Firefox instead of Iceweasel

hhh · 2016-02-23 06:23:40

Copied/modified from the #! forums...
http://crunchbang.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=39834

Iceweasel in Jessie is meh. Avoid mozilla.debian.net and get Firefox and it's updates right from the source...
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

-edit- If you prefer something a little more stable, download the latest Extended Support Release...
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/rel … inux-i686/
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/rel … ux-x86_64/ /-edit-

Extract the archive and move your new firefox folder to some location, I chose /opt. Open the folder, you'll find a file named firefox (right before firefox-bin). Create a symlink to the firefox file and place it in /usr/local/bin.

Open a terminal and enter...sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/x-www-browser x-www-browser /usr/local/bin/firefox 50 Then enter... sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser... and choose the number for Firefox and enter it.

Open /usr/share/applications and find the desktop file named Iceweasel (iceweasel.desktop). Open it in a text editor and replace the contents with...
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=Firefox
Comment=Browse the World Wide Web
Exec=firefox %u
Terminal=false
X-MultipleArgs=false
Type=Application
Icon=firefox
Categories=Network;WebBrowser;
MimeType=text/html;text/xml;application/xhtml+xml;application/xml;application/vnd.mozilla.xul+xml;application/rss+xml;application/rdf+xml;image/gif;image/jpeg;image/png;x-scheme-handler/http;x-scheme-handler/https;
StartupWMClass=Firefox
StartupNotify=true

Save it as firefox.desktop and logout to refresh the icon for your new desktop file. Firefox will update itself every time it starts, or you can open the Help menu (Alt+H) and open the About window, that forces an update check as well. Remove iceweasel if you wish (every time you switch Iceweasel/Firefox it will check compatibility with your ~./mozilla profile).

Pics or it didn't happen...

hhh · 2016-06-19 22:19:57

For Flash, uninstall flashplugin-nonfree from Debian and get the latest libflashplayer.so from Adobe. Download the .tar.gz for other Linux file...

https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/?no_redirect

Create the folder ~/.mozilla/plugins

Extract the tar.gz and move libflashplayer.so to ~/.mozilla/plugins and restart Firefox.

And then hope Flash dies sooner rather than later.

Firefox will block an outdated plugin and warn you. Download the new version if it's available, replace the old .so file and restart Firefox. Debian typically is a day or two behind these updates at best.

mrneilypops · 2016-06-19 22:55:43

Is there a problem with Firefox ESR?
https://packages.debian.org/jessie/firefox-esr

Last edited by mrneilypops (2016-06-19 22:58:12)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2016-06-20 06:43:17

For those who want Iceweasel back, see https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefo … -branding/

Horizon_Brave · 2016-06-20 15:34:08

Has the switch to Firefox actually broken anything? I'm just curious I'm still running with Iceweasel here. Does it require an update of the packages or do you have to actually go and retrieve Firefox to get it?

damo · 2016-06-20 16:09:46

Horizon_Brave wrote:

Has the switch to Firefox actually broken anything? I'm just curious I'm still running with Iceweasel here. Does it require an update of the packages or do you have to actually go and retrieve Firefox to get it?

It will come in as an apt-get upgrade, unless you put it on hold.
https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic.php?id=2176

Head_on_a_Stick · 2016-06-20 18:10:43

Horizon_Brave wrote:

I'm still running with Iceweasel here.

That version of Iceweasel is riddled with security holes, you should update it ASAP.

Use:

sudo apt upgrade

Or:

sudo aptitude upgrade

Or:

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

See https://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3600

hhh · 2016-06-20 20:31:20

mrneilypops wrote:

Is there a problem with Firefox ESR?
https://packages.debian.org/jessie/firefox-esr

Not really, no. I just prefer the way "real" Firefox auto-checks for updates every time you start it, and that it's newer than FF ESR.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2016-06-20 20:56:46

hhh wrote:

I just prefer the way "real" Firefox auto-checks for updates every time you start it

I remember I tried the Mozilla package once and I had to run it as root to let it update the binary

Or do you run it from $HOME?

vasa1 · 2016-06-21 03:47:03

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

hhh wrote:
I just prefer the way "real" Firefox auto-checks for updates every time you start it
I remember I tried the Mozilla package once and I had to run it as root to let it update the binary
Or do you run it from $HOME?

