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Using some advise I found on this forum I got the newest version of Firefox running on my son's pc (which runs Slitaz 3.0), but it is not listed in the Slitaz equivalent of the Start Menu. I've gone digging through the gui and the file structure looking for where the menu is configured, but I'm afraid I'm too much of an amateur to make much progress.
I'd like some advise as to how to get Firefox listed in the menu. Thanks.
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Under Linux it is easy:
you open a konsole. Now do it slow:
1. type fire
<= and then press the tab button. In case it does not complete itself to ,,firefox" this means that the program firefox is not in the path of executable programs
2. type which firefox
If there is no /usr/bin/firefox it means the program might be somewhere on your PC, but not within this path.
Test this now with leafpad, please:
- it should give to you a result like this:
[michael@localhost sda5]$ leaf
leafpad leaftoppm
[michael@localhost sda5]$ which leafpad
/usr/bin/leafpad
The absolute pathname here is important. Install the package findutils as root:
tazpkg get-install findutils
Then type in a root konsole:
updatedb
Take some seconds. Then type:
firefox
This will show to you where this executable sits on your PC.
In my case I found one even on another partition. It sits in the users Download-directory within a directory ,,firefox.9.0.1". If I click on it most likely firefox will start:
/mnt/sdb8/michael/Downloads/firefox.9.0.1/firefox
Normally the execatable files of a program should sit in /usr/bin. The bulk of this program sits in /usr/lib, normally. In your case this is most likely the case. I guess that the directory is called ,,firefox-10.0". If so type (as root)
ln /usr/lib/firefox-10.0/firefox /usr/bin/
, return, and you are done. This is a soft-link:
Type, as root or as user, ,,/usr/bin/firefox" and then firefox should start. If yes:
stop it, type ,,exit" into your root konsole - by doing so you return to be a normal user. Type now again ,,/usr/bin/firefox" (it starts), stop it and type ,,firefox" again. It starts again. Because the soft link /usr/bin/firefox is in the ,,PATH".
If you find this complicated: take a cup of coffee and think it over. It is not complicated, it is only ,,unusual". But there is a crystal-clear logic behind that. Under Apple and Windows it is the same, just hidden by klicking on some button. If you click on this button a hidden konsole calls /usr/bin/firefox, I mean the same process.
And now your Linuxer advantage:
if you type ,,firefox &" (exactly like this, copy and paste it into a konsole if necessary) then the program starts and at the same time you can see whether there are any problems while the program runs. Many error messages are not important, though!
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you can edit a firefox.desktop in
/usr/share/applications
Or you could have just used my damn firefox-4 package @ http://www.trixarian.net/SliTaz then followed the simple upgrade instuctions detailed there (it litterally is a few clicks solution). You would have noticed this if you read past the first answer (mine was right under it) on that thread that helped you install the latest Firefox.
And before you say my method is more work, think about how much effort downloading the firefox snapspot is, extracting it, creating a link and command manually for it is compared to installing a package and upgrading it in a couple of clicks. Exactly. Sometimes I wonder why I bother creating simple solutions and packages because you guys will still ignore me and try the HARD way.
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I did what moulefrite suggested, according to the more specific instructions found here:
http://forum.slitaz.org/topic/install-latest-firefox
Trixar_za, I did try your way first, based on your similar suggestion in the thread above, but I don't know what I did wrong, it didn't work.
michaelbischof I really appreciate the effort you put into your reply. I have a much better idea of where programs typically are, and what the difference is between the bin and lib folders.
Thanks all!
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,,I have a much better idea of where programs typically are, and what the difference is between the bin and lib folders."
Excellent - then please show it here so that other people may have a benefit. You know: the better one is the main enemy of the good! ;-)
(By the way, to be frank: the way that Trixar_za proposes is by far the easiest and quickiest)
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michaelb, what I meant was that by reading what what posted here I now have learned about bin and lib. I certainly don't claim to know enough to teach anyone more than how to google the slitaz forum :-)
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I'm sorry, I have a humble request for more help. I did get firefox to appear in the menu and it ran beautifully, but I failed to reach my final goal, which was a fully functional install of a recent FF with java, flash, and a filter extension. Though java is installed and was working with shiretoko firefox 3.5.whatever, it didn't work with ff10. Probably because I had ff10 installed in the /home/me/download directory. So I thought, I will try Traxaz_za's advise again and try to use his easy method to install ff4 then upgrade.
I undid all had done, and I used the package manager to re-install the shiretoko firefox package (as far as I know that's the only firefox available in the package manager). Then I downloaded Traxaz_za's ff4 thing. It is in my /home/me/downloads directory. I can find no instructions. I did look again in the "install lastest firefox" thread and saw that you said to go into firefox and select "help-about firefox" and then click "check for updates." I'm sorry, but in the shiretoko version of firefox under "help-about shiretoko" there is no "check for updates" option. So I'm stuck again.
If I can get through this step, I'm pretty sure I can get the flash, java, etc. done by myself. thanks again.
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Yes, but you started your old firefox, not the ,,new" one. Find out where the firefox4 is, I guess in /usr/lib. Cd to that place:
cd /usr/lib/firefox-xxx
and then type
./firefox &
- now this Firefox 4 should start to run. When it opened click on ,,Check for updates" and then the download of Firefox 10 will start.
If this works you open a root konsole.
# mv /usr/lib/firefox /usr/lib/firefox.old
# ln -s /usr/lib/firefox.10./firefox /usr/bin
- and you are done. You make a softlink between the executable file in /usr/lib/firefox.10/firefox and /usr/bin. This directory /usr/bin is in the $PATH.
That's it.
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Trixar_za's package of ff4 is a tazpkg. Meaning you have to install it once downloaded, in order to have it on all your system. In the directory where you have downloaded it, enter as root :
# tazpkg install firefox-4.0.tazpkg
("install" and not "get-install")
By this way it will appear in all your menus.
Then open it and upgrade it.
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