Portable Firefox

[vicmz]

Spanish locale

EDIT
xml attached as well

[darkcity]

I can confirm this works on Slacko 5.3.1

thank you ; -)

[rufwoof]

I can confirm this works on Slacko 5.3.1

thank you ; -)

+1

Working great (Slacko 5.3.3t) since I originally installed version 0.5 (I have downloads set to prompt for where to save). Its upgraded to later releases of Firefox several times since without any hitches.

Thanks shinobar - you're a star.

Moved across to puppy from XP around 9 months ago (as XP was nearing unsupported). Haven't booted Win since.
Fixed remastered frugal Thin Slacko, no savefile as its set how I like.
Portable firefox - updates to the latest versions and provides persistence across reboots.
Similar rox-app for libre, config changes preserved across reboots (transition from Excel to Libre Calc was a bit of a initial learning curve but now I'm as quick with Calc as I used to be with Excel).
All data (docs, spreadsheets etc.) stored outside of puppy space
Collectively that setup caters for 90%+ of my needs. Other 10% odd covered by dynamically loading SFS's as/when required.

[rufwoof]

I've been using this code to get the latest firefox from Mozilla (and create a SFS). Seems to be more reliable/consistent than how firefox-portable retrieves the download

Not sure who the original author was as they never put their name to it and I've long forgot from whence it came.

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
################################################################
#   Script to download and make a puppylinux style firefox.sfs
#
#   NOTICE: In puppylinux the squashfs hiaracy as seen from the
#           systems perspective is Savefile, pup_xxx.sfs(the system
#           pup), then loaded sfs files in their load order(?)
#
#           Because of this we can not replace the original soft links
#           in pup_xxx's /usr/[bin|lib] with our own in the sfs file.
#
#           I can think of two solutions at the moment.
#           1) To place the links in a path with precidence to /usr/bin
#              in $PATH
#           2) Make a fix script to do the changes the next time you
#              boot the computer. The fix script may be placed in
#              /root/startup
#
#           This script use solution nr 1.
#             
#
#   CONFIGURE: Search for TODO: and select accordingly.
#   NOTICE:    This script does not create menu/desktop links.
#              The ones
#
#	CHANGED :	rufwoof march 2014 to not create SFS, delete tar.bz2
# 				and to run firefox after script completes download
#
###############################################################

#
# TODO: Set language id
LANG_ID="en-US"
WORK_FOLDER=$(pwd)

help () {
   echo ""
   echo "firefox-sfs.sh [--clean|--pristine|--help]"
   echo
   echo "Without options nothing is removed and only simple checks are done before sfs file is made"
   echo ""
   echo "--clean removes $FF_TARGET_PATH.sfs and"
   echo "directory $FF_TARGET_PATH"
   echo ""
   echo "--pristine: removes as clean and the file $FF_TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2"
   echo ""
   echo "--help prints this information"
   echo ""
}
msg () {
   if [ -z "$1" ]; then
      echo "msg called without arguments"
   fi
   if [ -z "$2" ]; then
      MODULE="UNKNOWN_MODULE"
   else
      MODULE=$2
   fi
   echo $MODULE " :: " $1
}
function add_extras() {
   # TODO_CODE: Check for errors
   #
   # TODO_CODE: Add plugins, libflash and so on.
   
      
   cd $WORK_FOLDER
   if [ -z $SOURCE_JAVA ]; then
      . $SOURCE_JAVA #java-sfs-relink.sh
      #echo "NO JAVA!"
   else
      echo "Could not locate $SOURCE_JAVA"
   fi
   if [ -z $SOURCE_FLASH ]; then
      . $SOURCE_FLASH #flash-player-sfs.sh
   else
      echo "Could not locate flash-player-sfs.sh"
   fi
   if [ -z $SOURCE_FIREFOX_EXTRAS ]; then
      echo "Setup firefox extras"
      . $SOURCE_FIREFOX_EXTRAS #./firefox-extras/install.sh
   else
      echo "Could not locate ./firefox-extras/install.sh"
   fi      
   
   if [ -z $SOURCE_PERSONAL_CONFIG ]; then
      . $SOURCE_PERSONAL_CONFIG #./personal-config/install.sh
   else
      echo "Could not locate ./personal-config/install.sh"
      echo "CUR_FOLDER:=" $(pwd)
   fi   
}

function ff_get_version_info() {
   TARGET_PLATFORM="linux-i686"
   #TODO: What if we do not have net connection?
   [ ! $FF_LANG_ID ] && FF_LANG_ID=en-US
   #http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/
   # TODO: URL might change at some point
   [ ! $FIREFOX_RELEASES_URL ] && FIREFOX_RELEASES_URL=http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases
   [ ! $FIREFOX_VERSION ] && FIREFOX_VERSION=$(wget --quiet -O - $FIREFOX_RELEASES_URL/latest/$TARGET_PLATFORM/$FF_LANG_ID/ |sed -n  's/.*firefox-\(.*\)\.tar.*/\1/p')
   
   if [ -z $FIREFOX_VERSION ]; then
      echo "WARNING: FIREFOX_VERSION ("$FIREFOX_VERSION")is unresolved (network problem?). Terminating script"
      exit 0   
   fi
   #FIREFOX_VERSION="19.0.2"

