installing firefox & java (without pulling-out all your hair)
Posts: 311
Mozilla-Firefox does not need to be installed. Just uncompress it into a folder of it's own and click on firefox to launch. Be sure to get the -gtk2+xft version of firefox, otherwise the fonts look awful!
There are, however, some problems:
1) Mailto: links on web pages don't work.
Install a plugin called mozex to fix this. You will need to tell mozex what email client you want to use.
2) If you have firefox running, then click on a URL in an email client, you get a "Select User Profile" error.
This is the bad side-effect of an old file-protection Mozilla-core bug-"fix". The side-effect has remained unfixed in the mozilla core for years now. The only work around I've found that actually works is this:
Rename firefox to something like firefox.program DON'T delete it!
Create a new file called firefox that contains this:
#!/bin/bash
REALPROGRAM=/home/firefox/firefox.program
if [ -f ~/.mozillarunning ]; then
if [ ! -z $1 ]; then
$REALPROGRAM -remote "openURL($1, new-tab)"
else
$REALPROGRAM -remote "openURL(about:blank, new-tab)"
fi
else
touch ~/.mozillarunning
$REALPROGRAM $1 $2 $3
rm -f ~/.mozillarunning
fi
Be sure the permissions of your new firefox file allows you & any other needed people to execute it. You will need to close the firefox browser before shutting-down your computer every time. If you don't, you'll have to manually delete the .mozillarunning file from your home directory.
3) Java does not work. I tried all kinds of ways to install Sun's Java. I never got it to work. MYoung lead me to the following:
Go to your .../firefox/plugins folder, if you see a javaplugin_oji.so file delete it.
Whether or not you had one to delete; open a ROOT terminal window in that same directory and enter this line:
ln -s /usr/lib/j2se/1.4/jre/plugin/i386/mozilla/javaplugin_oji.so
Your firefox should now use the same implementation of java that konqueror & mozilla use.
Hope that helps!
Lance
Flash, Shockwave & Java (Oh, my)
Posts: 311
Thanks Q,
I should have touched on that. Most typical browser 'bells & whistles' install easily using the built-in plug-in installer found at tools > options > extensions > get new extensions. Java is *supposed to* install that way too, but a simple reading of Linux support sites will tell you that, at least for some of us, the automatic install of Java does not work.
Macromedia makes two types of players; Flash & Shockwave. However, there is no Shockwave player for Linux/Unix/BSD at this time. There is one for Apple OSX (which is really BSD) so hopefully there will be one someday. I believe Firefox includes the Flash player, but if yours does not:
The Macromedia test page for both Flash & Shockwave is here:
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/welcome/
Debian has the deb packages to install the flash player here:
http://packages.debian.org/unstable/web/flashplugin-nonfree.html
Save the .deb package to disk, then click to launch kpackage--seems to work best that way.
Oh, one more thing--with all the Windows users jumping out of Internet Explorer into Firefox, there are now a number of plug-ins that don't support root & user properly. Before installing a plug-in, look at the homepage for every plug-in & see if there is a Unix/Linux version. If you install something that does not seem to work or only works as root--you probably found a 'Windows only' plug-in.
Shorter solution for #2
Posts: 311
Here is a shorter solution to problem #2 above:
Rename firefox to something like firefox.program DON'T delete it!
Create a new file called firefox that contains this:
#!/bin/bash
/home/firefox/firefox.program -remote "openURL($1, new-tab)" ||
/home/firefox/firefox.program $1 $2 $3
Be sure to use the correct directories for your setup (you may no have installed firefox in /home). Also be sure the permissions of your new firefox file allows you & any other needed people to execute it. In addition to being shorter, this avoids the .mozillarunning file altogether.
Lance
easy method
Posts: 22
I just did this:
# apt-get install mozilla-firefox
copy all files from the /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins directory to /usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/plugins directory except for the links, then create new links to the java-plugins in the firefox-plugins directory.
This is a lot easier isn't it?
It's easier indeed
Posts: 858
that's what I always do= a less troublesome approach 
Man fears Time, yet Time fears the Pyramids -- Arab Proverb
Too risky for me...
Posts: 311
If it works, great...but,
When this 'how to' was written, apt-get installed the ugly-fonts version (no Xft font anti-aliasing), I hope that's been fixed by now. In addition, not all mozilla plugins work in Firefox--it depends which plugins the user has installed in his/her mozilla directory. With each passsing version Firefox gets further and further from Mozilla. I don't know that any Mozilla plugins would be harmful if called-up in Firefox, but I don't want to be the guinea pig, nor would I recommend it to others.
Click your heels three times and say:
"There's no place like ~"
An even easier solution!
Posts: 1296
I deleted my plugins folder in my /home firefox folder and created a symbolic link from the /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins folder to my firefox folder and that works just fine.
Guinea pig lol
Posts: 1296
I use the mozilla plugins in my firefox?? and have tested them on my favorite sites that use java, real player, quicktime and windows media and it all works for me. Of course, I also have the mplayer plugin and mozplugger and they provide the extra plugin support I like.
firefox
Posts: 67
Ok could some one Please explian this to a total Newbie to mepis Apt-get didnt work and I dont understand the instrution's that are posted . thank you .
BTW already bald so i have nothing to pull out lol.
Installing Firefox et all
Posts: 311
Hi,
This how-to is pretty out-of-date already. A lot of things have been fixed--though not everything.
If I may be so bold as to make recommendations;
I assume you're using SimplyMEPIS.
Konqueror is included already & works very well. There are a few (very few) websites with which one browser will work better than another.
If you want to try Firefox find Kpackage in the menu (under system in SimplyMEPIS) goto Special > Apt Debian > update. This will update your list of all possible software packages.
After that is done, search for mozilla-firefox under the 'New' tab. Click the red circle to put a checkmark in it, then click install & follow the instructions.
You'll still need to follow instruction #3 above; though 1 & 2 no longer apply.
Stay away from Thunderbird (email) for the short term, their are still a lot of changes being made in it almost daily. Kmail (included) is far more stable--even for a not so newbie.
Feel free to drop me an email if needed. Lance(at)TheHaverkamps(dot)net
Thank you for the update la
Posts: 67
Thank you for the update lance I 'm using Mepis 2003 i downloaded simplyMEPIS just havent burned a copy yet so I guess since im going to the more updated MEPIS I probly wount have any trouble thanx again .
Upgrade...Good
Posts: 311
Hi,
Yes, do move to SimplyMEPIS; please note that it is now at version 2004.02 & the main fix in .02 is related to installing packages!
There is a big difference between 2003.x & 2004.x--if you try to keep your 2003 /home directory in tact, you WILL have some problems. I had to save necessary files (like documents from Open office & emails) then allow the installation program to wipe-out the old /home directory to get everything to run correctly then copy back my documents, emails, etc.
I'm sure there are cleverer people around here than me, who didn't have to jump through those hoops, but I'm not one of them.
Lance
Lance
Posts: 858
Many thanks for taking the time to write this great How To, but you only refer to installing Java, & I ask you what about the other plugins often used, like shockwave, etc?.
To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
Farmers' Almanac, 1978