Firefox problem - Server Not Found. Alternative browsers?

[br1anstorm]

My 3-year old laptop has Mint 17.3 installed. It's usually hardwired to my Netgear router, but connects equally well via wifi. My ISP is PlusNet and I have ADSL - not fibre - broadband.

This is not exactly a Linux Mint question, but about choice of browser.

Until recently I have happily used Firefox, the default browser. It used to work well. But recently I have been plagued by "Server Not Found" message screens when I browse - and this is on standard regularly-used and bookmarked websites from eBay to Amazon to - even - Google search and DuckDuckGo. Because it is intermittent, but frequent, it is especially exasperating.

It gets even more irritating when I am half-way through some process or transaction and an onward link (say to a checkout or even the next page in an online article or blog) results in the Server Not Found message.

I have searched for explanations, initially suspecting my ISP or some connection problem with my laptop or router or broadband line. But my own setup is fine, and Plusnet checks suggest no problem. The consensus across several forums is that Firefox - or recent Firefox updates - are to blame. This is confirmed by the fact that my (Android/Chrome) smartphone can browse flawlessly using wifi via the the same router and ISP connection.

So..... I'm coming to the view that I should ditch Firefox. I was already getting a little fed up with its increasing bloat (even though I have few add-ons). I do clear the cache regularly, but I cannot be bothered to fiddle with the Firefox settings, proxy servers and all that.

What to use instead? My checklist is short, omits anything from Microsoft, and I am disinclined to go for a browser that is not officially supported or offered via the Mint repositories

Chrome? I instinctively dislike and mistrust Google software for being too intrusive.
Chromium? Maybe. But it seems large and heavy on resources.
Opera? An unknown quantity - but it is offered in the Mint software repositories.
QupZilla? Not well known, but I have used it with Mint on an ancient low-powered laptop because it is lightweight, and it seems good. It is open-source, and in the Mint software repo. But it has apparently been superseded by Falkon, which is not in the repos.
Vivaldi? New kid on the block. Apparently based on Opera....
Midori? I know nothing about it.

So what to choose, for pretty standard browsing use on a not hugely powerful laptop? User-comments on any of the browsers listed would be welcome.

[Benedetto]

Try Opera. Of those you mention the more well known are often intrusive; I know little of thee less well known ones.
I suggest you download Opera (for Linux) from the Opera web site and not anywhere else. I have used Opera for years and it has some good features,
If you don't like it - no reason I can see to dislike - you can easily uninstall.

[Valsodar]

The consensus across several forums is that Firefox - or recent Firefox updates - are to blame. This is confirmed by the fact that my (Android/Chrome) smartphone can browse flawlessly using wifi via the the same router and ISP connection.

Since you didn't mention the Firefox version, I can only assume you're using either an ancient version of FF that is no longer supported by any website, or an unstable beta version. The fact that I'm writing this post using Firefox 61.0.1 (a version that I'm not supposed to have on Mint 18.3) suggests only that you're doing something wrong. I'd suggest you use sudo apt autoremove firefox and then download and install either one of these Firefoxes:
http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/ma ... _amd64.deb - 64-bit Firefox.
http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/ma ... 1_i386.deb - 32-bit Firefox.
If your native language isn't English and you want Firefox in your locale, simply locate the 64- or 32-bit file of Firefox that contains your language in the file name and install it after you install the browser from the main deb file. This is for my language: firefox-l10n-bg_61.0.1-1_all.deb
These packages contain all the necessary dependencies, so all you need to do is to double click the installer packages.
I also have Firefox on my Android phone (which came with Google Chrome, as you can imagine) and the mobile Firefox works as flawlessly as the PC version for Linux.

But if you're so eager to try another browser, just keep in mind that Google Chrome and Chromium eat up A LOT of memory - numbers like 1-2 GB used RAM is nothing to them and each of them could easily reach 4 GB used RAM for just Facebook and YouTube. Not to mention that without the proper addons your moves on Google and YouTube are seriously hindered.
Opera Stable is full of bugs, so I'd suggest Opera Beta. Even though it's beta, it still works a lot better than the official "stable" release.
Vivaldi is Chrome based but they keep filling it with regressions. I used it for almost a whole year but the constant regressions made me ditch it.

