Does anyone use waterfox?

If so, where did you put it, and how?

I tried to install it in $HOME/bin but to launch it I have
to use a terminal window and the command $HOME/waterfox/waterfox.

Cheers!

jim b.

--
UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely
expects users to be computer friendly.

On Tue, 05 Oct 2021 17:34:20 -0400, Jim <jim.beard@verizon.net> wrote:
> Does anyone use waterfox?
> If so, where did you put it, and how?
> I tried to install it in $HOME/bin but to launch it I have
> to use a terminal window and the command $HOME/waterfox/waterfox.

I downloaded and extracted the tar.bz2 file. It does not contain a .desktop file,
so the easiest way is to create your own.

Assuming plasma, though other desktop environments use similar methods:

To add it to the desktop, right click on the desktop, move the mouse down to the
"Create New" line, move the mouse over to the menu that line expands to, and select
the last line, "Link to application". Change the name from "Link to Application"
to "Waterfox" (or whatever you want). Click on the icon and select "Other icons".
Click on Browse and navigate to the waterfox download location, directory ...
"waterfox/browser/chrome/icons/default" and select the default16.png (or larger if
preferred) file. Click on the Application tab. Change the Name to Waterfox, and
enter the command (including the path), for example "~/Downloads/waterfox/waterfox".
Click on the OK button at the bottom.

Then click (or double click depending on your settings) on the desktop icon to run it.

Creating a new menu entry starts with right clicking on the menu icon, selecting
"New item", selecting where you want it in the menu, and entering a name. Add the
full path/command there, and use the same procedure as above for selecting the
icon.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

--
Change dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org to davidwhodgins@teksavvy.com for
email replies.

On Tue, 5 Oct 2021 21:34:20 -0000 (UTC), Jim wrote:
>
> Does anyone use waterfox?
>
> If so, where did you put it, and how?
>
> I tried to install it in $HOME/bin but to launch it I have
> to use a terminal window and the command $HOME/waterfox/waterfox.

I hope $HOME/bin is in your PATH variable.
echo $PATH
to check.

if so, you may need a link in $HOME/bin

ln -sf $HOME/waterfox/waterfox $HOME/bin

I do the same kind thing for firefox.

]$ type -a firefox
firefox is /usr/local/bin/firefox
firefox is /usr/bin/firefox
firefox is /bin/firefox

$ ll /usr/local/bin/firefox
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 31 Oct 6 16:51 /usr/local/bin/firefox -> /local/opt/firefox-93.0/firefox

$ echo $PATH
/home/bittwister/local/work:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/lib64/qt5/bin:/usr/lib64/qt4/bin:/local/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games:/home/bittwister/local/bin:/local/bin

On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 23:49:55 -0500, Bit Twister wrote:

> On Tue, 5 Oct 2021 21:34:20 -0000 (UTC), Jim wrote:
>>
>> Does anyone use waterfox?
>>
>> If so, where did you put it, and how?
>>
>> I tried to install it in $HOME/bin but to launch it I have to use a
>> terminal window and the command $HOME/waterfox/waterfox.
>
> I hope $HOME/bin is in your PATH variable.
> echo $PATH
> to check.

It is and was.

> if so, you may need a link in $HOME/bin
>
> ln -sf $HOME/waterfox/waterfox $HOME/bin

This presented a problem, in that it resulted in a directory waterfox
and an executable waterfox both in $HOME/bin. Waterfox installed
with two identical executables waterfox and waterfox-bin, so I tried
linking waterfox-bin in $HOME/bin/waterfox to waterfox-bin in $HOME/bin
but still no joy, using either command.
>
> I do the same kind thing for firefox.
>
> ]$ type -a firefox firefox is /usr/local/bin/firefox firefox is
> /usr/bin/firefox firefox is /bin/firefox
>
> $ ll /usr/local/bin/firefox lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 31 Oct 6 16:51
> /usr/local/bin/firefox -> /local/opt/firefox-93.0/firefox
>
> $ echo $PATH
> /home/bittwister/local/work:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/
bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/lib64/qt5/bin:/usr/lib64/qt4/bin:/local/bin:/usr/
local/games:/usr/games:/home/bittwister/local/bin:/local/bin

Eventually I created /usr/local/bin, moved the downloaded tar.bz2 file
there, removed all waterfox files elsewhere, and installed waterfox
in /usr/local/bin. Then, I copied /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
to /usr/share/applications/waterfox.desktop and tinkered with the
internals of that, deleting things I thought were unneeded and modifying
opera to waterfox wherever it appeared.