   FF_TARGET_PATH=firefox-$FIREFOX_VERSION
   #TODO: This is an odd construct? What if they change compression (tar.bz2) type?
   # TODO: URL might change at some point
   FIREFOX_DOWNLOAD_URL=$FIREFOX_RELEASES_URL/$FIREFOX_VERSION/$TARGET_PLATFORM/$FF_LANG_ID/$FF_TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2
   
}

ff_get_version_info
# TODO: URL might change at some point
DOWNLOAD_URL=http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/$firefox_VERSION/linux-i686/$LANG_ID/$TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2
if [ -z "$FF_TARGET_PATH" ]; then
   msg "FF_TARGET_PATH:= zero legth. Should be something"
fi
if [ -z "firefox_VERSION" ]; then
   msg "firefox_VERSION:= zero lenght. Should be something"
fi

if [ "$1" == '--help' ]; then
   help
   exit 0
fi

echo "START: " basename $0 " at " $(pwd)

if [ "$1" == '--clean' -o "$1" == '--pristine' ]; then
   #rm $FF_TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2
   rm $FF_TARGET_PATH.sfs
   rm -rf $FF_TARGET_PATH
fi
if [ "$1" == '--pristine' ]; then
   rm $FF_TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2
fi
#
# Download firefox from mozilla
wget -nc $FIREFOX_DOWNLOAD_URL

# TODO_CODE: Check for errors.
if [ -e $FF_TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2 ]; then
   #File is present so unpack it to the opt folder
   if [ ! -e ./$FF_TARGET_PATH/opt ]; then
      mkdir -p $FF_TARGET_PATH/opt
   fi
   if [ ! -e $FF_TARGET_PATH/opt/firefox ]; then
      echo unpacking $FF_TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2
      tar --checkpoint=500 --directory=./$FF_TARGET_PATH/opt/ -axf  ./$FF_TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2
      rm ./$FF_TARGET_PATH.tar.bz2
   else
      echo "NOTICE: folder allready present. Will not override"
   fi
   # TODO_CODE: Check for errors.
   # Create folders and links to run firefox
   mkdir -p ./$FF_TARGET_PATH/bin/
   mkdir -p ./$FF_TARGET_PATH/usr/bin
   mkdir -p ./$FF_TARGET_PATH/usr/lib
   cd $FF_TARGET_PATH/
   # Bootstrap
   ln -f -s -t ./usr/lib $WORK_FOLDER/$FF_TARGET_PATH/opt/firefox
   
   # TODO: a link in ./usr/bin wil not replace the original link.
   # The official pup_xxx.sfs has precedence and is only replaced
   # by stuff in the personal save file
   # RESOURCE: http://puppylinux.com/development/howpuppyworks.html
   #ln -s -f -t ./usr/bin/ /opt/firefox/firefox
   # SOULUTION: (Sort of) place the links in an earlier $PATH path.
   ln -s -f -t ./bin/ /opt/firefox/firefox
   cd ./bin
   ln -s -f firefox mozilla
   
   #
   # Moved code to:
   # TODO: Messy
   # add_extras
   #
   # Create the real link (un-bootstrap)
   cd $FF_TARGET_PATH
   
   ln -f -s -t ./usr/lib/ /opt/firefox
   #
   # Create a pinstall.sh script (Does not weork with sfs ? )
    echo "#!/bin/sh" > pinstall.sh
    echo "touch /root/okydoky.txt" >> pinstall.sh
    chmod +x pinstall.sh
    cd $WORK_FOLDER
   #
   # Create the sfs file
   mksquashfs  $WORK_FOLDER/$FF_TARGET_PATH/ $FF_TARGET_PATH.sfs -noappend
   
   
fi
echo "END: " basename $0 " at " $(pwd)
exit 0

[rufwoof]

Thanks for portable firefox Shinobar - really appreciated.

Suggestion :

in firefox-portable script the first few lines of buildguest() function test to ensure that its not being installed into ram (puppy space).

With those few lines commented out however it opens up the potential for portable firefox to be installed into/run under /root

For a pristine factory fresh version of puppy, with portable firefox included in /root (or wherever) within that puppy, there's the potential to be able to boot that from CD (read only) and grab the latest version of firefox directly from Mozilla, in the users own language. i.e. pristine op system, pristine browser (as installed by your portable firefox package), and if freshly booted to that and you go to no other web sites before/after visiting your banks web site then generally that's pretty secure (little risk of virus).

