Update Firefox 3.5

Okay I have been using Firefox 3.5 now for a couple of days now and I like what I see. It is snappy and has fast page loads while using Linux and a 54g wireless connection. Two of the three extensions that had reported as not compatible have updated. If you are new to Firefox or want to learn some new tricks, check out the tips and tricks page from Mozilla. There are tips for newbies to advanced users. I really like the built-in site checker. In my opinion this is a better implementation for checking websites than Microsoft's phishing filter. How many times have you closed a tab on accident? I know I do it all the time. With 3.5 you no longer have to go into your history list to re-open the site. Simply use the control + shift + t keys and the last closed tab re-opens. There are more new features than I have had time to try. Check out the tips page an see which ones you will like and use.

Update Firefox 3.5 Install To Linux

I was right about one thing and that is someone would publish what we need to get Firefox running in some Linux distro. Lifehacker comes to the rescue and pointed me to a blog, Kabatology, I would have probably never found. I will have to explore this site more fully as it looks to be rich in content. I am using Firefox 3.5 right now from the download I made the other day. I tried then to run Firefox using the ~/firefox/firefox command, but it failed each time in Mepis. In AntiX after navigating to the /home/firefox directory, I just double-clicked on the shell script file firefox and I now had Firefox running. Kabatology mentions the same command but also gave alternatives to starting Firefox in Ubuntu. One of which was double-clicking the firefox script file. Their tip was for Ubuntu and since Ubuntu is Debian based, as is Mepis and AntiX, I knew it would work for me too. I didn't have to run the wget command since I had previously downloaded Firefox. So many thanks to the Lifehacker team for finding the tip and thanks to Kabatology for sharing their knowledge.

Linux Distros Lagging In Package Updates For Firefox 3.5

I must say that I'm quite disappointed that I haven't been able to update to Firefox 3.5 in Mepis or Fedora. I've been touting the flag for these distros pretty high and I really thought I would at least see the Fedora 3.5 beta have an update available. But I ran apt-get update on Mepis and no new Firefox. Tried a yum update for Fedora and the same results. If I tried for just the package I would get no package available nothing to do. This was very frustrating since I know the Linux version is on Mozilla's website ready to go. In their support pages Mozilla does mention that the various distros do control the version upgrades for Firefox. Even the update now feature is locked out. I even checked the about:config file and it was locked there as well. I downloaded the Linux version but I can't do anything with it. I haven't given up. My guess is others are having the same trials and soon a Google search will turn up the methods. For now I rant and tomorrow I will test it out on Windows XP. I haven't had the time to even test drive it in Windows. Anyone using 3.5 now? What do you like about the new release? Did they leave out something you want?

Firefox 3.5 Announcing Release

According to PCMag.com article Mozilla has officially announced the release of Firefox 3.5 for Tuesday June 30th. I know I have been waiting for this release and I plan on being in that number of expected 1 billion cumulative downloads. Features to look for are a Private Browsing Mode, Trace Monkey defined as a new Javascript engine, Location Awareness and support for more locales and HTTP 5. See the Mozilla website for more details on the upcoming features. I have been using this browser in Fedora 11 and I like it a lot. It is very snappy and more responsive than previous versions. I am looking forward to this becoming a full release product. This will give MS a run for their money in the browser arena. Firefox is leading the path for customization and allowing the user to personalize their browsing experience via extensions and better support for add-ons. Its availability for other platforms is a big plus too.

Linux is a Lifestyle

With every passing week I grow more and more accustomed to Linux. I am on Fedora 11 as I write, (surprise) and I have been playing online Poker using Wine with PokerStars software in AntiX most of the night. Now that should surprise you, playing online poker with Windows software, running Fluxbox on top of AntiX. With this said it should be very apparent I am moving towards using Linux more often and Windows less. I am adopting the Linux Lifestyle. Free software and lots of choices for all my hardware. You can't get that with Windows or OSX. This laptop is six years old and Linux has breathed new life into it. I still run XP on this machine but run Ubuntu and Fedora more than ever. I can find just about all of my needs in the repositories for at least one of these and apps I would never have run if I had to pay big bucks for them. Linux has spawned a renewed interest in learning again. Such as downlading a new OS and getting it to work on a laptop that is running a P3 processor. It simply feels good. The same feeling those of us had when configuring dip switches on a 2400 baud modem and then being able to connect to your local BBS. (If you don't know what BBS is head to Wikipedia and search Bulletin Board Systems) In my most humble opinion I believe that the majority of Linux users are folks that don't mind going under the hood. They don't always have the answer to everything but are willing to try, willing to learn and best of all willing to share. For me in a nutshell, that is the Linux Lifestyle and I'm glad to be a part of it.

