FC2: make firefox/thunderbird default for web/mail?
 

Hi!
I use Fedora Core 2 now, and didn't manage to make firefox and thunderbird the default applications for web and e-mail, instead of Mozilla. Here's a little config program for preferred programs, but I can only choose of the programs that were installed along with Fedora, or enter the path to some other program.
The problem is, that I have to start firefox and thiunderbird via shell scripts, like firefox.sh. But if I enter "sh /usr/local/firefox/firefox.sh" (or leave the .sh away) I cannot launch it via the GNOME panel and it's not used as the default app. How can I configure this, or make Fedora know my firefox?

thanks in advance,
thorax

I don't know what do you mean with : The problem is, that I have to start firefox and thunderbird via shell scripts, like firefox.sh. , but may be this can help you.

If you know where is firefox intalled you can put the whole path, i mean /usr/lib/firefox/firefox (for example), not the path to the script but the path where is the program.

This doesn't work. I have to specify an executable. So I tried to execute the sh shell interperter, and give the script as a parameter to it. Simply running the 'firefox-bin' doesn't work; you MUST run it via 'firefox.sh'.

in the carpet of firefox there is a file called firefox this is an executable file.

No, it isn't. It's an shell script, but without the .sh extension. The executable is firefox-bin.

But I've found a solution, here's the way if anyone is interested in firefox as default browser:
1. Get the 'firefox' shell script out of the firefox-directory, and open it with an editor.
2. change the variables in the first part of the document to these:

MOZ_DIST_BIN="path to firefox-directory"
MOZ_DEFAULT_NAME="./${cmdname}-bin" <---- leave it
MOZ_APPRUNNER_NAME="full path to firefox-bin, e.g. /usr/local/firefox/firefox-bin"
MOZ_VIEWER_NAME="path to firefox-directory, and add /viewer to it"
MOZ_PROGRAM="full path to firefox-bin, e.g. /usr/local/firefox/firefox-bin"

3. save it as 'firefox' in /usr/bin.
4. Now you can choose 'firefox' in the dafault program dialog.

hi in my machine both firefox and thunderbird appear in the preferred applications. alternatively maybe you could go preferences/file types and programs and change the associations with the www and mailto services. one strange thing is that if you change your preferences from one of the two the other does not change as well. for example if i use as preferred browser firefox the www filetypes remain associated to mozilla. anywya, since you can change both there is no problem.

BUT the problem i am facing is with the profiles. if i am already using firefox i cannot open it again from a link as the profile is used.

any help?

thanks

>BUT the problem i am facing is with the profiles. if i am already using firefox i
> cannot open it again from a link as the profile is used.

In Firefox 0.9 they changed the syntax of the remote command a little, so old scripts have not worked for me. I now have this script which does work:

#!/bin/sh
/XXX/firefox/firefox -a firefox -remote "openURL($1,new-window)" || /XXX/f
irefox/firefox $1 &

Replace the "XXX/firefox" with the directory location where you have firefox installed. You can then use this script as your default browser.

Your script to get firefox to be your default browser but allow you to click on a link from an email and open up in a new windows/tab without the Profife box starting works great.

Do you have anything similiar to this for Thurnderbird? The same problem exists when Thunderbird is already open and you click on a "mailto" link from a web page (for example).

If you don't want to use this wonderful script, the another method to get Firefox to show up in the PreferredApplications=>WebBroswer menu is to create a link to your firefox script in /usr/bin

For thunderbird I have this script:

#!/bin/sh
/XXX/thunderbird/thunderbird -remote 'xfeDoCommand (openInbox)' || /XXX/thunderbird/thunderbird -mail &

Note that in the Preferred Applications dialog you'll have to put in the path to the above script followed by %s, for example:
/usr/local/bin/thunderbird-remote.sh %s
This will assure that the To: line is prepopulated with the target of the mailto:

P.S. For some reason, though, when Firebird is not already open and I click on a link in Thunderbird, it doesn't open. If Firebird is already open, a new window does open. I don't know why...