Better still if that puppy also has the puppy sfs installed into initrd.gz as then the HDD's aren't even touched at all.

[Bert]

Dutch locale. (nl)

Tnx shinobar!

[tone303]

I love using firefox portable within Puppy Linux because there will never be up to date .pets to install recent versions, and because the portable seems to be able to update its self well

TIPS:

Even though puppy linux runs on a RAM disk, we run our firefox outside of puppy, on the USB actual-free space instead of the persistence virtual free space (save File) Therefore, do the following:

open about:config and filter with "browser.cache." (including the second dot)

add 'browser.cache.memory.capacity' as a new integer in about:config and set it to 1048576

Note about the above step: You will not see this entry in about:config, its one you have to actually add by right clicking any random entry and hovering over "New"

** next, set browser.cache.disk.enable to false
** set browser.cache.disk.capacity to 0

an alternative to the last two steps that start with "**" is that you can keep disk.enable true and set disk.capacity to 24576 to utilize 24 Megabytes of USB Flash space for cache, if you so desire, but why let the browser make all those writes to flash drive?

I also go into /root/Startup and i right click New -> script. then i open it as text and i type mkdir /tmp/Downloads

I then switch the download folders in firefox portable to be the /tmp/Downloads.

Then i link a shorcut to downloads folder on desktop

This way, downloads go to RAM memory and leave upon shutdown, instead of write to USB -- it is your job to remember to move downloads you want to save to another folder

Often downloads are temporary things you dont save, so why should they cause writes to flash? this solves that issue. An example would be you download a video you are only going to watch one time. or you download an installer package and you dont want to keep the installer -- all useless writes to flash, solved by a /tmp/Downloads folder being made at each boot

[watchdog]

It's probably off-topic but I try.I did a "frugal" install of a derivated of debian jessie using jwm. It is possible using a /live dir in sda1 copying the cd-dvd /live dir and using a persistence file in sda1/persistence. I boot debian by grub4dos. I usually use in puppy firefox-portable-0.8.2 in /mnt/home but my frugal debian can't hand the firefox-portable I usually use with errors in console. It's not a permissions problem because I tried to change ownership of firefox's profile. Can the code be hacked for this use? Did someome do it? Forum's user emil experimented with persistent debian:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=91832

Perhaps is he interested in such a thing?

EDIT: I did two script, importprofile and exportprofile, which import-export the puppy firefox-portable profile in the persistent debian with the same firefox installed. Now I can handle the same profile in puppy firefox-portable and persistent debian.

[TTW]

Hi shinobar.
Thank you so much for this portable Installer. I feel that this creation is an extremely important feature in puppy. I am using it since version 0.5 and it works great with puppy precise 5.7.1.
Finally I am able to get rid of Seamonkey which never worked for me.
Thanks again.

Only just found this and can't wait to try it on my Saluki. Hopefully it will work on there it's a long time since I installed anything new.

TTW

[TTW]

Only just found this and can't wait to try it on my Saluki. Hopefully it will work on there it's a long time since I installed anything new.

TTW

Tried and tested on Saluki 023 and works a dream. Thank you Shinobar this makes a huge difference to Saluki and other puppies I think.

TTW

[TTW]

Only just found this and can't wait to try it on my Saluki. Hopefully it will work on there it's a long time since I installed anything new.

TTW

Tried and tested on Saluki 023 and works a dream. Thank you Shinobar this makes a huge difference to Saluki and other puppies I think.

TTW

Update:
Used in Saluki and now I am trying out Carolina Vanguard. Using the alread created Portable Firefox to post this. Brilliant Application this.

TTW

[rufwoof]

I'm running a older version of shinobar's portable firefox (0.8.2) and recently that updated to firefox 42.0 however the spell check no longer underlines words when compiling a message to be posted (text box) despite that being set as active in FF settings/configuration. Stand alone installation of FF 42.0 has the spell check feature active/working ok.

I tried opening the portable firefox folder and re-running the build script to download a fresh replacement, but the problem still exists.

IIRC later versions of portable firefox won't work on pupmode 5 (ram boots) that I tend to run all the time (no save file).

[babaguy]

Hello All -

Running LuPu 5.2.8.7 from a DVD-R

Toshiba Equium w/an Intel Centrino chip ( I believe - a replacement for the AMD Athlon chip the machine came with ) -

After reading through many posts on several threads, brought to my attention by many helpful people here, I downloaded Shinobar's Portable-Firefox (version 0.8.2) - I decided not to have the latest Firefox due to many problems described here on the forum.

