The Craziness of the 'Preferred Applications' mess

[ron_o]

So I spent 3 hours or more and it's still not entirely solved. For a work around please read on. (I figure I can't be the only one with the problem)

I'd like to make Opera my preferred application. The GUI did not work. I could pick Opera but it was obvious that it wasn't working right because the radio dials were greyed out and unchangeable. There's an obvious bug that's listed but unsolved. So you say, I should just find out where the config file is and change it from Firefox to Opera. I search the sites and theres only a few mentions of where that is. So I go ahead and do a a search ,after all else failed , for 'firefox' in any file below 50kb. So I change every instance of where firefox is mentioned next to a 'http*' line with opera. I figure that will do it. Nope. So I do the same in /etc directory or anywhere else. Did it change? Nope. So I look for 'mime' applications. It doesn't give me any more files to change it to. I log out and log back in, I restart mdm, I restart the computer. Does it change the behaviour that every time I click on a link in my terminal it opens up firefox? Not a chance. (Also went through other options with the terminal that I won't get into: $ sensible-browser starts Opera.)

How did I finally solve this issue? I uninstalled Firefox that's how. Now Opera opens up just like it should.

May I ask, without angering the many volunteers of this system, why is this so difficult? Is this linux version getting so 'uncomplicated' that you cannot just change a simple config file manually? Or even know what's going on within linux itself and rely totally on someone else to solve a problem? Before soon certain linux behavior is only goint to be solved through a Windows like byzantine registry menu. I guess that's the goal, to be Windows like. It seems that way.

P.S.
I do know that Mate is still in Beta, but can't we keep it simple first and then go towards the complicated? I just don't get it. Oh yea, I'd like to have Firefox as an option. Any suggestions?

[Edit: Sorry, my version is Linux Mint 13 Maya ]

[DrHu]

I have Opera running from the repository choices, but not the latest mint (Mate) version: aka the desktop control/choice..

If I really feel left out, I usually just try an install from the source code, if there are no major handicaps (library setups or specific applications dependencies), then it usually is AOK!
--and of course i then have the latest version, should that be what I want to use..

• I always check the changes and problems files (readme or other..) when deciding on this approach; compile from source.