in a menu.

It ain't the MSHTML help viewer, nor did anyone say it was. It's the entire

Windows "help" mechanism, embedded deeply in the foundation classes - the entire API structure that displays windows and their contents, including File menus, tools menus, help menus. No programmer has any option about how those do what they or what mechanisms they invoke for display, unless he chooses not to write to the foundation classes at all and substitutes his own - a la the Java AWT, and you take the bugs, unexpected behaviour and performance, plus the extra maintenance AND the complaints that "it doesn't look right" that go with it.

If you create a help menu entry, and you create an ABOUT entry in it, and you embed an url in it, you get no choices or options about how that is handled when clicked. It "proves" nothing except that a programmer has no option about it, which was already known.

So please take your rant and use it to reflect on the value of knowing what one is talking about - and about what does and doesn't constitute "proof" of something. That will serve you well all your life.

[Astrolox]

Not html files, righto got that.. hence why I tested using a URL in the Start -> Run box. Notice how I did that, to prove that URL handling worked correctly?

Not MSHTML, righto got that.. but I want to disagree with you. Someone did say "help files" which are technical MSHTML files, but hey.. whats a few missed words between friends.

I also totally disagree with your comment about how "No Progammer having any options in regards to how menus function".. I know that when I program software for windows, I have the ability to make any old menu with any old name and get it to do any old things that I want. In fact I could make a help menu that displays a chicken on the screen. Maybe I'm better than other programmers? or maybe they don't know how to use these options? or maybe they used these options to hardcode the clicks to use IE?

I presume that you're not aware that you can't simply "embed a url into an about box". Nope, instead you need to place some text on the screen, perhaps using a "control" (known often as a window, if you get down far enough), after which you then need to tell that text what to do when it is clicked. Often people tell it to ShellExecute(hWnd, "open", "iexplore.exe", "http://www.myurl.com", NULL, SW_SHOWDEFAULT); when they should tell it to ShellExecute(hWnd, "open", "http://www.myurl.com", NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWDEFAULT);.

So I shall reflect on the fact that, despite trying to avoid telling you that I'm employed as a computer programmer and doing this kind of work on a regular basis, I have no other way of getting you to wish a little respect. However, I shall take your advice and think about what does and doesn't constitute "proof" and shall in the future use "proof" that doesn't require that you understand windows internals.

FYI: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default....hellexecute.asp

I think now I should leave this thread and not return as this argument obviously isn't getting us anywhere. I've also noticed how the tone of my posts seems to have lowered to match the tone of the replies I'm getting - not a good thing. :(

Again, Thanks for getting the developers to look at this bug - Keep up the good work, I love BitComet.

[hectortheinspector]

Boy things do get real personal in a hurry.

I am going to close this debate with the following.

My orginal intention was to make a simple request to be able to access my default browser, Firefox through Bit Comet. I subsequently found a simple and fast way through FIrefox to acess BitComet and all the Torrents I could possible want to use.

Case closed.

However I cannt miss making one final shot across the bow.

It is my understanding, I could be wrong, that Microsoft to meet EU objections has removed Internet Explorer 7 from Windows. It is now a stand alone program. However it has been made a critical download on the Microsoft web site. Further it is my understand that to download Internet Explorer 7 your computer must pass Windows Genuine Advantage Validation. How this is all going to play out in the future with the new release of windows I do not know, only time will tell.

[Dark_Shroud]

Basically this is why a lot of us want the built in browser to be removed.

[nameless]

Often people tell it to ShellExecute(hWnd, "open", "iexplore.exe", "http://www.myurl.com", NULL, SW_SHOWDEFAULT); when they should tell it to ShellExecute(hWnd, "open", "http://www.myurl.com", NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWDEFAULT);.

I'm also experiencing this bug so I decided to look a bit deeper - it seems that BT uses:

ShellExecute(hWnd, "open", "explorer.exe", "http://www.myurl.com", whatever, SW_SHOWDEFAULT);

when it shoud be using:

ShellExecute(hWnd, "open", "http://www.myurl.com", NULL, whatever, SW_SHOWDEFAULT);

Should be a easy fix for the developers (if it already isn't fixed). Tested with the help of a little hex editor magic :P

Replacing the embedded browser is also possible. You can replace it very easily with mozilla installing Mozilla ActiveX Control 1.7.12 from http://www.iol.ie/~locka/mozilla/control.htm and then running IEPatcher on the BitComet.exe... Note that the embedded browser is still as useless as before ;)

[Astrolox]

I feel this thread has got off topic quite a bit. So to bring it back to the original point and hopefully to a simple statement which the BitComet developer(s) are able to action...

I would like the ability for BitComet when configured to not use the built-in browser (thats already an option) to use my default browser (Firefox, Opera, IE, or anything) instead of insisting on using IE.

I am not requesting that the built-in browser removed. Some people do, some people don't. Thats a different thread.

I am not requesting that the built-in browser to be changed from IE to something else. Some people do, some people don't. Thats a different thread.

I am not requesting anything to do with the built-in browser.

I am requesting that my default external browser preference is honoured by this otherwise excellent software.

I presume that the original author of this thread is of the some opinion as myself.

[kluelos]

Astrolox, this thread and the last entry in it are well over a year old.

Replying to old threads is a pointless activity generally called "necroposting" - a neologism involving communication with the dead. This is generally disapproved of because the world has moved on. Many of the original participants are long gone. Reviving an ancient dispute serves no one.

And as many, many, many comments since then, on other threads have pointed out, no one needs to use the built-in browser at all for any purpose, and many of us recommend simply disabling it.

[The UnUsual Suspect]

I will add that bitcomet has supported opening links in your default browser for over a dozen versions now. I think this was introduced somewhere around version .80.

Just uncheck the option "open URL inside BitComet".