[Linux] Install it for all users

Users and developers helping users with generic and technical Pale Moon issues on all operating systems.

Moderator: trava90

Forum rules
This board is for technical/general usage questions and troubleshooting for the Pale Moon browser only.
Technical issues and questions not related to the Pale Moon browser should be posted in other boards!
Please keep off-topic and general discussion out of this board, thank you!
mclien

[Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by mclien » 2022-01-01, 11:20

OK, I read through the FAQs (at least all I thought all that seemed relevant to my question)
Read the installation howtos. Got the information about the drawbacks of PaleMoon being designed for portable use.

So I hope I didn't miss something obvious by asking my question:
As I have quite some systems used by several users, so would it be an option (and advisable) to install PaleMoon into /opt as root?
Or asked the other way around: Will it by that be available for all users (like will there be a local config dir in any users home dir?)

Well, now that I am typing this, It kinda defeats the portable design, right?
As for the "why": Would be a bit easier for my update procedure..

OS:
Devuan Chimaera.

User avatar
ron_1
Moon Magic practitioner
Moon Magic practitioner
Posts: 2852
Joined: 2012-06-28, 01:20

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by ron_1 » 2022-01-01, 17:49

That's the way I used to do it, drop the "palemoon" folder into opt. You have to be root/sudo to drop it into opt, but Pale Moon was available for anybody to use. I no longer do that as it became a pain having to do that with every PM update. I now just drop it into /home/ron/Templates as you don't have to be root for that folder. Why the templates folder? Why not? ;)

[BTW, I'm on Devuan 5.]

mclien

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by mclien » 2022-01-01, 18:01

Ah, I did not note that part. As user you can update directly. Thx for the hint.
I'll now have to consider which is less work: Train the users or discipline myself for the manual updates....
[As for Devuan: I think I started with Debian "etch" as Debian user and was disappointed as the freedom of choice went down the drain with systemd. Not brave or patient enough for testing, though]

Lucio Chiappetti
Astronaut
Astronaut
Posts: 654
Joined: 2014-09-01, 15:11
Location: Milan Italy

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by Lucio Chiappetti » 2022-01-01, 19:37

Have you read http://linux.palemoon.org/help/installation/ ?
I always installed as a user either in my own home, or in a /disk/Software directory, then made the few links suggested there (they can survive updates, provide you rename the dir where you downloaded it ... this allows to keep older versions provided you also backup your profile ... which I used to do when I was quite (excessively) wary about updates)
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. (G.B. Shaw)

User avatar
Night Wing
Knows the dark side
Knows the dark side
Posts: 5151
Joined: 2011-10-03, 10:19
Location: Piney Woods of Southeast Texas, USA

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by Night Wing » 2022-01-01, 19:50

I'm probably the only one on the Pale Moon Forums site which doesn't install linux Pale Moon when I'm using the Linux Mint (Xfce) distro. On my Mint system, Pale Moon is "not" the portable version either.

I just download the Pale Moon tarball to my Desktop, extract the Pale Moon folder to the Desktop and place it where I want it which is usually in my Documents folder. Then I add a launcher to my Panel (taskbar). Then I create the Pale Moon launcher icon which can be found in the Image Files in the extracted Pale Moon folder since linux Pale Moon is not installed which means the Pale Moon launcher icon is not listed in the Mint menu under Internet.

I get the Pale Moon tarball from the link below.

http://linux.palemoon.org/download/mainline/

I manually update linux Pale Moon too. In order to that, I get the newest Pale Moon tarball downloaded to my Desktop. Then I delete the old extracted Pale Moon folder in my Documents folder. Then I extract the newest Pale Moon folder to the Desktop and place it back in the Documents folder. The Pale Moon launcher icon is only created once. On the newest update, the Pale Moon launcher icon is never deleted.

Looks complicated if you're reading this, but it really isn't.

