Yes, though I often add a new .desktop file with a different name to the same directory, to try out my changes. --dave On 11/16/24 10:43, Steve Petrie via talk wrote:
*Greetings To GTALUG Members,*
I boot debian 11 live from a USB memory stick.
The bootable USB stick was created using a command like this:
*sudo dd if=/.../debian-live-11.5.0-amd64--gnome+nonfree.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M conv=fdatasync status=progress*
* * * * * *
When I left-click Activities at the top left-hand corner of the Gnome desktop, the column of favorite app icons appears, including a Firefox icon. When I right-click the Firefox icon, a block with clickable selections appears beside the Firefox icon, including *New Window*.
Currently, the Firefox icon's *New Window* selection launches *Firefox 91.13.0esr (64-bit)*. I assume that this Firefox version comes from the bootable debian 11 live usb memory stick.
Recently on startup, this *Firefox 91.13.0esr (64-bit)* has been displaying Mozilla notices about the *coming obsolescence of this Firefox version*. Mozilla provides a Firefox *apt* repository, so I dutifully installed the current Firefox *.deb* using instructions on this web page:
The Mozilla Firefox *.deb* installation went fine and a second Firefox icon appeared on the Gnome favorites menu. The new Firefox launched OK.
*Unfortunately, as I have experienced with other .deb installations, when I re-booted debian 11 live from the USB stick, the new Firefox had disappeared. I install so few .deb apps that my workaround for this disappearing-app issue has been simply to re-install the disappeared app as necessary.*
However, the installation process for the Firefox *.deb* is *quite lengthy, and I am always using Firefox, so I do not wish to have to do a Firefox .deb re-install* from the Mozilla apt repository, every time I re-boot debian 11 from the USB stick.
* * * * * *
Next, I downloaded Mozilla's *firefox-128.4.0esr.tar.bz2* and used the Archive Manager to extract the Firefox app. I can start this version of Firefox by right-clicking on the *firefox* file in the iinstallation's top *firefox* directory, and selecting *Run*. The new Firefox starts and when I display the *Help > About Firefox* window, I see confirmation that *Firefox is up to date* and *128.4.0esr (64-bit*).
So, I now have installed a current version of Firefox ESR that runs fine and does not disappear with every debian 11 live re-boot from the USB stick.
* * * * * *
If I left-click Activities, and type firefox into the search field that appears under the date/time at the top of the desktop, Gnome displays the icon for the old *Firefox 91.13.0esr*.
When I execute a *which firefox* command and then invoke that firefox at a command prompt, the old *Firefox 91.13.0esr* starts. *...* *user@debian:~$ which firefox* */usr/bin/firefox* *user@debian:~$ /usr/bin/firefox* *...*
* * * * * *
In directory*/usr/share/applications* there is a file *firefox-esr.desktop*
In this file is a line:
*Exec=/usr/lib/firefox-esr/firefox-esr %u*
My knowledge of how the Gnome applications business works is so sketchy, that paranoia prevents me from messing with this *firefox-esr.desktop* file to change the *Exec=* line to point to the new *firefox-128.4.0esr* *firefox* file that I can start by a *right-click > Run*.
* * * * * *
My question for GTALUG members is: *how can I safely manually* add *a new icon to the Gnome favorites column*, for the new Firefox I installed by extracting *firefox-128.4.0esr.tar.bz2* into a directory *??*
*Steve Petrie*
Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario, Canada
apetrie@aspetrie.net 416-233-6116
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