Finally, I added /usr/local/bin/waterfox/ to my PATH, linked
/usr/local/bin/waterfox/waterfox-bin to /usr/local/bin/waterfox-bin
(not sure this was needed), and which waterfox finds the executable.

Now I need to log out of the desktop, log out, log in, load the gnome
desktop and see if it works.

Cheers!

jim b.

--
UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely
expects users to be computer friendly.

On 8/10/21 02:03, Jim wrote:
> On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 23:49:55 -0500, Bit Twister wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 5 Oct 2021 21:34:20 -0000 (UTC), Jim wrote:
>>>
>>> Does anyone use waterfox?
>>>
>>> If so, where did you put it, and how?
>>>
>>> I tried to install it in $HOME/bin but to launch it I have to use a
>>> terminal window and the command $HOME/waterfox/waterfox.
>>
>> I hope $HOME/bin is in your PATH variable.
>> echo $PATH
>> to check.
>
> It is and was.
>
>> if so, you may need a link in $HOME/bin
>>
>> ln -sf $HOME/waterfox/waterfox $HOME/bin
>
> This presented a problem, in that it resulted in a directory waterfox
> and an executable waterfox both in $HOME/bin. Waterfox installed
> with two identical executables waterfox and waterfox-bin, so I tried
> linking waterfox-bin in $HOME/bin/waterfox to waterfox-bin in $HOME/bin
> but still no joy, using either command.
>>
>> I do the same kind thing for firefox.
>>
>> ]$ type -a firefox firefox is /usr/local/bin/firefox firefox is
>> /usr/bin/firefox firefox is /bin/firefox
>>
>> $ ll /usr/local/bin/firefox lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 31 Oct 6 16:51
>> /usr/local/bin/firefox -> /local/opt/firefox-93.0/firefox
>>
>> $ echo $PATH
>> /home/bittwister/local/work:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/
> bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/lib64/qt5/bin:/usr/lib64/qt4/bin:/local/bin:/usr/
> local/games:/usr/games:/home/bittwister/local/bin:/local/bin
>
> Eventually I created /usr/local/bin, moved the downloaded tar.bz2 file
> there, removed all waterfox files elsewhere, and installed waterfox
> in /usr/local/bin. Then, I copied /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
> to /usr/share/applications/waterfox.desktop and tinkered with the
> internals of that, deleting things I thought were unneeded and modifying
> opera to waterfox wherever it appeared.
>
> Finally, I added /usr/local/bin/waterfox/ to my PATH, linked
> /usr/local/bin/waterfox/waterfox-bin to /usr/local/bin/waterfox-bin
> (not sure this was needed), and which waterfox finds the executable.
>
> Now I need to log out of the desktop, log out, log in, load the gnome
> desktop and see if it works.
>
> Cheers!
>
> jim b.
>
>
I have Pale Moon installed the same way. Firefox installs under
/usr/lib64, so I installed Pale Moon under /usr/local/lib64. The
executable is there, symlinked to one in a directory in your PATH. The
other consideration is updating. If the archive is not in a position
writable when running as user, you will need to switch temporarily to a
privileged user every time there is an update.

BTW, I think that all clones of Firefox have a *fox-bin file, but that
is not the one you should use to start it. There should be an
executable file called plain "waterfox"; that is the one to link to.

HTH,

Doug.