BTW, thank you Travis (trava90) since he is the one who maintains linux Pale Moon.
Linux Mint 21.3 (Virginia) Xfce w/ Linux Pale Moon, Linux Waterfox, Linux SeaLion, Linux Firefox
MX Linux 23.2 (Libretto) Xfce w/ Linux Pale Moon, Linux Waterfox, Linux SeaLion, Linux Firefox
Linux Debian 12.5 (Bookworm) Xfce w/ Linux Pale Moon, Linux Waterfox, Linux SeaLion, Linux Firefox

mclien

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by mclien » 2022-01-02, 11:23

Lucio Chiappetti wrote:
2022-01-01, 19:37
Have you read http://linux.palemoon.org/help/installation/ ?
I always installed as a user either in my own home, or in a /disk/Software directory, then made the few links suggested there (they can survive updates, provide you rename the dir where you downloaded it ... this allows to keep older versions provided you also backup your profile ... which I used to do when I was quite (excessively) wary about updates)
I did. I might misunderstand something, but if I generate this symbolic link:

Code: Select all

ln -s ~/palemoon/palemoon /usr/bin/palemoon
and another user (on the same machine) starts palemoon without the whole path, he will try to start the palemoon from my homedir, which will fail (I guess?)
So it mainly works for a single user machine, as I understand it.
The idea of installing different versions of palemoon and just set the link to the "active" one is nice, though.

Lucio Chiappetti
Astronaut
Astronaut
Posts: 654
Joined: 2014-09-01, 15:11
Location: Milan Italy

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by Lucio Chiappetti » 2022-01-02, 12:51

mclien wrote:
2022-01-02, 11:23

Code: Select all

ln -s ~/palemoon/palemoon /usr/bin/palemoon
and another user (on the same machine) starts palemoon without the whole path, he will try to start the palemoon from my homedir, which will fail (I guess?)
OK, you made a soft link from your home dir (*) to /usr/bin. It won't fail for other users, provided /usr/bin is in their path, and the palemoon executable in your home dir has execution permissions for all users (chmod ugo+x).

(*) I would have used another (publicly accessible) directory. On my machine the link is to /machine/Software/palemoon/palemoon while my home dir is /machine/lucio. The fact this is my own machine is irrelevant, at work we use to make available "personally installed" software to others without problems.

Edit: BTW @Night Wing: I dont'use a desktop environment, do all from command line, but essentially is the same
Last edited by Lucio Chiappetti on 2022-01-02, 16:44, edited 2 times in total.
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. (G.B. Shaw)

mclien

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by mclien » 2022-01-02, 14:22

oh, sorry. I apologize for writing nonsense about symbolic links.
I just looked over it and discovered, I have only a few machines which are used several users, so I guess installing in home-dir is so most painless method.

User avatar
RoestVrijStaal
Moon lover
Moon lover
Posts: 80
Joined: 2019-06-19, 19:18
Location: Dependency Hell

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by RoestVrijStaal » 2022-01-02, 22:34

ron_1 wrote:
2022-01-01, 17:49
Why the templates folder? Why not? ;)

[BTW, I'm on Devuan 5.]
(Triggered)
Unless you don't use XDG (when XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR is set in ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs, I bet you inadvertently use it), the ~/Templates directory is for adding custom file templates. Compare it with Windows' SendTo folder in %APPDATA%, but then for creating new files via the right-click menu of your favorite file manager which supports it.

Why not install Pale Moon in a opt folder in your $HOME instead? :)

User avatar
ron_1
Moon Magic practitioner
Moon Magic practitioner
Posts: 2852
Joined: 2012-06-28, 01:20

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by ron_1 » 2022-01-03, 06:12

RoestVrijStaal wrote:
2022-01-02, 22:34
Unless you don't use XDG (when XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR is set in ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs, I bet you inadvertently use it), the ~/Templates directory is for adding custom file templates. Compare it with Windows' SendTo folder in %APPDATA%, but then for creating new files via the right-click menu of your favorite file manager which supports it.

Why not install Pale Moon in a opt folder in your $HOME instead? :)
Did you bother to read my whole post? I explained why I don't want it in a folder that requires elevated privileges. About your explanation of the folder I chose . . . it's just a folder. There's nothing special about it (or in it, except the "palemoon" folder).

User avatar
stevenpusser
Project Contributor
Project Contributor
Posts: 903
Joined: 2015-08-01, 18:33

Re: [Linux] Install it for all users

Unread post by stevenpusser » 2022-01-03, 20:39

Can't you use the Debian 11 Palemoon packages in my OBS repo by first installing apulse to make them think pulseaudio is available?

Locked