I downloaded the Portable Firefox - extracted it to /mnt/home and, when asked by the dialogue box to drag another earlier tarball version into the empty version space,

I downloaded firefox-36.0b9.source.tar.bz2 from:

https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/rel ... b9/source/

I extracted/unarchived it to ~/Downloads

dragged the 'opened box' icon of that .tar.bz2 to the empty space version area on the portable-firefox GUI;

was asked if I wanted to import bookmarks - declined - then pressed the dialogue button to do its magic, and got a message like:

"firefox-portable 0.8.2 does not appear to be an installer" and then it all vanished!

Hmmmmmmm.......

In addition, when I tried to make a directory just for the portable-firefox, as prescribed by Shinobar, i got the following code:

# mkdir /mnt/home/apps/firefox-portable
mkdir: cannot create directory `/mnt/home/apps/firefox-portable': No such file or directory

SOLVED THIS BIT!!! I first made the directory " /mnt/home/apps " and *then* I was able to make the directory "/mnt/home/apps/firefox-portable"

I had a BASH!!!

Then I dragged the firefox-portable icon into the 'Apps' folder...

I moved the downloaded Firefox to /usr/lib and when I open up the firefox that I have put there, I get a strange icon of a black terminal screen in front of a brick wall, and when I click on THAT, Chromium opens!

When I right-clicked it, and tried 'Open In Terminal' it opened a new window of the (running) Chromium and was kind enought to inform me:

"Created new window in existing browser session.
Script completed hit RETURN to close window."

( I downloaded Chromium against my better judgement (don't trust g**gle, even in a community version) as a QuickPet, because I thought that would be the most up-to-date of the QuickPet browsers, and I *am* (STILL!) simply trying to update my (free) website, which won't display all the editing options without an up-to-date browser. I *have* been able to edit text, but nothing else, so I'm not much further forward!!! )

( See my other current threads - which I will update as and when - "Seamonkey Update Troubles" and "Firefox Updates Make Firefox Vanish!!!")

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=101436


http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=101435

UPDATE: I dragged the Firefox Folder in the /usr/lib directory (which includes the 'terminal-screen-in-front-of-a-brick-wall' icon associated with the Firefox 36.09b tarball ) into the TRASH basket on the desktop screen...

Seamonkey 2.10 seems to work all right. It comes installed in LuPu 5.2.8.7. The latest version of Seamonkey 2.39 is really the one I need....

- babaguy

[babaguy]

Have now solved my web browser hassles and difficulties, and also have an up-to-date Lucid Puppy 5.2.8.7 running!!!

The saga is told in excruciating (but possibly helpful) detail here:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 695#873695

Thank You All !!!

- babaguy

[mikeslr]

Hi shinobar,

If you scan through the recent posts about firefox and seamonkey, you'll find that they are complaints about problems with the newest versions. Frequently, one of two solutions are proposed: (1) either roll-back to an earlier version, or (2) switch to Palemoon.

Palemoon is a fork of firebox, designed so as to avoid some of what has now become firefox's characteristic bloat. While not all firefox addons can be installed into it, many of the most common one's can; about on par with Seamonkey.

in its construction, Palemoon is already a portable: unpacking the tar.bz2 which is downloaded results in a folder containing all the files Palemoon requires to run. The folder can be located anywhere, and Palemoon run merely by calling its executable.

There's an "install" script available, which I've never used as I prefer portables run from /mnt/home.

Palemoon, run as a portable, has two draw-backs in comparison to your portable firefox and seamonkey. It does not automatically create a menu entry. And like non-portable firefox and seamonkey, first run creates a hidden folder, "moonchild productions" at /root. Palemoon's settings are located there, as is its cache.

Both these draw-backs can be overcome manually. But, it would be greatly appreciated were you or some member of the Japanese Team to work your magic and create a portable-palemoon which automatically has a menu entry and whose settings and cache rssided outside of /root.

Thanks in advance,

mikesLr

[gcmartin]

Anyone. I have used the portable facility for quite some time on one of the PUP distro I regularly use. I am intending to upgrade that PUP distro by installing the latest PUP ISO to a separate PC on the LAN.

Question: I am looking to use SAMBA to share the Portable Firefox folders.

• CAN PORTABLE FIREFOX program be shared by users on 2 different PCs at the same time? Do I merely drop an icon on the new desktop and run it simultaneous with PC #1? Will they step on each other?

Thanks in advance from anyone who knows.

[shinobar]

CAN PORTABLE FIREFOX program be shared by users on 2 different PCs at the same time?

No.
The portable series are designed for a single user.

[morochos]

2 years using the portable version without problems, however, firefox does not work when updating to 46

[LazY Puppy]

2 years using the portable version without problems, however, firefox does not work when updating to 46

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=106674
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=106656