Ubuntu Speedtest Comparison

I ran the speedtest from Speedtest.net using Ubuntu 9.04. The results do not stack up as well as Fedora 11. I was hoping for a better result since the network is fairly quiet at this time of the night. But this is comparable to tests done under Ubuntu 8.10 which was slightly better. Ubuntu gets the driver correct and the wireless works well but it is definitely not as good as Fedora. Using Ubuntu 8.10 on the same hardware was definitely smoother but still not as fast as Fedora 11. In this version web browsing will be just fine and then it just quits for several seconds. I never have this issue n this hardware in Fedora or Windows XP. I am updating this version right now and will re-boot and test again.



After new Linux (2.6.28-13-generic) headers installed the new test was only slightly better. Definitely not what I had hoped for.

Adding Multimedia Support To Fedora 11

This is where getting to know your command line and loving every minute of it pays off. I'm learning and so can you. First open terminal and enter these commands:

[Johnny@localhost ~]$ su

[root@localhost liveuser]# rpm -Uvh http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/epel/5/i386/epel-release-5-3.noarch.rpm
Retrieving http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/epel/5/i386/epel-release-5-3.noarch.rpm
warning: /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.T59gcP: Header V3 DSA signature: NOKEY, key ID 217521f6
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
1:epel-release ########################################### [100%]
[root@localhost liveuser]# yum install foo
Loaded plugins: refresh-packagekit
adobe-linux-i386 | 951 B 00:00
adobe-linux-i386/primary | 11 kB 00:00
adobe-linux-i386 17/17
epel | 2.1 kB 00:00
epel/primary_db | 2.4 MB 00:25
fedora/metalink | 12 kB 00:00
fedora | 3.8 kB 00:00
fedora/primary_db | 8.4 MB 00:30
updates/metalink | 12 kB 00:00
updates | 4.0 kB 00:00
updates/primary_db | 974 kB 00:02
Setting up Install Process
No package foo available.
Nothing to do
[root@localhost liveuser]# rpm -Uhv http://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-rawhide.noarch.rpm http://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-rawhide.noarch.rpm
Retrieving http://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-rawhide.noarch.rpm
Retrieving http://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-rawhide.noarch.rpm
warning: /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.bi9F37: Header V3 RSA/SHA256 signature: NOKEY, key ID 16ca1a56
warning: /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.QQMxvE: Header V3 RSA/SHA256 signature: NOKEY, key ID a3a882c1
error: Failed dependencies:
system-release >= 11.90 is needed by rpmfusion-free-release-11.90-1.noarch
system-release >= 11.90 is needed by rpmfusion-nonfree-release-11.90-1.noarch
[root@localhost liveuser]# rpm -Uvh http://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/el/updates/testing/5/i386/rpmfusion-free-release-5-0.1.noarch.rpm http://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/el/updates/testing/5/i386/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-5-0.1.noarch.rpm
Retrieving http://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/el/updates/testing/5/i386/rpmfusion-free-release-5-0.1.noarch.rpm
Retrieving http://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/el/updates/testing/5/i386/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-5-0.1.noarch.rpm

(snipped due to length)

1:rpmfusion-free-release ########################################### [ 50%]
2:rpmfusion-nonfree-relea########################################### [100%]
[root@localhost liveuser]# yum list | grep rpmfusion-free
rpmfusion-free-release.noarch 5-0.1 installed
DVDRipOMatic.noarch 0.95-5.el5 rpmfusion-free-updates-testing
a52dec.i386 0.7.4-13.el5 rpmfusion-free-updates-testing
a52dec-devel.i386 0.7.4-13.el5 rpmfusion-free-updates-testing

(snipped due to length)

xvidcore-devel.i386 1.1.3-4.el5 rpmfusion-free-updates-testing

[root@localhost liveuser]# yum install gstreamer-plugins-ugly gstreamer-plugins-bad gstreamer-ffmpeg
Loaded plugins: refresh-packagekit
Setting up Install Process
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package gstreamer-ffmpeg.i386 0:0.10.5-1.el5 set to be updated
--> Processing Dependency: libavformat.so.52 for package: gstreamer-ffmpeg
--> Processing Dependency: libavutil.so.49 for package: gstreamer-ffmpeg
--> Processing Dependency: libpostproc.so.51 for package: gstreamer-ffmpeg
--> Processing Dependency: libavcodec.so.51 for package: gstreamer-ffmpeg
---> Package gstreamer-plugins-bad.i386 0:0.10.8-4.el5.1 set to be updated
--> Processing Dependency: libfusion-1.0.so.0 for package: gstreamer-plugins-bad
--> Processing Dependency: libcdaudio.so.1 for package: gstreamer-plugins-bad