I run it from $HOME. Never had to use root. I get it from http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/

Also prefer the delta updates.

KrunchTime · 2016-06-26 21:25:48

I just use the portable/static build and share the same app between stable and unstable, using a shared ~/bin folder (soft-linked to a folder on my data partition).

@hhh: Regarding your suggestion for replacing the flashplugin from Debian...but that will only work for Firefox, right? Whereas, the flashplugin from Debian works for all browsers. I doubt very much that Flash will die sooner. There are still too many sites that use it. However, I've purged both the Debian flashplugin and the pepperflashplugin on both of my unstable instances without an issue so far.

Last edited by KrunchTime (2016-06-26 21:26:56)

hhh · 2016-06-26 21:55:22

KrunchTime wrote:

... the flashplugin from Debian works for all browsers.

No, it's only for Netscape-based browsers, it doesn't work for Chrome or chromium...
https://wiki.debian.org/FlashPlayer#Sup … _in_Debian

KrunchTime · 2016-06-26 22:23:31

Thank you for the clarification.

hhh · 2016-06-26 22:57:33

There is a jessie flash plugin for chromium/Chrome, but it is 64 bit only.

https://packages.debian.org/jessie/pepp … in-nonfree

martix · 2016-07-03 20:04:36

hhh wrote:

And then hope Flash dies sooner rather than later.

Oh, yesss! It should be dead already, but it seems to be tough like a cockroach.

johnraff · 2016-07-04 01:38:28

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

hhh wrote:
I just prefer the way "real" Firefox auto-checks for updates every time you start it
I remember I tried the Mozilla package once and I had to run it as root to let it update the binary
Or do you run it from $HOME?

If I use a downloaded Fx my preference is to install it in $HOME, but in fact there is an argument for installing it as root, then running it as user (of course). The apps' files can then only be edited by root, making it a little bit less vulnerable to intruders. The downside is you have to become root to upgrade it. Your choice.

hhh · 2016-07-11 21:19:12

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

hhh wrote:
I just prefer the way "real" Firefox auto-checks for updates every time you start it
I remember I tried the Mozilla package once and I had to run it as root to let it update the binary
Or do you run it from $HOME?

Sorry I missed this. No, I run it from /opt as described in the OP with no issues.

How about that, I just opened the About Firefox window to see what version I was up to and an update downloaded. I'm at 47.0 ATM, be right back after a browser restart.

-edit-

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/4 … easenotes/
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cg … ed&limit=0

I rest my case.

-edit-

johnraff wrote:

The downside is you have to become root to upgrade it. Your choice.

I missed this too. Obviously, I'm not getting this behavior. It just updated with a manual check, and it's updated a bunch of times since I moved the firefox download to /opt. This update would have been applied automatically the next time I started Firefox. Flash in firefox has warned me to update a bunch of times as well.

http://libre-software.net/how-to-instal … inux-mint/

hhh · 2016-07-12 02:42:27

I just tested the OP by downloading FF v46.0.1 (i386)...

https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/rel … 686/en-US/

I followed the steps and then removed firefox-esr, which also removes the dummy iceweasel package. sudo apt-get --purge autoremove gets rid of a few more libs.

Started my new FF, Help>About downloaded 47.0.1.

hhh · 2016-07-12 02:47:52

And installed it after a restart...

Horizon_Brave · 2016-07-12 03:41:59

I'm still going to give FF-esr a chance... but if it's still killing my processor, I may try firefox proper to see if that improves anything...

#1 2016-02-23 06:23:40

Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#2 2016-06-19 22:19:57

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#3 2016-06-19 22:55:43

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#4 2016-06-20 06:43:17

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#5 2016-06-20 15:34:08

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#6 2016-06-20 16:09:46

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#7 2016-06-20 18:10:43

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#8 2016-06-20 20:31:20

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#9 2016-06-20 20:56:46

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#10 2016-06-21 03:47:03

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#11 2016-06-26 21:25:48

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#12 2016-06-26 21:55:22

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#13 2016-06-26 22:23:31

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#14 2016-06-26 22:57:33

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#15 2016-07-03 20:04:36

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#16 2016-07-04 01:38:28

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#17 2016-07-11 21:19:12

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#18 2016-07-12 02:42:27

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#19 2016-07-12 02:47:52

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

#20 2016-07-12 03:41:59

Re: Firefox instead of Iceweasel

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