Ubuntu newbie needs help

[wavinwayne]

Dead easy question for you Ubuntu gurus. I want to install Firefox 4 beta7 in Ubuntu 10.10 desktop. I have downloaded the "firefox-4.0b7.tar.bz2" file, and when I click it, it wants to extract all the files. What is the proper destination folder to extract the files, so that Firefox beta will show up in my applications list?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SZR48207]

Is the package specific for ubuntu? I ask because ideally you want somethin with an installer to do this for you. If there is an install.sh or setup.sh file in the extract then run that in a console using "sudo ./(name of .sh file including extension).

If all you have is a generic package then you would first run the firefox binary and then create a shortcut to the binary file and drop it into your menu.

 

[wavinwayne]

The pic below shows the contents of the Linux-specific package that I downloaded. I am not comfortable using the terminal. Can the install be done without using the terminal?

 

[ABerns]

Actually, if you can trust yourself to just open up a terminal and type in commands that are given to you explicitly, you can try this webpage:

http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-install-firefox-4-0-beta-using-ubuntu-ppa.html#more-7065

Takes care of all that stuff for you. Really, in most Linux distros, there's no need to have to install "by hand".

 

[SZR48207]

You'd run the "run-mozilla.sh" file to start up the application. If you right click on the file in Ubuntu, you can probably select "Run" or "Run in Terminal", both of which would accomplish the same thing.

Keep in mind that if you are cautious about your first time in Ubuntu, you can't really do a whole lot to mess things up without invoking "Super User" aka "sudo" or "su" commands. You should be able to run applications just as your normal user login, and you won't be causing detrimental impact on system files.

Funny how Windows is finally heading in this direction with their user access controls, but Linux has had this down for years or decades.

 

[simple_gifts]

I downloaded this and actually the ./run-mozilla doesn't work.


You have to run ./firefox (with no other FF currently running)

Not to discourage WW, but trying to install software this way is problematic for new users, since it involves several new topics that are difficult to explain without the benefit of the spoken work.

Since you downloaded as a regular user and extracted it in your own home area, you are primarily the only one who can run it; installing software for use by ALL users is another animal. (what Reddy45 said)

 

[wavinwayne]

Thanks guys. I gave up on my effort to install the FF beta. For the sake of my sanity, I've decided to stick with software that I can download from within the Ubuntu Software Center.