Re: Image mode

[Richard Stallman]

      Imagine opening up firefox, and
    trying to view a webpage with images, only to be prompted each time
    about whether or not to display each image.

That is an interesting point.  Is it safe for firefox, and for eog or
qiv, to display a file without checking it?  If so, why in practice is
it safe?

The answer can't be "Because people check every JPG file before they
try to display it using eog or qiv or firefox."  I don't -- I would
not know how.  And I am sure most other users would not know how to
check.

So what is it in practice that prevents this from being a common way
for viruses to be introduced?