Cupzilla and Midori - never heard of those.

[AZgl1800]

The fact that I'm writing this post using Firefox 61.0.1 (a version that I'm not supposed to have on Mint 18.3) suggests only that you're doing something wrong.

??? I am on 18.3 Cinnamon and that is the exact version of FF that I have now.

I too, feel that he has an out of date FF, and that it is not configured correctly.
FF is my only browser for daily work, Opera is just barely a " 2nd place browser, because the Bookmarks method stinks "
My sister loves it though, but she doesn't even know what a bookmark is, she types in "goo" and lets the browser fill in the blanks.

[Valsodar]

I am on 18.3 Cinnamon and that is the exact version of FF that I have now.

When you install it from an external source as the one I gave him in my previous post, it automatically adds the repo for future updates. But if you keep using the default Firefox that comes with 18.3, it's an older version and the default repo never shows version 61 as the latest one. That's why I said "I'm not supposed to have".

"Goo" - This name kinda suits Google.

[karlchen]

Hello, Valsodar.

But if you keep using the default Firefox that comes with 18.3, it's an older version and the default repo never shows version 61 as the latest one.

This suggests that either something is wrong with your sources list files or with the repo mirror servers which you use.

The Mint 18.3 repos offer Firefox 61.0.1+linuxmint1+sylvia to its users. Cf. Mint 18.3 "Sylvia" Repository. Search for "firefox" in the list of software packages, and you will find "Firefox 61.0.1+linuxmint1+sylvia".

Please, post the output of the terminal command

Code: Select all

apt-cache policy firefox

It should list "Firefox 61.0.1+linuxmint1+sylvia" as "installed" and as "candidate".

Regards,
Karl

[br1anstorm]

Clearly I should have mentioned my Firefox version.

It is 61.0.1 (64-bit) as recommended, updated and downloaded from the Mint repo. As karlchen points out, the Linux repos normally offer what is reliable and appropriate.

So suggestions that my FF is ancient or a beta are off-target and irrelevant. The fact that there is collateral evidence from all over the internet (not only Linux users) that FF is prone to this "Server Not Found" issue rather reinforces my view that Firefox is culpable.

So my search for an alternative continues. Not least because of the need to transfer bookmarks etc, I don't want to have several browsers installed - just one solid reliable one!

[Moem]

If you happen to like older versions of Firefox, dislike telemetry, and want something that will import your Firefox data easily, Waterfox might be for you. https://www.waterfoxproject.org/en-US/

[Valsodar]

This suggests that either something is wrong with your sources list files or with the repo mirror servers which you use.

Well, these are the default repoes that come with 18.3 installation of OS (before updates start popping up in the status panel). Right after installation of OS I type "firefox" in Synaptic and it tells me that the installed version is also the latest version. That's why I had to autoremove firefox and download the one from the links I posted.

This is the output of the command you requested:

Code: Select all

rado@Mint18 ~ $ apt-cache policy firefox
firefox:
 Installed: 61.0.1+linuxmint1+sylvia
  Candidate:    61.0.1+linuxmint1+sylvia
  Version table:
 *** 61.0.1+linuxmint1+sylvia 100
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Edit: I had to reinstall Mint just now and this time it did show me version 61.0.1 as the latest one but only after I switched to local main and base (xenial) software sources. So apparently the default servers (USA and UK) aren't showing the correct versions.

[br1anstorm]

If you happen to like older versions of Firefox, dislike telemetry, and want something that will import your Firefox data easily, Waterfox might be for you. https://www.waterfoxproject.org/en-US/

Thanks, Moem. Based on your description, and a first glance at the website, I like the look of Waterfox.

Only one slight query/doubt. It isn't in the Mint 17.3 repo, so not downloadable via Software Manager.

I'm a great believer in trying to stick with software that has been tried and tested by the Mint team, rather than grabbing programs from elsewhere....

Is there any risk/downside to installing Waterfox directly?

I presume that if I did want to try Waterfox, I would need to download from their website (and then use gdebi to install - which would be a new step for me!).

EDIT: Aaargh! The Waterfox official site offers the browser as a tar.bz2 package. I've never worked with such a thing before. Presume it's like a "zip" file. But does it require terminal commands for installation? If so, is there a nice easy step-by-step guide somewhere?