Turns out my using a USB memory stick to boot debian 11 live, means any file (e.g. a .desktop file) I add to /usr/share/applications disappears upon the next boot from the USB stick. Seems that a live linux loads entirely into RAM, so updates made to it are all lost with a boot. No persistence.. Various web pages talk about implementing a live linux with persistence, but they are way to complicated for me. So, looks like I'm stuck with starting the firefox-128.4.0esr with a right-click > Run. Eventually I'll switch to a more current debian live version which hopefully will have an up to date firefox that is assured to run well into the future. Steve Petrie -------- Original Message -------- SUBJECT: Re: [GTALUG] Debian 11 Live Booted From USB Stick -- Gnome Desktop -- How To Manually Add a Favorites Icon ?? DATE: 2024-11-17 08:04 FROM: David Collier-Brown via talk <talk@gtalug.org> TO: talk@gtalug.org 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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-- David Collier-Brown, | Always do right. This will gratify System Programmer and Author | some people and astonish the rest davecb@spamcop.net | -- Mark Twain --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk