Patrick does ship a slackbuild script for Google Chrome in the /extra directory of your Slackware DVD. Just download the the Google Chrome software from Google and create a Slackware package using Patrick's script. That might be a pleasing alternative to FF. The new FF is working fine for me.

Easiest way would be with ruario's script http://www.panix.com/~ruari/latest-chrome

Actually, there's a "new" UI being deployed for the Aurora testers which looks like the pre-v29 UI that most of us liked.

Let's hope that this will hit stable and ESR soon

Marking this thread as solved since Pat has released 31.2. Thanks, Pat!

I haven't updated that link in a bit. The most recent variant is on Github https://gist.github.com/ruario/9672759

P.S. I only added auto-install, so if you don't need that, stick with what you have got.

Now that this thread is marked "Solved" I feel free to ask a fundamental question

Why is it necessary, or even preferred, to install or upgradepkg for Firefox given that once the initial version is installed, simply overwriting the install directory with new libraries is all that is required, afaik.

For quite a few years (and many more versions, both of Slack and Firefox) I have had 2 directories in "/usr/lib" - "/usr/lib/firefox" and "usr/lib/firefox-new". I simply download the version I want from mozilla's ftp site and, as root, unpack it in "firefox-new" for a first time run. Once I see all is well, I move it to "firefox". What's wrong in this or more preferable in "upgradepkg" ?

If that works for you, then that's right for you. I prefer to keep a working Slackware Packages Management System™.

Manually moving the files make the packages database /var/log/{packages,scripts,removed_packages,removed_scripts} nugatory.

If you use "upgradepkg" but are not satisfied with the new package, you can just reinstall the previous one, using "upgradepkg" again, but only if you have an up to date packages database, i.e. if you didn't manually replace files.

I've installed Chromium with AlienBob's slackbuild but thats the issue, the new firefox has the same messed up UI as chromium so all the buttons are all over the place. Looks like I can move most of the buttons around but the back/forward are stuck next to the address bar. I usually arrange most used on the left like the old version.

Now if I can just find a working version of Thunderbird.

Get the one from the patches directory: mozilla-thunderbird-24.8.1-x86_64-1_slack14.1.txt (or the 32-bit package from the other patches directory).

Here's the commands for 14.1 stable:
It's working just fine for me.

Hope this helps some.

I need one that works with lightning though. I updated to that version and it won't open unless I disable add ons. I need one prior that lightning works with.

Lightning works with Thunderbird v24.8.1, you just have to use the correct version for your OS:


Linux Lightning v2.6.6

Thunderbird 24.8.1 in Lightning's Versions List

Understood. If you use the Packages Management System, and I don't, naturally it matters that the logs regarding Firefox version is correct. Since I don't, it doesn't.

Here I am not quite so certain which is why I asked. This is why I have 2 directories for Firefox in "/usr/lib". The "/usr/lib/firefox" directory is not "upgraded" until I have tried "/usr/lib/firefox-new" for a week or so. If I'm unhappy with firefox-new, I simply go back to firefox. I am not certain that this is entirely safe but it has worked for a few years without a hitch until I made a stupid, lazy mistake hitting the "Upgrade Now" button on the Firefox popup. That just confirmed for me that manual is better, at least for me. I would like to know, if anyone does know, but it would seem that any important version data must be handled appropriately or any method of dropping back would have consequences.

The biggest problem I have is keeping track of which versions had an interface item that I prefer and exactly when Mozilla decided to drop it and go "new and improved". Those boys work too hard since it seems rare for 2 weeks to pass without a new version.

Just save the two or three most recent packages of Firefox (that's necessary because in the /patches directory of a Slackware mirror you'll find only the last one).

Let's assume you installed Firefox243.txz, upgraded to Firefox244.txz and want to go back to Firefox242.txz. Just do this:I have yet to find a simpler and safer way.

Also, there are a few things good to know about upgradepkg.

• It would more accurately be named replacepkg: when you write upgradepkg Firefox243.txz, it first installs the package Firefox243.txz, then remove the Firefox package that was previously installed, no matter if it was Firefox242 or Firefox245: in other words upgradepkg makes absolutely no assumption about which package is newer, based on their versions or anything else. Choosing which package to install and which package to remove is the admin's job, to upgradepkg's job.
• Though this be obviously not recommended, upgradepkg can even replace a package with something completely different. For instance, provided that Seamonkey be installed and Firefox243 not yet installed, this:
  Code:

  upgradepkg Seamonkey%Firefox243.txz

  will install Firefox243 then uninstall whatever version of Seamonkey was installed.
• When uninstalling the "previous" package, upgradepkg takes care of removing only the files of that package that are not also shipped in another (installed) package, and that were not modified since the installation of the to_be_removed package. It also warns about files and directories that it can't remove because they were already deleted, and directories that it won't remove because they contain new files (coming from another package installed later, or put there manually, for instance).

PS Here is the reason why upgradepkg lasted since 15 years with just a few enhancements during that time: it works™

1 members found this post helpful.

How does one use ruario's script so that once the FF is installed it also uses the system-wide flashplayer?

Okay, never mind. It built and uses the system flashplayer automatically.

Thanks very much, ruario, for your script.

To be precise and clear I am not in any way against upgradepkg when I must (or simply prefer to) deal with packages. I've been using Slackware for those 15 years and tested numerous distros and Slackware does it best for me. I like pkgtool et al.

However there are certain items that I want the freedom to not have to wait for a package and get the latest. When Firefox first began to support HTML5 comes to mind as a good example. I try to not assume that just because something works or looks safe that unseen cruft isn't gathering that will eventually cause problems. Forewarned is forearmed.

I suppose I won't get a solid, definitive "Yes, no problems likely" or "No! You're slowly constructing a disaster" and will just not "fix it" until and unless it breaks. It's been fine since Firefox 10.