Trying to Install Firefox18

[Anthrogue]

I'm in Linux Mint 8 Helena KDE (yes I know this is old)

I am trying to install a newer version of Firefox. Keep getting problems with whatever 3.x version. 'Course the software manager wants to show some old crap, which I already have. So I follow directions from http://www.libre-software.net/how-to-in ... linux-mint

All apparently works with directions, i.e.:

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Monarch-Echo firefox # sudo mv firefox /opt/firefox18
Monarch-Echo firefox # sudo mv /usr/bin/firefox /usr/bin/firefox-old
Monarch-Echo firefox # sudo ln -s /opt/firefox18/firefox /usr/bin/firefox

But now the Firefox icon does nothing. Also, trying to click on the firefox18 icon in the opt directory does nothing.

I just want a newer, modern version of Firefox. How does one do this in Linux? And why is this so insanely hard and complex?

[nomko]

Why not downloading directly from the Mozilla site?? http://www.mozilla.org.

You can get the correct .deb file there and install it under Helena.

[TheDynamicHamza21]

Have tried pressing alt F2 and type in firefox? See if firefox opens then use help>About to see what version of firefox you're using. Also because a blurry fonts problem FF 18 has some Linux users I installed FF 17 in opt file there are two files that can launch firefox: firefox and firefox-bin. You should try both to see if you launch FF. If not you should remove ff18 and reinstall.

[vrkalak]

You could always add the Mozilla (Firefox) PPA to your Mint/Ubuntu sources.list

Just go to the Launchpad http://launchpad.net website and choose which Firefox/Mozilla PPA you want to add: stable, next, beta or future alpha releases.

On a 2nd note: Firefox also has a great Help-Forum > http://forums.mozillazine.org/

[bb333]

I'm in Linux Mint 8 Helena KDE (yes I know this is old)

I am trying to install a newer version of Firefox. Keep getting problems with whatever 3.x version. 'Course the software manager wants to show some old crap, which I already have. So I follow directions from http://www.libre-software.net/how-to-in ... linux-mint

All apparently works with directions, i.e.:

Code: Select all

Monarch-Echo firefox # sudo mv firefox /opt/firefox18
Monarch-Echo firefox # sudo mv /usr/bin/firefox /usr/bin/firefox-old
Monarch-Echo firefox # sudo ln -s /opt/firefox18/firefox /usr/bin/firefox

But now the Firefox icon does nothing. Also, trying to click on the firefox18 icon in the opt directory does nothing.

I just want a newer, modern version of Firefox. How does one do this in Linux? And why is this so insanely hard and complex?

Installing debs and using PPA for this? WTH...

1. http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/
2. Download firefox 18 tar.
3. Extract to where ever.
4. Double click on firefox icon in that directory, launch from terminal, or create a shortcut on your desktop, etc

What is so difficult?

Add flash by copying the current plugin to a /plugins directory there.

[Anthrogue]

nomko: I did get stuff directly from mozilla.org but it wasn't a deb file but, rather a tar.biz2 archive.
Right now I have a firefox-19.0.tar.bz2 in downloads. I'm wondering whether to try the instructions at
http://www.libre-software.net/how-to-in ... linux-mint - yet again. But I'm not sure
if I have mucked something up from the prior attempt such that those instructions are now moot.

TheDynamicHamza21: If I I type alt-F2 and enter firefox I now get

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KDEinit could not launch 'firefox':
Could not find 'firefox' exutable

bb333: I take it that vrkalak's suggestion about adding some PPA is incorrect? Can you explain step number 4? Is the info at:
http://www.libre-software.net/how-to-in ... linux-mint
incorrect? That part about the opt directory?

I will likely try those instructions again, insofar as I can parse them out.

[Anthrogue]

Well... trying again I can't get past 3rd part of instructions. I can't just drag from downloads and drop into /opt directory... but the terminal thing doesn't cooperate, even trying to specify more directly than syntax offered:

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ccb@Monarch-Echo ~ $ sudo mv firefox /opt/firefox19
mv: cannot stat `firefox': No such file or directory
ccb@Monarch-Echo ~ $ sudo mv /downloads/firefox /opt/firefox19
mv: cannot stat `/downloads/firefox': No such file or directory
ccb@Monarch-Echo ~ $ sudo mv /home/downloads/firefox /opt/firefox19
mv: cannot stat `/home/downloads/firefox': No such file or directory

The instructions stipulate to put it in /opt but I can't. "What is so difficult?" This is what I am asking. Should I just ignore this and proceed to "4. Double click on firefox icon in that directory, launch from terminal, or create a shortcut on your desktop, etc" while the extracted stuff is still in the Downloads directory?

