Linux Firefox ESR Versions in Linux Mint

[Night Wing]

I hope this is the right forum to put this, but if it isn't, please put this where it belongs.

Every long time regular member on here knows I'm a non technical person when it comes to computer knowledge with Windows. I'm definitely NOT a power user. Far from it too. I know enough to get around in Windows and I'm trying to do the same with Linux.

With the above said, every long time member on here knows I run the Windows only 32-bit version of Pale Moon (20.3) under Wine in my favorite linux distro, 64-bit Linux Mint 14 (Nadia) in the XFCE flavor. This was another of my "experiments" with linux.

In LM, x86_64 Firefox is the "default" browser when one installs LM. With the advent of the Australis UI coming (which now looks like it'll be in version 27), I didn't want to have to suffer with Australis in Firefox which will be in the linux repository and will be rolled out as an update for all LM users. So, I did some online research and with the help of my neighbor loaning me an HP 64-bit Windows 7 laptop and a spare 500 GB replacement hard drive along with a 64-bit disc for LM 14 XFCE, I set about to see if I could put Firefox 17.0.8 ESR (x86_64 for linux) into Linux Mint.

After installing LM 14 on the laptop, I launched Firefox 23 for LM and confirmed it was version 23. I then put the FF shortcut into the Taskbar. I then went to the Mozilla site and downloaded the english version for linux 17.0.8 esr (x86_64) at the link below which was a tarball file. BTW, I hate dealing with linux tarballs.

http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/17.0.8esr/linux-x86_64/

I extracted the tarball, which produced a firefox file in my downloads folder and then using the terminal (which I don't like since I'm non-technical, but had to use), I typed the following:

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sudo mv /usr/bin/firefox /usr/bin/firefox-old

Clicked "Enter", threw in my password and then typed another command:

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sudo ln -s /opt/firefox/firefox /usr/bin/firefox

Then clicked "Enter" again. To finish, I typed "clear" and clicked on "Enter". Then exited the Terminal.

When I launched Firefox from the shortcut in my Taskbar and left clicked on "Help" in the Menu Bar and then left clicked on "About Firefox', the box that popped up said I was using Firefox 17.0.8 ESR. In order to update the ESR versions of Firefox for linux, I'll have to use this command in the Terminal.

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gksudo firefox

In closing; in order to avoid the Australis UI which Firefox will eventually roll out for Windows and for Linux, with the above experimentation already done, I'll be ready to install Firefox 24 ESR in both Windows and in Linux Mint.

I'm an "old dog" learning some new tricks.

[Moonchild]

Thanks for sharing this info I'm sure other people have use of it!

(I moved this to technical chat, since it's a slightly better match for the topic)

[Blacklab]

VMT Night Wing! Like you I'm a relative newcomer to Linux and eventually chose the popular Mint distro too. (In my case I chose Mint 13 (Maya) LTS because it is the current Long Term Support version of Mint, based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, which will be updated into 2017. I chose the MATE desktop).

I will probably follow you and replace Mint's native Linux Firefox (updated iaw Release Channel) with Linux Firefox 24ESR when it is released. An alternative may be to let Mint update Firefox normally (Australis UI et al!) and install standard Windows Firefox 24ESR.exe alongside Pale Moon using the Wine compatibility layer.

Like you I am having to learn a new OS and the joys of the Linux Terminal. It somewhat surprises me that no one in the Linux world has gripped the huge opportunity afforded by the fast approaching demise of Windows XP and produced a really user-friendly distro aimed at all those older XP machines and the great mass of completely "tech allergic" computer owners. Mint is probably the most "user-friendly" of the current distros but IMHO it still requires/benefits from a having a technical interest at some level - and for those moving from Windows it would be ideal if Wine was included in the distro package. I know you always say you are "a non technical person" but I think getting Pale Moon running successfully in Wine on Linux Mint would completely floor most "non technical" people - mention tarballs and their eyes will glaze over... so you must be in the foothills of the scale somewhere!

[Moonchild]

It somewhat surprises me that no one in the Linux world has gripped the huge opportunity afforded by the fast approaching demise of Windows XP and produce a really user-friendly distro aimed at all those older XP machines and the great mass of completely "tech allergic" computer owners.

People have been trying very hard to make a user friendly distribution of Linux, but it's just been extremely slow, because Linux developers by definition tend to be uber geeks and actually swear by 1980's programs like VI to do text editing and similar. There's a very large gap between the people who have used and developed Linux traditionally and the people who are Windows users that would be the new target audience. Also, there seems to be an aversion to making a distro "look and operate like Windows" and as a result you get totally new and not always as intuitive window managers and desktop managers (like Ubuntu has done).

In addition, Linux has developed mainly as a server O.S. with completely different operating parameters than a Desktop O.S. has. The command-line and use of it is integral to many Linux distributions, although GUIs are slowly popping up to do more common tasks like package handling, upgrades and installations.

