Firefox as default browser

[Andy-A]

If I open Control panel -> Preferred applications

Firefox is not listed as one of the Web browsers (I also have Palemoon and Vivaldi installed, which are both available in the drop-down list):

Preferred_apps.jpg

Firefox is installed, and works, and I mostly use it, but Mint has decided that Palemoon is my default browser and that sometimes opens when I don't want it to.
Both Firefox and Palemoon say they are the default browser in their Preferences. Is there some way I can get Firefox back in the drop-down list?

[bartszu]

run it as it is:

sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser

[Andy-A]

Same problem - no Firefox listed by update-alternatives. It only gives me a choice of Palemoon or Vivaldi.

I also have a laptop with LMDE2 MATE, which only has Firefox and Vivaldi browsers installed, and update-alternatives says:
"There is only one alternative in link group x-www-browser (providing /usr/bin/x-www-browser): /usr/bin/vivaldi-stable
Nothing to configure."

Why is it not finding Firefox?

[Moem]

Have you tried setting Firefox as default browser from inside Firefox itself, in the preferences?

[bartszu]

Why is it not finding Firefox?

Did you install FF from software sources ?

[Fred Barclay]

What does

Code: Select all

which firefox
whereis firefox

say?

[Andy-A]

@moem Firefox, Palemoon and vivaldi all said they were the default browser in the preferences! I managed to get Palemoon to stop being default.

@bartszu installation of Firefox was from software sources.

Code: Select all

andy@lmde-2 ~ $ which firefox
/usr/bin/firefox
andy@lmde-2 ~ $ whereis firefox
firefox: /usr/bin/firefox /usr/share/firefox
andy@lmde-2 ~ $ 

I have removed Palemoon and vivaldi, so no problem with wrong browser starting, but still an empty box shown in the Preferred applications as in my original post.

I launch FF with a custom launcher (using firejail) but the original launchers are still there, but that should not affect this issue.

[bartszu]

I have removed Palemoon and vivaldi, so no problem with wrong browser starting, but still an empty box shown in the Preferred applications as in my original post.

So you have workaround

[bartszu]

Well I don’t know but if you really want to mess around it more, you could.

sudo apt-get purge firefox

log in/out

sudo apt-get install firefox
sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser

[Andy-A]

I tried sudo apt-get purge firefox but it wants to install replacements (this was done with the -s flag):

Code: Select all

The following packages will be REMOVED:
  firefox*
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  firefox-esr iceweasel
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

which I don't want. Is this because I have no other browsers installed?

[Fred Barclay]

Try using sudo dpkg -P firefox instead.

Also, what do these say?

Code: Select all

apt policy firefox
apt policy iceweasel
apt policy firefox-esr

[Andy-A]

Well that dpkg command helped me find the culprit - it was flashplayer-mozilla that depends on iceweasel or a www-browser - removed that and firefox can be removed. However, after reinstalling firefox:

Code: Select all

update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for x-www-browser

I have also now lost Thunderbird from the Mail reader picklist and vlc from the Video player picklist in 'Preferred applications' (both apps still installed and working).

I think I'm going to stop this before I lose something important, at the moment everything is still working fine apart from the strange behaviour of the 'Preferred applications' screen. Thanks for all your suggestions everyone.

[bartszu]

Well your system is really Debian.
And sure Debian is main line of Linux, but is the bottom of the chain.
Dispute over Iceweasel is a good example what Debian really is.
Loads of libs and system components don’t exist there.
I have tons of things, files and system components on my Mint you don’t have on your Debian.
Not mentioning age or version of those packages.

Maybe you missing some dependencies to for example update-alternatives, that allow it to see Firefox.
Or maybe, you missing some other dependencies allowing you to make it default.

Look this is mine whereis firefox output:

Code: Select all

 firefox: 
 /usr/bin/firefox 
 /etc/firefox 
 /usr/lib/firefox 
 /usr/bin/X11/firefox 
 /usr/share/firefox 
 /usr/share/man/man1/firefox.1.gz

Looks very different that yours, isn’t it ??
This is really Debian forum question, coz your Firefox as far as your system is concerned, is not installed simply.

[Monsta]

I launch FF with a custom launcher (using firejail) but the original launchers are still there, but that should not affect this issue.

Unfortunately, it does. We have a bug there... launchers from ~/.local/share/applications aren't recognized by the Preferred Applications tool (see here and here).