[Anthrogue]

I finally figured out how to move the directory from /downloads to /opt in Bash. Got to part in the instructions where it says

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Create a symbolic link pointing to the new Firefox version:
sudo ln -s /opt/firefox19/firefox /usr/bin/firefox

Bash cryptically responds with:

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ln: creating symbolic link `/usr/bin/firefox': File exists

I take it that means it worked. Though the instructions appear to indicate I'm finished, I can't hit the Firefox icon in the Mint-Start up thing and get any reaction. I can't double click the firefox executable icon in the firefox19 directory in /opt and get any response. Oddly, if I right click it, there is an option to "open with Wine Windows Program Loader" - but this seems absurd and so I didn't try it. If I hit alt-F2 and type in firefox, I get:

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KDEinit could not launch 'firefox':
Could not find 'firefox' executable

What does the system need to "find" it? Is it installed? If so, how does one get working icons into the Linux KDE start thing?

[TheDynamicHamza21]

I take it that means it worked. Though the instructions appear to indicate I'm finished, I can't hit the Firefox icon in the Mint-Start up thing and get any reaction. I can't double click the firefox executable icon in the firefox19 directory in /opt and get any response. Oddly, if I right click it, there is an option to "open with Wine Windows Program Loader" - but this seems absurd and so I didn't try it. If I hit alt-F2 and type in firefox, I get:

Code: Select all

KDEinit could not launch 'firefox':
Could not find 'firefox' executable

What does the system need to "find" it? Is it installed? If so, how does one get working icons into the Linux KDE start thing?

I never used KDE before thus with my limited knowledge of Linux I would say the bin file in firefox 19 is not allowed to be executed. With Gnome you can just right click the file choose properties then permissions. Check the box that says allow file to be executing as program.




Or one another problem you might have as well is the launcher command field points to a path that doesn't exist. Again on Gnome you can right click the launcher choose properties and in command field make sure you point to the firefox file,which based upon you comment is /opt/firefox19/firefox

.

Other than that I'm afraid I'm out of ideas to help you. I hope it helps.

[Pierre]

since the latest versions of FF are using Mint for FF 1.0,
it always tells me that their is a update, but when I tell it to actually update,
i just sits @ 'connecting to the server' & does nothing else.
so I have to update it manually, using something like bb333's suggestion.

- prior to the 'Mint for FF' thing - FF would update - automatically
- now it won't.

& now it's telling me that FF19 - is available - but won't update - to that.
so - it's another manual install .. ..

[Pierre]

& now it's telling me that FF19 - is available - but won't update - to that.
so - it's another manual install .. ..

any ideas as to why FF19 won't auto_download & install,
when previous versions - it would auto_download & then auto_install A,ok ?.
( may have something to do with - that this is the Mint version of FF )

[Anthrogue]

If anyone can look at this again, I'm just lost.

I uninstalled firefox, whatever old version, via the software manager. I have then followed directions from this page
http://www.libre-software.net/how-to-in ... linux-mint

I have followed all the directions, i.e.,
1> obtained firefox-19.0.2.tar.bz2
2> extracted it in the downloads directory
3> moved it the firefox directory to /opt/firefox19
4> created a symbolic link pointing to the new Firefox version: sudo ln -s /opt/firefox19/firefox /usr/bin/firefox19

Now nothing happens with Alt-F2 typing in firefox
If I run in terminal, then I get:

XPCOMGlueLoad error for file /opt/firefox19/libxpcom.so:
libxul.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Couldn't load XPCOM.

What does this mean?

[Anthrogue]

... Well, I guess I'm getting a sense of what it means: That trying to get a new version of Firefox working in Linux is rocket science.

I've searched "XPCOMGlueLoad" and seen a slew of responses, all of which are confusing insofar as it is unclear whether complex fixes are distro dependent or not. I don't have time to figure it out... and part of that is just the jaw dropping consternation involved in what appear to be absurd complexities and fails associated with trying to install a phreaking browser, something you'd think would be simple enough as to not necessitate conjuring up Commander Data to help out.

I've had a pretty good Linux experience. But much of that comes from it working as a transparent medium. Although some knowledge is obviously necessary regarding the guts of the system, I figure a big barrier to more widespread acceptance will be precisely the degree to which something one would expect to be straightforward turns out instead to be a torrent of incomprehensibility..... and too much work

[AlbertP]

It says it can't open libxul.so because this file does not exist, but the file is supposed to be contained in the Firefox package itself. At least it is there in the Mint 13 repository packages (currently at Firefox 19). It's in the firefox package itself there.

If you use a supported Mint edition, you get the latest Firefox within a few weeks after its release through the updates (shield-like icon in the tray). That way I also got FF 19.