Combine all this, and you see that Linux only has a market share of 1.5% for desktop computing, and not really increasing.

[Night Wing]

Since I installed the ESR (extended support release) version of Firefox for linux, I had to make sure it was working properly.

I went to YouTube and sure enough, I could see video and hear the audio so I knew Flash which came with Firefox 23 and was configured for version 23 was working with Firefox 17.0.8 ESR. Then I went to my favorite streaming web cam site to see the bay at Seabrook and it worked too.

http://www.nichtberger.com/camera.html

Now there was one last thing to do. To see if Java was working since it's already configured to work with Firefox 23 in linux, I chose a site which is loaded with web cams, but not the streaming type. These cams refresh every 15 seconds or so. Again, Firefox 17.0.8 ESR worked.

http://www.galveston.com/webcams/

Believe me when I say I know enough about Windows to get around, but I also get into "trouble" when things don't go as planned if you get my drift. Ditto for Linux.

I picked Linux Mint since it's very easy for a non technical person like me to use since it acts and feels like Windows 7. With many good programs and utilities in the linux mint repository (which is based on Ubuntu), I can install many neat little things through the Software Manager and also the Synaptic Package Manager which are automatically installed in Linux Mint.

But when it comes to third party programs and applications outside the linux repository, one has to go to websites and actually download the program. Downloading the program is the easy part. Installing the program is either easy or difficult. If the third party application is a .deb file, I can open and install it with GDebi Package Installer which is automatically installed in Linux Mint.

But if the downloaded application is a tarball (bz2, gz), then it can become a problem for a person like me since the Terminal comes into play and I'm not fond of the Terminal since I don't know all the correct commands. Take Mozilla for example. On the Mozilla site, to install the ESR verson of Firefox for Linux, it said to "remove" the default Firefox. That didn't work because Mozilla assumes one is going to use a PPA and the Ubuntu guys don't support PPA for Firefox ESR versions. The default Firefox has to be installed and not removed.

This experiment took me two hours to do until I had the ESR version installed. I looked at two YouTube videos where some guy took a bz2 tarball and turned it into a .deb file and then he could actually see the application (and it's icon) in the Synaptic Package Manager.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjML-3Vs96c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_07phNne80

The first video is loaded with lots of "potty mouth" comments so don't be offended if you hear them. In the second video I tried his method, but it didn't work because the ESR tarball didn't have a ./configure or make file.

The actual commands I used and I started with instruction #3 since I right clicked on the tarball to "extract here" so I only had to copy two lines of code in the link below.

http://www.tuxgarage.com/2012/02/instal ... linux.html

I think linux would do very well if only third party programmers would code things for .deb files since these are easy to open and install either by double clicking them or using the GDebi Package Manager. Installing a .deb file is like installing an exe file in Windows. Tarball files are a pain since what works on someone else's computer might not work on your computer because one has to use the Terminal and this is what happened with me.

[Moonchild]

Many different distros = many different ways of doing things, the "5 steering wheels" problem of Linux.
.deb = for debian-related distros
.rpm = for redhat-related distros
then there are portage trees, yum, and other dynamic tree systems to install packages.

In short: if you develop for Linux, you need to develop for every installable package format under the sun, OR you give people a tarball to install themselves. There is no unified way of installing applications in different Linux distributions. It's an example of where Open Source can fail in terms of deployment.

[Night Wing]

When it comes to the dreaded tarball file (for me), I found I was going to have to learn how to compile the tarball file and then install the file. In order to do that, I was going to need to have two applications installed. These are (build-essential) and (checkinstall) which was mentioned in those two videos I posted in my last post.

These two applications are listed in the Mint repository, but they are not installed. I installed these two applications using the Synaptic Package Manager which I'm beginning to like very much. More so than using the Software Manager.

I've been enjoying working with Linux Mint so much, I went into both of my desktop tower computers BIOS and using the boot tab to change the boot configuration, when I now turn on either of my two desktop computers, both of them now boot straight into Linux Mint instead of automatically booting into Windows 7 since I have two hard drives in each of my desktops.

BTW, with my extreme dislike for Windows 8, this is why I started learning and tinkering with linux. Take that Microsoft!

[Night Wing]

An update.

Well, it's back to square one for me. The terminal commands in my previous post above which worked fore me installing Firefox 17.0.8 ESR (x86_64 linux) in Linux Mint 14 (64-bit)........don't work now when installing Firefox 24.0 ESR (x86_64 linux) in Linux Mint 14 (64-bit). Mozilla must have changed something because the commands I found at the Tuxgarage link, the link is no longer working either.

I get some error with a "child" prompt and I have no idea what this prompt means. After this prompt, I have to re-install Firefox using the Synaptic Package Manager because the "child" prompt breaks Firefox since Firefox won't run.