PDF files that are not simple links?

[Mikkel L. Ellertson]

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On 07/20/2011 04:01 PM, Aaron Konstam wrote:
> On Wed, 2011-07-20 at 14:05 -0400, Tom Horsley wrote:
>> Does anyone know what the deal is these days with lots of
>> web sites and PDF files? (I just encountered one on my online
>> pharmacy for instance, and back at the beginning of the
>> year when trying to access my W2 forms online).
>>
>> I have no problem with a simple link to a real PDF file, but
>> now sites are doing some kind of magic voo-doo that (on
>> Windows, where it works) pops up the PDF in a new window
>> which has some sort of magic toolbar that appears when you
>> mouse over it.
>>
>> I have no idea what kind of thing is being used to display
>> this, or why so many web sites think it is a good idea
>> to prevent their customers from accessing the site on
>> linux. All I get on linux is an about:blank new window
>> where nothing appears.
>>
>> Anyone know if this nonsense has a name I can search
>> for or better yet, a firefox plugin that will enable me
>> to just access the damn PDF file?
> 
> There is a addon to firefox called Default User Agent that allow firefox
> to pretend to be Internet Explorer that helps in many of these Windows
> associated situationsw. You can Google it to install it. It will appear
> under the Tools  menu.

I have one even more fun - One of my credit card sites used a Java
applet to generate the PDF file. But it does not send the proper
headers so that Firefox running on Linux knows it is a PDF file. So
it is displayed as text. The funny thing is that it is treated as a
file by Firefox running on Windows. It is a pain having to fire up
Windows just to get one credit card statement.

(No - I will NOT post the link - it requires logging in to my account!)

Oh yes - you can not save the text as a PDF file - it does not
produce a valid PDF file.

Mikkel
- -- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!
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