(snipped due to length)

--> Running transaction check
---> Package a52dec.i386 0:0.7.4-13.el5 set to be updated
---> Package dirac-libs.i586 0:1.0.2-2.fc11 set to be updated
---> Package directfb.i386 0:1.0.0-0.1.rc3.el5 set to be updated
---> Package faac.i386 0:1.28-1.el5 set to be updated
--> Processing Dependency: libmp4v2.so.0 for package: faac
---> Package faad2-libs.i386 1:2.6.1-5.el5 set to be updated
---> Package ffmpeg-libs.i386 0:0.4.9-0.52.20080908.el5 set to be updated
--> Processing Dependency: libImlib2.so.1 for package: ffmpeg-libs
---> Package gstreamer-plugins-ugly.i386 0:0.10.9-2.el5.1 set to be updated
--> Processing Dependency: libcdio.so.7 for package: gstreamer-plugins-ugly
--> Processing Dependency: libcdio.so.7(CDIO_7) for package: gstreamer-plugins-ugly
---> Package lame-libs.i386 0:3.97-7.el5 set to be updated

(snipped due to length)

---> Package libmpeg2.i386 0:0.5.1-3.el5 set to be updated
---> Package libofa.i586 0:0.9.3-15.fc11 set to be updated
--> Processing Dependency: libfftw3.so.3 for package: libofa
---> Package libsysfs.i586 0:2.1.0-5.fc11 set to be updated
---> Package mjpegtools-libs.i386 0:1.9.0-0.6.rc3.el5 set to be updated
--> Processing Dependency: libquicktime >= 0.9.8 for package: mjpegtools-libs
--> Processing Dependency: libquicktime.so.0 for package: mjpegtools-libs
---> Package x264-libs.i386 0:0.0.0-0.15.20080613.el5 set to be updated
---> Package xvidcore.i386 0:1.1.3-4.el5 set to be updated
--> Running transaction check
---> Package fftw.i586 0:3.2.1-2.fc11 set to be updated
---> Package gstreamer-plugins-ugly.i386 0:0.10.9-2.el5.1 set to be updated

(snipped due to length)

Error: Missing Dependency: libcdio.so.7(CDIO_7) is needed by package gstreamer-plugins-ugly-0.10.9-2.el5.1.i386 (rpmfusion-free-updates-testing)
Error: Missing Dependency: libcdio.so.7 is needed by package gstreamer-plugins-ugly-0.10.9-2.el5.1.i386 (rpmfusion-free-updates-testing)
You could try using --skip-broken to work around the problem
You could try running: package-cleanup --problems
package-cleanup --dupes
rpm -Va --nofiles --nodigest

Since I was missing libcdio.so.7 I ran this next:

[root@localhost liveuser]# yum install libcdio.so.7
Loaded plugins: refresh-packagekit
Setting up Install Process
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package libcdio.i386 0:0.78.2-5.el5 set to be updated
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

=========================================================================================================
Package Arch Version Repository Size
=========================================================================================================
Installing:
libcdio i386 0.78.2-5.el5 epel 267 k

Transaction Summary
=========================================================================================================
Install 1 Package(s)
Update 0 Package(s)
Remove 0 Package(s)

Total download size: 267 k
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
libcdio-0.78.2-5.el5.i386.rpm | 267 kB 00:01
warning: rpmts_HdrFromFdno: Header V3 DSA signature: NOKEY, key ID 217521f6
epel/gpgkey | 1.7 kB 00:00
Importing GPG key 0x217521F6 "Fedora EPEL <epel@fedoraproject.org>" from /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-EPEL
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Running rpm_check_debug
ERROR with rpm_check_debug vs depsolve:
libcdio.so.10 is needed by (installed) gvfs-1.2.3-2.fc11.i586
libcdio.so.10(CDIO_10) is needed by (installed) gvfs-1.2.3-2.fc11.i586
Complete!

Since it ended in an error I decided to visit the rpmfusion website and follow the instructions there. Could not have been simpler. I re-added the repositories by clicking on two links and allowing the install. Next in terminal as su I ran almost the same commands as before:

rpm -Uvh http://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-stable.noarch.rpm http://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-stable.noarch.rpm

and finishing with:

[root@localhost liveuser]# yum install gstreamer-plugins-ugly gstreamer-plugins-bad gstreamer-ffmpeg

This time it finished without errors. I now have Mp3 support and a repository to install other multimedia codecs and applications. I have to pass thanks onto Techrepublic.com and poster Vincent Danen for the missing pieces to the puzzle. Here is the link to the post by Vincent Danen.