Bug#451984: does not check server for updated version of cached download

[Mike Hommey]

On Mon, Nov 19, 2007 at 05:45:06PM +0100, martin f krafft wrote:
> Package: iceweasel
> Version: 2.0.0.9-1
> Severity: important
> 
> Downloading a PDF
> (http://martin-krafft.net/cv/cv_martin-f-krafft.en.pdf) from
> a server without an Expires: tag in the HTTP response causes
> iceweasel to cache the object. Thanks!
> 
> After changing the PDF on the server and trying to download it again
> via iceweasel, doesn't even bother asking the server for
> a modification date but just serves the document straight from
> cache.
> 
> Given how it's not possible to do ctlr-shift-r for downloads, this
> means that it's effectively impossible to circumvent iceweasel's
> cache for downloads. This is broken.

FWIW, as a workaround, you can change the value of the
browser.cache.check_doc_frequency preference.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Browser.cache.check_doc_frequency

I do agree, though, that the default behaviour of considering documents
without Expires header as never expiring to be painful for downloaded
documents, thus leaving this (and upstream) bug opened.

Cheers,

Mike