How to make a firefox executable available to all users

Hello there:

I downloaded the gtk version of firefox, and then ran the installer. I can work with firefox, good.
The problem is that I want all users on my machine to be able to use firefox. I guess what I did was just compiling firefox and created a executable for myself, which can only be run at the installed directory (which is /home/username/firefox-installer/). I tried copying only the firefox executable to /usr/local/bin but system complains and won't work.

I have mandrake 10 official.

How do I solve this problem?
Thank you for reading.

Re install firefox to /usr/local/firefox. The add a symbolic link to firefox in /usr/bin

ln -s /usr/local/firefox /usr/bin

This should now make firefox executable by all users

--Ian

I just tried to install firefox1.0pr but can only run it as root or with sudo from the user.
If I start it as user, it terminates without showing an error message nor showing a window.

I did the following already:
chgrp -R user /usr/local/firefox1.0pr
chmod -R 777 /usr/local/firefox1.0pr
(as root)

Any help is highly appreciated, thanks!

No, change it back to:
"chown root:root /usr/local/firefox1.0pr -R"
"chmod 744 /usr/local/firefox1.0pr -R"

Some files don't even need 744, maybe it's easier to reinstall.
Anyway, maybe your user's firefox profile has the wrong owner.
Try "chown username:usersgroup /home/username/.mozilla -R" where you replace username with your user's login name and usergroup with his primary group. If that doesn't work try deleteing the entire profile (if you have important stuff like bookmarks or emails in there please make a backup).

And to run it by just typing firefox, please do what IBall suggested. "ln -s /usr/local/firefox /usr/bin"

Hi Haiyadragon, brilliant, it works, thank you very much!

Here's a short installation manual for other dummies like me:

HOW TO install Mozilla Firefox 1.0 on a SuSE 9.0 system
**************************************************************

1) Download firefox from here: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
Current direkt link: http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.o...staller.tar.gz
Save it to e.g. /tmp

2) Decompress it:

cd /tmp
tar zxf firefox-1.0PR-i686-linux-gtk2+xft-installer.tar.gz

3) Login as root (if you try with sudo or su or the like, permissions will be wrong) and start the installer:

cd /tmp/firefox-installer
./firefox-installer

4) Follow the graphical wizard which guides you through the installation:
Choose to install firefox to: /usr/local/firefox1.0pr
When finished, firefox will launch and automatically create the profile (directory: ~/.mozilla)

5) Install all needed plugins: Type the following address in the address bar (without space!):
about:plugins
Click on the link here to get great manuals for the installation of plugins http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/

6) Create link to firefox for easy launch from every directory:

ln -s /usr/local/firefox1.0pr/firefox /usr/bin

7) Log off as root and login as the user of you choice and launch firefox:

firefox
# Or try this if you do not succeed:
/usr/local/firefox1.0pr/firefox
# If it still does not work, rename your profile and try again:
mv ~/.mozilla ~/.mozilla.backup
 /usr/local/firefox1.0pr/firefox

8) Create icon on your desktop (KDE):
- Right click on your desktop an choose new, shortcut to program
- Type the "Firefox" as the application name
- Click on the icon and select "other icons" and navigate to /usr/local/firefox1.0pr/icons/mozicon50.xpm
- Jump to the "Execute" tab and type "/usr/local/firefox1.0pr/firefox"
--> Hit ok to complete

Thank you 'number'!

After many attempts and failures at installing firefox 1.0, I followed your advice and 'Hey Presto!'.

Everything works fine.

Cheers!