[SOLVED] Restore Firefox DEB version

[gideond]

I recently upgraded from 20.03 to 21. (Cinnamon Edition) Everything went smoothly for the most part. I had a few issues such as needing to reinstall Plex (configuration was preserved) and MegaSync.

Firefox is giving me a hassle for some reason. It works, but it's installed as a Flatpak version and I can't figure out how to get back to the native DEB version. Is there a method to completely purge the Flatpak and restore access to the DEB version? I see it's still in the repos, but the only option I see is Flatpak in the software center. Installing from terminal also gets me the Flatpak version.

Any help is appreciated. I don't use this particular machine often, so if I did something in the old install that could have caused this, I don't recall what it might have been.

[Cosmo.]

Where is the problem to uninstall the flatpak version an then installing the version from the repository?

[Pierre]

the Firefox program doesn't usually come as an DEB package,
but only as an archived file.


you should be able to get it from Package Manager aka synaptic, though.
OR
from Software Manager.

[MiZoG]

You mean that flatpak uninstall org.mozilla.firefox & sudo apt install firefox lead to re-installation of Firefox as flatpak in the end?

[Cosmo.]

Who says that?

[MiZoG]

OP says that

Installing from terminal also gets me the Flatpak version

[gideond]

You mean that flatpak uninstall org.mozilla.firefox & sudo apt install firefox lead to re-installation of Firefox as flatpak in the end?

Yes. Also the software manager GUI only shows a flatpak version as well. If I visit the Mint repo in a browser I can see the DEB package so I know it should be there.

[gideond]

the Firefox program doesn't usually come as an DEB package,
but only as an archived file.


you should be able to get it from Package Manager aka synaptic, though.
OR
from Software Manager.

Synaptic only shows the transitional packages stating that Firefox has been moved to Snap, like Ubuntu itself would use.

[Pierre]

Synaptic only shows the transitional packages stating that Firefox has been moved to Snap, like Ubuntu itself would use.

well .. on my PCs .. it still shows Firefox 103.0.1+linuxmint1+
and that's not an Snap package

[antikythera]

If it's not being found by your apt or synaptic package managers from vanessa repo there's a software source configuration issue

[Cosmo.]

Synaptic only shows the transitional packages stating that Firefox has been moved to Snap, like Ubuntu itself would use.

Note here, Show it please.

download/file.php?mode=view&id=80404

[gideond]

This is what I have

No other Firefox shows in Synaptic except the localization packages which also refer to Snap. I think when I Purge the Flatpak and try to run the install command it's actually the Snap package it's reinstalling. Not the Flatpak.

Edit: I just tried it again to confirm. I can remove the flatpak, but running the standard install now complains that snapd is not available and won't install at all.

[Cosmo.]

Do you use Snapd on your system?

[gideond]

Do you use Snapd on your system?

Not that I'm aware of. I've never intentionally enabled it for any reason. I prefer to use the default repos and Flatpak if absolutely necessary.

Regardless, I finally figured out the issue. There was a preferences file that was locking Firefox to the Ubuntu release. I have no idea why or how it's there, but deleting it, updating and installing Firefox now gives me the correct version from the Mint repo. There was also a similar file for Thuderbird, but removing that didn't seem to make any difference. The installed version of Thunderbird shows as follows.

Maybe that's default either way.

[Cosmo.]

Can you provide the name of that files? You should perhaps find them in the trash bin.

Yes, Thunderbird packages get - in difference to Firefox - provided by Ubuntu.

Where I cannot follow: If you do not have snapd installed, how can a package from Snap get offered?
Does the file /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref exist?

[gideond]

Can you provide the name of that files? You should perhaps find them in the trash bin.

Yes, Thunderbird packages get - in difference to Firefox - provided by Ubuntu.

Where I cannot follow: If you do not have snapd installed, how can a package from Snap get offered?
Does the file /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref exist?

No that file does not exist. The files in question where firefox-ubuntu.pref and thunderbird-ubuntu.pref and yes there were in the location you indicated. When I get back to that computer I'll see if it's still in the bin so I can copy the contents here.

Edit:
Contents of the firefox-ubuntu file

Code: Select all

Package: firefox*
Pin: release o=Ubuntu
Pin-Priority: 800

[Cosmo.]

The missing file nosnap.pref tells, that there had at least been snapd been installed in the past. This clears the above question.

[gideond]

The missing file nosnap.pref tells, that there had at least been snapd been installed in the past. This clears the above question.

That's what is baffling. I installed the system late last year and never used it much. I was planning to daily drive it for a while on a computer that is still working great for office work, but doesn't qualify for a Windows 11 upgrade due to hardware limitations. I never got around to using it in that capacity and have barely used it at all. I certainly never had a reason to enable Snap.

That said, I've recreated the nosnap.pref file so hopefully everything is sorted now.

Thanks for the input.