I'm relatively new to Linux ( ) so please go easy on me. Anyhow, I installed Firefox (to /usr/local/bin, because that seemed like the right place, but in all the threads I've read it seems like no one ever installs it there ... man I miss the simplicity of c:/program files/) on my Mandrake 10.1 system. I use KDE as my window manager, and using its control panel I set the default program for html files to be firefox. However, whenever I try to open a link from Kontact or Kopete, something strange happens. Instead of opening the URL, Firefox opens a cached version of the link, from file:///var/tmp/kdecache-myusername. My best guess is that KDE is going to the URL, saving the file there in this temp place, and then launching Firefox on that file instead of on the original URL. Does anyone have any clue what I did wrong, and how I can fix it so that when I click an external link, Firefox just opens that link?

Also, and I dunno if this is relevant or not, I noticed that when I click such a link with Firefox already open, Firefox opens it in a new tab inside the existing app (which it is supposed to do since I set it that way), but it also starts another instance of Firefox, that just sits in the system bar with the hourglass icon and the words "Starting firefox". The extra instance goes away eventually, but I figured that if everything was working properly the extra instance would never appear in the first place.

Shameless bump, please help.

wish I could help.
I think I know less about linux than you.
Seems a bit tough at times with the langauge barrier (I'm used to XP philosophy). I've embraced Linux, but its a struggle. I think a worthy one.

I'm using fedora core and when launched from thunderbird, mozilla launches instead of firefox. I set firefox to check that it's the default, which it does but doesnt appear to succeed in taking that position.

I don't know if this was the place to really write this, but anyway you didn't have any replies so I thought I'd just add this here.

-----------------------
"long live the open source revolution."- a thought
"If I was an american I might say, "thunderbird & firefox kick MS butt!!" - another thought

i forgot to say that I installed both t and f into my home directory. that seemed to be the best place at the time.

may be we could turn this into a "lost with linux" thread?

1.

1. People install firefox in /usr/lib/firefox or /usr/local/lib/firefox, because firefox has a lot of files and directories.

/usr/bin and /usr/local/bin/ are in your path and u can have access to those files from everywhere, but it is best to have only executables or liks to executables in there.

probably the best way is to install fierefox in /usr/lib/firefox or /usr/local/lib/firefox and then make a soft-link (ln -s <the executable name> <the link name>) of firefox's executable in /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin/.
if you install firefox under /usr/local/bin/firefox, then you have to add this to your path variable.
on the other hand if u install firefox under /usr/local/bin, you will have to find manually every single file and direcrory of firefox and delete it when you want to remove the program, instead of just doing rm -fr /usr/lib/firefox.

For Thunderbird to open Firefox by default, you need to set the option in Thunderbird, not just KDE. Thunderbird calls programs directly; it doesn't ask the system what the preferred program is.

I also installed Firefox and Thurnderbird in /home/myusername, as that seems to give me less trouble than in /usr/local/firefox or something else. I don't know why that is, but it does for some reason.


As for "the simplicity of c:/program files/" (i.e., C:\Program Files\), you will find that with experience, things will make sense in Linux (you already are used to Linux enough that you put the windows path in all lowercase letters with forward slashes. You're most of the way there, already!). I mean "dev" for device, "media" for media, "bin" for binaries, "tmp" for temporary files, "usr" and "opt" for programs, "home" for home, and "etc" for etc. aren't any harder to remember than "Program Files," "Windows," "MSOffice," "I386," etc. Plus the "/home/username" is easier to rembember than "C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents", and I find the "/media/cdrecorder" and "/media/cdrom" easier to remember than which CD drive is E:\ and which is F:\. So don't worry, you'll catch on quickly. Linux is no less intuitive than Windows, it's just that most people have used Windows for a long time before they switch.

Go to configure my desktop, click on compontent, then flie associations. Select test > html > firefox > edit. Select the application tab. Make sure it reads:

mozilla-firefox -remote 'openURL(%u,new-tab)'

It may be just firefox or some other variation there of. The imporatant part is the -remote 'openURL(%u,new-tab)'
Jeremy

Thank you, thank you, thank you jerm1701. I knew it was something stupidly simple like that, but I didn't know what, and so I've been having to copy/paste every URL from every other application. However after adding the option you mentioned (and for future s like myself reading this it is in "teXt > html > firefox > edit") everything works perfectly. Now if only I could get a similiar fix for my other Linux problem I would be set ... .

The trouble with this is it will NOT automatically start Firefox.

I use this script with no problems so far ( been using it for a whole hour). Install notes are at the bottom.

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Start Firefox

FIREFOX="/usr/local/bin/firefox-installer/firefox"
URL=${1:-'about:blank'}

if [ -x $FIREFOX ]; then
# FIREFOX Already running?
$FIREFOX -a firefox -remote "ping()" &> /dev/null
if [[ "$?" == "2" ]]; then
# NO: Open with this URL
$FIREFOX -a firefox $URL &> /dev/null
exit
else
# YES: Open this URL as a new tab
$FIREFOX -a firefox -remote "openurl($URL,new-tab)" &> /dev/null
exit
fi
fi
exit

# Firefox1.0: Download and install into /usr/local/bin
# goFirefox: Place this script as /usr/local/bin/goFirefox and make executable
# KDE: Menu
# Name: Browser (goFirefox)
# Command: /usr/local/bin/goFirefox
# KDE: File Associations: html > Add
# General: Browser (goFirefox)
# Permissions: Can Read and Is Executable
# Application:
# Name: Browser (goFirefox)
# Command: /usr/local/bin/goFirefox %u

# You should be able to, from a terminal, do
# goFirefox http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/ &
# goFirefox http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/
# and have 2 faq tabs

# This seems to work OK for all flavours of html, eg:
# http://www.freakyfreddies.com/Crestor.html
# http://enews.buy.com/cgi-bin5/DM/y/e...oo0E810Biov0Gj
# The above were clicked from Kontact > KMail messages

# The script's exit(s) are not required ...
# ... I was trying to exit quickly so the command doesn't hang around for a while.
# ... The hanging around maybe because of the ping() command?
# ... But, the http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/ does NOT do the hanging around!

Cant figure this one out myself:

Trying to make firefox the prefered browswer-

Go to Configuration>KDE>Components>File Associations>text>html.

If I make any change (changing the application preference order, adding a new browser, changing the command line for an application), it hangs after I press OK at the bottom of the dialog box. Have to click the "X" at the upper right of the box to close out rudely and nothing is recorded.

Could it be a permission issue?

Would appreciate any thoughts!!

I went into my gnome control panel, advanced, preferred applications and selected "custom web browser". I then added the following to get the url's to open: /usr/bin/mozilla-firefox "%s"

With KDE 3.3.2, you can set the default browser, which makes http: out of kmail work just the way it should.

* put the goFireFox script as /usr/bin/goFireFox and make it executable!

KDE Control Center
-> KDE Components
--> Component Chooser
---> Web Browser[*] in the following browser = [ /usr/bin/goFireFox ]

I don't have a browser option in my compenents section. I have e-mail, terminal and editor, no browser.

firefox startup script is in /usr/bin/

How do I get it in there??

Jeremy

Darn ...
OK, I think your problem is that you're NOT running KDE 3.3.2, maybe.
I just re-installed everything so I'm now running a MEPIS distro (great distro if you're DEBIAN and KDE biased) with the latest UPGRADEs. KDE Control Center options I didn't have before (under Mandrake and Fedora) are now there.