Cannot install extensions in Firefox

rnturn · 03-17-2024, 02:52 PM

I first noticed this on my (little used) Leap 15.3 laptop some time ago but since it wasn't heavily used, I just ignored the problem.

Now I've just installed the latest Tumbleweed on my desktop and find the same problem. It installed a Firefox 123.0.1 browser. Selecting an extension and attempting to add it just results in a little Cylon throbber and nothing ever gets installed. The kicker is I let one for these installation attempts run all night and found that the system had crashed the next morning.

Mozilla seems to think that the extensions I want to install are incompatible. AdBlocker Ultimate? Incompatible? Really?

I can't imagine that this is a common problem or Firefox's market share would be approaching zero about now.

Ideas as to what is causing these installation failures?

I really want to avoid Chrome if possible -- Google's idea of an extension seems to be to turn the browser into an accounting application. Not what I'm looking for. Just want to browse the way I used to be able to browse.

TIA...

frankbell · 03-17-2024, 08:28 PM

Try starting Firefox from the command line and installing an extension. You may get some useful output to the terminal.

rnturn · 03-18-2024, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbell

Try starting Firefox from the command line and installing an extension. You may get some useful output to the terminal.

One would hope, eh? Here's what launching from a Konsole gives me:

Code:

> firefox
kf.i18n: KLocalizedString: Using an empty domain, fix the code. msgid: "Mozilla Firefox" msgid_plural: "" msgctxt: ""
[Parent 2732, Main Thread] WARNING: g_find_program_for_path: assertion 'program != NULL' failed: 'glib warning', file /home/abuild/rpmbuild/BUILD/firefox-123.0.1/toolkit/xre/nsSigHandlers.cpp:187

(firefox:2732): GLib-CRITICAL **: 11:48:49.624: g_find_program_for_path: assertion 'program != NULL' failed
[Parent 2732, Main Thread] WARNING: g_find_program_for_path: assertion 'program != NULL' failed: 'glib warning', file /home/abuild/rpmbuild/BUILD/firefox-123.0.1/toolkit/xre/nsSigHandlers.cpp:187

(firefox:2732): GLib-CRITICAL **: 11:48:49.624: g_find_program_for_path: assertion 'program != NULL' failed
kf.i18n: KLocalizedString: Using an empty domain, fix the code. msgid: "Select Folder" msgid_plural: "" msgctxt: "@title:window"
kf.i18n: KLocalizedString: Using an empty domain, fix the code. msgid: "New Folder..." msgid_plural: "" msgctxt: "@action:button"
kf.i18n: KLocalizedString: Using an empty domain, fix the code. msgid: "New Folder..." msgid_plural: "" msgctxt: "@action:inmenu"
kf.i18n: KLocalizedString: Using an empty domain, fix the code. msgid: "Move to Trash" msgid_plural: "" msgctxt: "@action:inmenu"
kf.i18n: KLocalizedString: Using an empty domain, fix the code. msgid: "Delete" msgid_plural: "" msgctxt: "@action:inmenu"
kf.i18n: KLocalizedString: Using an empty domain, fix the code. msgid: "Show Hidden Folders" msgid_plural: "" msgctxt: "@option:check"
kf.i18n: KLocalizedString: Using an empty domain, fix the code. msgid: "Properties" msgid_plural: "" msgctxt: "@action:inmenu"

When I attempt to load an extension, no additional messages are displayed. The tab where the extension was supposed to load just displays that Cylon throbber. The pop-up with the OK to add dialog just sits there. It doesn't Add -- or even Cancel. If I switch to another activity, the pop-up is displayed on that activity. (All activities, in fact.) It remains until I close the tab where the extension load was attempted.

frankbell · 03-18-2024, 08:17 PM

Drat. I'm sorry I couldn't help.

I'm afraid I'm fresh out of ideas, as I have not encountered this issue. I don't many extensions, but I've not encountered any issues installing them in the decade or so that Firefox has been my go-to browser.

rnturn · 03-21-2024, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbell

Drat. I'm sorry I couldn't help.

I'm afraid I'm fresh out of ideas, as I have not encountered this issue. I don't many extensions, but I've not encountered any issues installing them in the decade or so that Firefox has been my go-to browser.

Thanks for the try. I never had problem until sometime after v110. Even the ESR release that was installed on a recent Debian 'bookworm' install is irritatingly refusing to install extensions. (So sick of the ads but the font sizer extension was the real boon to my browsing.)

RudyMartin · 03-21-2024, 01:29 PM

I do not know your exact problem but this might help:

since Firefox updates very frequently I decided to "install" it on my own $HOME under a subdirectory (IOW: I just unzipped it on a specific directory and and I run from a symlink which can be found by PATH variable). By doing that I avoid the problem of having to update it as root, since I usually run as normal user.

if you do this you can test if you have any problem with addons or extensions.

it should also create a new mozilla profile directory, in that case just verify with about:profiles and decide what to do from what you have.

frankbell · 03-21-2024, 08:35 PM

This is a really long shot that just popped into my head, but you might check the permissions of the plugins and extensions directories, which I understand are in /usr/[lib64 | lib]/mozilla/ to make sure there's nothing mixed up with them.

lvm_ · 03-22-2024, 01:42 AM

Every frigging firefox troubleshooting FAQ you can google starts with 'try with a clean profile' - have you tried that? Although this

Quote:

Originally Posted by rnturn

Mozilla seems to think that the extensions I want to install are incompatible. AdBlocker Ultimate? Incompatible? Really?

indicates that you are doing something wrong - where did you get it how exactly do you install it?

PS ublock origin is better.