On Fri, 08 Oct 2021 04:07:44 +1100, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

> On 8/10/21 02:03, Jim wrote:
>> On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 23:49:55 -0500, Bit Twister wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 5 Oct 2021 21:34:20 -0000 (UTC), Jim wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Does anyone use waterfox?
>>>>
>>>> If so, where did you put it, and how?
>>>>
>>>> I tried to install it in $HOME/bin but to launch it I have to use a
>>>> terminal window and the command $HOME/waterfox/waterfox.
>>>
>>> I hope $HOME/bin is in your PATH variable.
>>> echo $PATH
>>> to check.
>>
>> It is and was.
>>
>>> if so, you may need a link in $HOME/bin
>>>
>>> ln -sf $HOME/waterfox/waterfox $HOME/bin
>>
>> This presented a problem, in that it resulted in a directory waterfox
>> and an executable waterfox both in $HOME/bin. Waterfox installed with
>> two identical executables waterfox and waterfox-bin, so I tried linking
>> waterfox-bin in $HOME/bin/waterfox to waterfox-bin in $HOME/bin but
>> still no joy, using either command.
>>>
>>> I do the same kind thing for firefox.
>>>
>>> ]$ type -a firefox firefox is /usr/local/bin/firefox firefox is
>>> /usr/bin/firefox firefox is /bin/firefox
>>>
>>> $ ll /usr/local/bin/firefox lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 31 Oct 6 16:51
>>> /usr/local/bin/firefox -> /local/opt/firefox-93.0/firefox
>>>
>>> $ echo $PATH
>>> /home/bittwister/local/work:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/
local/
>> bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/lib64/qt5/bin:/usr/lib64/qt4/bin:/local/bin:/
usr/
>> local/games:/usr/games:/home/bittwister/local/bin:/local/bin
>>
>> Eventually I created /usr/local/bin, moved the downloaded tar.bz2 file
>> there, removed all waterfox files elsewhere, and installed waterfox in
>> /usr/local/bin. Then, I copied /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
>> to /usr/share/applications/waterfox.desktop and tinkered with the
>> internals of that, deleting things I thought were unneeded and
>> modifying opera to waterfox wherever it appeared.
>>
>> Finally, I added /usr/local/bin/waterfox/ to my PATH, linked
>> /usr/local/bin/waterfox/waterfox-bin to /usr/local/bin/waterfox-bin
>> (not sure this was needed), and which waterfox finds the executable.
>>
>> Now I need to log out of the desktop, log out, log in, load the gnome
>> desktop and see if it works.
>>
>> Cheers!
>>
>> jim b.
>>
>>
> I have Pale Moon installed the same way. Firefox installs under
> /usr/lib64, so I installed Pale Moon under /usr/local/lib64. The
> executable is there, symlinked to one in a directory in your PATH. The
> other consideration is updating. If the archive is not in a position
> writable when running as user, you will need to switch temporarily to a
> privileged user every time there is an update.

Thanks for that information, particularly on updating.

> BTW, I think that all clones of Firefox have a *fox-bin file, but that
> is not the one you should use to start it. There should be an
> executable file called plain "waterfox"; that is the one to link to.

Firefox itself has a firefox and a firefox-bin that was created
immediately after firefox was created and is 8 bytes longer. The
inode number for firefox-bin is 1 higher.

Waterfox has a waterfox and a waterfox-bin that are exactly the same
(according to diff water* in their directory) but ls -li tells me
waterfox-bin was created first and the inode number for waterfox is 6
higher.

Cheers!

jim b.

--
UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely
expects users to be computer friendly.

On 05/10/2021 23:34, Jim wrote:
>
> Does anyone use waterfox?
>
> If so, where did you put it, and how?
>
> I tried to install it in $HOME/bin but to launch it I have
> to use a terminal window and the command $HOME/waterfox/waterfox.
>
> Cheers!
>
> jim b.
>
I use it as an *.appimage located on a NAS on my Ubuntu installation.
It still works but firefox is my favourite.
And it want's me to update and doesn't propose an appimage version.