Linux Mint Forums

Posted: **Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:36 pm**

This comes up quite regularly. Firefox 25+ can cause various issues in Ubuntu/Mint. This tutorial shows how to use the 24 ESR ("Extended Support Release") version of Firefox, sorted in order of preference. It can also be adapted to try the release version from another source.

Don't forget to backup your profile.

1. Ubuntuzilla

Note: See this post to install Mozilla builds manually.

Only Release versions are directly available from Ubuntuzilla. The below steps show how to create an (ESR) package manually.

Warning: Don't install Ubuntuzilla alongside Iceweasel (or vice-versa).

Preparations (one command):

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sudo aptitude install w3m git && \
gpg --recv-keys 15A0A4BC && \
git clone git://git.code.sf.net/p/ubuntuzilla/mozillapackager && \
python mozillapackager/mozillapackager.py

Answer the questions

[use a different release?] - n
[version of Firefox?] - 24.5.0esr
[correct?] - y

Replace 24.5.0esr with the latest ESR. Install:

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sudo dpkg -i firefox-mozilla-build_24.5.0esr*.deb

To update, get a new package or tarball. The integrated updater (using gksudo) may cause unexpected results.

2. Iceweasel

Note: This only works in Mint 14+. Mint 13 has an older ESR from PPA.

Iceweasel is Debian's spin on Firefox. Every Firefox version has a matching Iceweasel one.

You'll need libffi5 from Ubuntu 10.04 (separate from libffi6 in Mint 13+), and add the Debian Mozilla repository. For 24 ESR, 64bit (one command)

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wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/libf/libffi/libffi5_3.0.9-1_amd64.deb && \
sudo dpkg -i libffi5_3.0.9-1_*.deb && \
sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys 06C4AE2A && \
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/iceweasel.list <<< "deb http://mozilla.debian.net/ wheezy-backports iceweasel-esr" && \
sudo aptitude update && \
sudo aptitude install xulrunner-24.0 iceweasel libmozjs24d

For 32 bit, replace the first line with

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wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/libf/libffi/libffi5_3.0.9-1_i386.deb

Updates are done the usual way:

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sudo aptitude upgrade

Notes:

In 24 ESR you should set security.tls.version.max to 3 in about:config (TLS 1.2 support).

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:54 pm**

Man this awful.
gdebi error, file not found: libffi5_3.0.9-1_*.deb
Found the stand alone deb.
sudo aptitude install pkg-mozilla-archive-keyring
Couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "pkg-mozilla-archive-keyring"
Couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "pkg-mozilla-archive-keyring"
No packages will be installed, upgraded, or removed.
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 40 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B of archives. After unpacking 0 B will be used.
Now what?

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 7:55 pm**

Yes, you awfully can't read the instructions.

Install the libffi package in the directory you've downloaded it.

Install the mozilla keyring from the provided link if you have Mint 13. Alternatively, execute the following command:

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sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys 06C4AE2A

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 8:03 pm**

Previous1 wrote:
Man this awful.
Yes, you awfully can't read the instructions.

Install the libffi package you've just downloaded like any other one.

Install the mozilla keyring from the link if you have Mint 13.

Sorry man, I was referring to FF 29, not the instructions. My bad. I installed The libffi deb with GDebi then ran the key in terminal. I can not figure why this does not work.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 8:07 pm**

I've edited the above post; if gdebi doesn't work, use in the directory where the package is located

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sudo dpkg -i libffi5_3.0.9-1_*.deb

then for the keyring, replace

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sudo aptitude install pkg-mozilla-archive-keyring

with

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sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys 06C4AE2A

then

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sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/iceweasel.list <<< "deb http://mozilla.debian.net/ wheezy-backports iceweasel-esr"
sudo aptitude update

and follow the remaining steps.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 8:12 pm**

Key went in.

$ sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/iceweasel.list <<< "deb http://mozilla.debian.net/ wheezy-backports iceweasel-esr"

Fetched 3,537 kB in 3s (930 kB/s)
W: GPG error: http://mozilla.debian.net wheezy-backports Release: The following signatures were invalid: BADSIG 85A3D26506C4AE2A Debian Mozilla team APT archive <pkg-mozilla-maintainers@lists.alioth.debian.org>

Current status: 3720 new [+107].
W: GPG error: http://mozilla.debian.net wheezy-backports Release: The following signatures were invalid: BADSIG 85A3D26506C4AE2A Debian Mozilla team APT archive <pkg-mozilla-maintainers@lists.alioth.debian.org>

Ran it twice.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 8:30 pm**

Looks like Debian messed up when updating their repository (today was the 29 update, which is also hosted there). Just ignore the warning and proceed with the install.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:39 pm**

Yeah, I am getting frustrated and posted to the other page.
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
libmozjs24d is already the newest version.
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
iceweasel : Depends: libsqlite3-0 (>= 3.7.12-1~) but 3.7.9-2ubuntu1.1 is to be installed
xulrunner-24.0 : Depends: libhunspell-1.2-0 (>= 1.2.11) but it is not installable
Depends: libmozjs24d (= 24.4.0esr-1~bpo60+1) but 24.5.0esr-1~bpo70+1 is to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 10:33 pm**

Hadn't expected it to be this complicated.

Can you try ubuntuzilla or manually installing the 24 ESR tarball?

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:14 am**

Almost forgot - you can also use the Iceweasel PPA. Outdated, but should work with Mint 13.

Posted: **Fri May 02, 2014 1:24 am**

Simplified the tutorial and changed the name. The same approach can be used for alternate 29+ builds, should you have problems with Ubuntufox.

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