Edit. You asked why it's so hard. That's mainly because your Mint edition has had its end of support. On unsupported versions, people don't bother to make it easy. People who want it easy, should use a newer Mint edition where you can use PPA's and such to get all the software you want, and need only wait a week or so for every new FF version.

[Anthrogue]

I just don't understand why it follows (logically and/or technically) that, though Linux Mint 8 is no longer "supported", that it should be next to impossible to get FF19 running.

Having to nuke Helena KDE and completely reinstall the OS, though obviously possible, is not something that first came to mind in trying to get an up to date browser

[TheDynamicHamza21]

I just don't understand why it follows (logically and/or technically) that, though Linux Mint 8 is no longer "supported", that it should be next to impossible to get FF19 running.

Having to nuke Helena KDE and completely reinstall the OS, though obviously possible, is not something that first came to mind in trying to get an up to date browser

Mint 8 is based upon KDE 4.3 the newest KDE is 4.10. The libraries and dependencies are not the same for each version.

[Randu]

My apologies for bumping an old topic, but I'm having the same problem as the OP with Mint 14 and FF21, and it does not seem to have yet been solved. The original link the OP provided is now updated with instructions for FF21 which is basically the same,

# sudo mv firefox /opt/firefox21
# sudo mv /usr/bin/firefox /usr/bin/firefox-old
# sudo ln -s /opt/firefox21/firefox /usr/bin/firefox

All well and good, but the file named 'firefox' in firefox21 won't execute or do anything. Yes, it's checked as executable. The file 'firefox-bin' doesn't do anything either. Trying to view 'firefox' in gedit throws the error, 'gedit has not been able to detect the character encoding'. Now here's something interesting that may help someone to figure this out: When I go to /usr/bin, 'firefox-old' has one of those terminal icons, meaning executable (I think?), and it starts the current mint version of FF21. However, the new 'firefox' file shows a greyish gears icon (so does firefox-bin). Again, the file is marked as 'Allow executing', and I've tried unchecking and rechecking to no avail. I've not only tried the current version from Mozilla but also the 21beta1 version.

According to the web page that gives these instructions, this is supposed to work -and has been tested- for mint 14 nadia.

I would like the original, non-mint branded version of FF. The PPA and Software Manager both install the mint version.

Thanks for any help

[Spearmint2]

My apologies for bumping an old topic, but I'm having the same problem as the OP with Mint 14 and FF21, and it does not seem to have yet been solved. The original link the OP provided is now updated with instructions for FF21 which is basically the same,

# sudo mv firefox /opt/firefox21
# sudo mv /usr/bin/firefox /usr/bin/firefox-old
# sudo ln -s /opt/firefox21/firefox /usr/bin/firefox

All well and good, but the file named 'firefox' in firefox21 won't execute or do anything. Yes, it's checked as executable. The file 'firefox-bin' doesn't do anything either. Trying to view 'firefox' in gedit throws the error, 'gedit has not been able to detect the character encoding'. Now here's something interesting that may help someone to figure this out: When I go to /usr/bin, 'firefox-old' has one of those terminal icons, meaning executable (I think?), and it starts the current mint version of FF21. However, the new 'firefox' file shows a greyish gears icon (so does firefox-bin). Again, the file is marked as 'Allow executing', and I've tried unchecking and rechecking to no avail. I've not only tried the current version from Mozilla but also the 21beta1 version.

According to the web page that gives these instructions, this is supposed to work -and has been tested- for mint 14 nadia.

I would like the original, non-mint branded version of FF. The PPA and Software Manager both install the mint version.

Thanks for any help

This is what works OK for me on Mint 14 MATE. As I recall I used the Package Manager to install it over the version 13 originally came with the install DVD.

http://glenburniemd.net/Linux/SynapticF ... talled.jpg

http://glenburniemd.net/Linux/SynapticF ... talled.jpg

http://glenburniemd.net/Linux/FF20.jpg

[Randu]

Thanks for the reply, but as far as I can tell the package manager installs the mint-branded version of FF. It tells me my installed version and current version are both "firefox (21.0+build2-0ubuntu0.12.10.2)". Has anyone tried to simply download the current version of FF from the Mozilla d/l page and see if it will run? There doesn't seem to be any installation required, aside from moving it to its proper /opt directory. It should run by clicking the 'firefox' file in the unzipped directory wherever it is, which it doesn't, here.

[Randu]

Update: I'm running 64-bit mint, so I just d/l'd the 64-bit version of FF from the ftp, and it DOES work. Apparently there is an issue with running the 32-bit FF on 64-bit Mint?