Firefox installation

xeo196 · 10-04-2004, 09:39 PM

Hello everybody, I am new Linux and I hope I could obtain help at this forum. I surf the web and this is the best forum so far.

I donwloaded Firefox for my RedHat 9.0 and put it in /home/my_name

I right click to renamed the package to firefox.tar.gz, and extracted it.
go the the console trying to do the following steps as mentioned on this forum.

tar firefox.tar.gz (and the whole bunch of file fly by)
./configure
make
su
Password: ******
make install

But as soon as I typed ./configure and I got the error message saying that "there is no such file or directory".

Being a newbie, I don't know what to do next. Please help and be detailed. I also waned to view the help file for the installation instruction, but I don't know what command to use.

Really appreciated,

xeo

Boby · 10-04-2004, 09:49 PM

Hello and welcome to LQ!

After you extract the archive just double-click on "firefox-installer"

From terminal:

Code:

tar -zxvf firefox-archive.tar.gz
cd firefox-installer
./firefox-installer

To install Firefox systemwide you have to install it as root, somewhere like /usr/lib or /usr/local.
To gain root access:

Code:

su
Password:

To get back to normal user:

Code:

exit

When you run a file in the current directory you have to type:

Code:

./file

else it's just normal:

Code:

/path/to/file

Good luck!
Boby

Later Edit:
snakeo2, sorry but you are wrong too. Firefox has a graphical installer that is started by the file "firefox-installer", sure after unpacking the archive. No compiling and stuff needed

snakeo2 · 10-04-2004, 09:53 PM

I dont know if you did this or not , but did you cd to the new directory created after u umcompressed the tar ball?
ex:
tar -xvzf firefox.tar.gz\
this will umcompress and create a directory probably called firefox
cd firefox
./configure
make
su
password
make install

hope that helps

ryancoolest · 10-05-2004, 12:41 AM

Just download the firefox gtk2 there no need to run configure...

http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.o...staller.tar.gz

just run firefox (e.g. => ./path/to/firefox) you can run even you're on a usermode...

xeo196 · 10-05-2004, 09:15 AM

Thanks so much it works and yes with FF you could run in user mode.

You guys replied faster than I could say thanks. This forum is awsome. I will learn Linux really quick if I just read around the forum and have you guys in my corner. Thanks....

I have question though, I don't see the short cut anywhere. I looked in the FF dir but did not see it. I want to make to shortcut on the desktop so that it is convenient.

Please help,

You guys rock...

xeo

michapma · 10-05-2004, 09:44 AM

Not sure if this is Debian specific, but I just type in:
update-menus

And then Firefox appears in the menus. But that's using the Gnome desktop.

Otherwise, you can make a shortcut on your desktop. Just right-click and select the appropriately named entry (probably something like create launcher in Gnome), then make sure you specify that it's an application. You can even find an icon for Firefox.

Cheers

ryancoolest · 10-05-2004, 08:02 PM

What distribution are you using?

Well on my part, I just dag it to my desktop like windows... BTW i'm using mandrake 10.1 official community release

cab · 10-22-2004, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Boby
To install Firefox systemwide you have to install it as root, somewhere like /usr/lib or /usr/local.

Hi there,

I am also a newbie, running a Mandrake 10.0. I followed your instructions and Firefox is now succesfully installed in /usd/lib, but I noticed that the system did not install any links in the menu.

Is there a straight forward (I mean something that you run as a one-off as root) way of creating the relevant shortcut and icon in the menu (e.g. Internet -> Web Browsers -> Firefox)? All other browsers installed with the system, such as Konqueror and Mozilla are there.

Thank you for your help.

Boby · 10-24-2004, 08:42 AM

Hi cab!

With "systemwide" [installed by root] I mean that it can be run by all users, 'cause if you install it as user "x" it can't be used by user "y".

What window manager are you using?
I'm using KDE under Fedora Core2. Usually the KMenu is updated when you install from RPM's.
I'm not sure if this is the same like in Mandrake but go:
Control Center >> Desktop >> Panels >> Menus >> Edit KMenu
There you can select new applications.

To put a shortcut on you desktop:
right click >> Create new >> File >> Link to application

You do all this as normal user

Hope it helped!
Boby

cab · 10-24-2004, 05:17 PM

Hi Boby,

I have been playing around since then, and I found the solution. You can update the system menu in KDE as root, and the modification will appear in the menu of all users. Then whomever is interested can modify their personal desktop by dragging the link where they want and choosing "copy here".

Thank you for your help anyway :-)

snakeo2 · 10-24-2004, 06:10 PM

Hi cab, whats the command you used to update the menu?? thanks in advance

cab · 10-25-2004, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by snakeo2
Hi cab, whats the command you used to update the menu?? thanks in advance

Very easy (I used the Mandrake KDE menu):

Go to the Start menu > System > Configure your computer. The system asks you for the root password, then you choose to configure the desktop menu. Once you update it, the links will appear in all users menu. I believe that there must even be a way of adding desktop icons in one go, but I haven't found out how, yet.