rogerpence.com

nerdy things

rogerpence.com

A nerd's blog


How to manually install an app on Ubuntu

Posted on: Saturday, Jan 27, 2018

You can install many applications on Ubuntu through its package manager. This is usually a very good way to install apps. It's easy and keeping them updated is also easy. However, there are occasional times when you need to install an Ubuntu application manually. Sometimes that's the only way it's available or sometimes the app refreshes frequently and you can't get the version you want through the package manager.

Firefox Developer Edition (FDE) is one such app. There is a PPA available for FDE, but installing FDE through the package manager overwrites the existing Firefox installation and you're likely to not get the latest version of FDE. This article shows how to install FDE on Ubuntu without disturbing your existing Firefox installation.

Beware that unstalling apps manually also means you need to keep them updated manually. The package manager doesn't know about them and won't refresh them for you. Generally, updating a manually-installed app simply means installing the newer version.

Shortly after writing this article I realized what a hassle it is to go through these steps manually each time you need to refresh an application installation. This article provides a reusable Bash script for the steps described here.

To install FDE manually:

  1. Download the latest FDE version. These instructions assume the download is in the ~/Downloads/firefox directory.

  2. Extract the tar file: 

    $ cd ~/Downloads
$ tar xvjf firefox-59.0b4.tar.bz2

    This unzips the file into a ~/Downloads/firefox directory. Note the download is not a gzip file, but rather a bZip2 file. Thus you need to use tar's xvjf flags instead of the xvzf flags you'd typically use for a gzip file. 

    gzip (.gz)  =  X-Ray, Victor, Zulu, Foxtrot
bZip2 (.bz2) = X-Ray, Victor, Juliet, Foxtrot

  3. Create target directory in the /opt directory for the FDE:

    $ cd /opt
$ mkdir firefox-dev

    Provide the sudo password when prompted.

    For Windows expats, Ubuntu's /opt directory is generally used to store software on your PC that isn't known to the Ubuntu package manager (Linux lore says the name opt derives from "optional".) While, as you'll see here, installing software on Ubuntu is a little more fiddly than it is on Windows, it's also a lot more self-contained and easy to remove if you don't want to keep using it. Ubuntu doesn't have a registry like Windows and its apps don't invade your PC like kudzu!

  4. Copy FDE files to the /opt/firefox-dev directory: 

    $ cd ~/Downloads
$ mv firefox/* /opt/firefox-dev

    You can now delete the zip file from your ~/Downloads directory.

  5. With the FDE binaries now in the /opts/firefox-dev directory FDE should launch. If it doesn't, double-check each previous step. Don't continue until it does launch! 

    $ cd /opt/firefox-dev 
$ ./firefox

  6. Create the following application .desktop file in the ~/.local/share/applications directory and make it executable:

    $ cd ~/.local/share/applications
$ touch firefox-dev.desktop
$ chmod +x firefox-dev.desktop

    Open the firefox-dev.desktop file with Vim or some other text editor and paste the following contents into it:

    [Desktop Entry]
Name=Firefox Developer 
GenericName=Firefox Developer
Exec=/opt/firefox-dev/firefox
Terminal=false
Icon=/opt/firefox-dev/browser/chrome/icons/default/default128.png
Type=Application
Categories=Application;
Comment=Firefox Developer Edition Web Browser.

    firefox-dev.desktop file. 

    After saving the file you should now be able to search for FDE with Ubuntu's application launcher. It and (if it's installed) your original version of Firefox are available.

    Note: It's a good idea to test the value you provide to the Exec key on the command line and confirm the location of the app's icon before creating the .desktop file. If you misspell something, it fails silently!

  7. If you also want a desktop shortcut for FDE, copy ~/.local/share/applications/firefox-dev.desktop to the ~/Desktop directory.

Launching FDE from the command line

To launch FDE from the command line, create the following text file named fde

fde
#!/usr/bin/env bash

if [ $# -eq 0 ]
  then
    /opt/firefox-dev/firefox &>/dev/null
  else
    /opt/firefox-dev/firefox $1 &>/dev/null
fi

Bash script to launch FDE

and save it to /usr/local/bin. Make it executable with:

chmod +x fde

To open index.html in a project folder:

$ fde index.html

Comments

  • Levitra Alcolici Viagra Generico Spedizione 24 Ore Cheap Levitra Canada [url=http://getpharmacyonline.com]generic cialis from india[/url] Urethritis Zithromax Viagra Danemark Rezeptfrei Canadain Drugs

    Submitted by Ellmype
    1 year ago

  • Buy Albuterol Inhaler Online Cheap Zithromax Without Prescription Price Cialis 5mg No Prescription [url=http://costofvia.com]online pharmacy[/url] Buy Online Levitra

    Submitted by Matuncodo
    1 year ago

  • Propecia With Synthroid Belladonna Medication Generic Adderall Buy Canada [url=http://buyonlinecial.com]cialis[/url] Free Viagra Samples From Canada Buy Plavix Online Usa

    Submitted by Lessmal
    1 year ago

  • Tadalafil Ebay [url=http://orderviapills.com]viagra[/url] Cialis Composicion Cialis Serios Bestellen Viagra Cialis Silagra

    Submitted by Matuncodo
    1 year ago

  • https://como79.com/first/ - 퍼스트카지노/ https://como79.com/theninecasino/ - 더나인카지노/

    Submitted by joecorma
    11 months ago

  • https://stylebet79.com/coinka/ - 코인카지노/ https://stylebet79.com/theninecasino/ - 더나인카지노/

    Submitted by loiddelacruz
    11 months ago

  • https://dancesweb.com/yesca/ - 예스카지노/ https://dancesweb.com/coinkore/ - 코인카지노/

    Submitted by annabaelhooro
    11 months ago

  • https://hero-wanted.com/coin/ - 코인카지노/ https://hero-wanted.com/theninecasino/ - 더나인카지노/

    Submitted by balagtasadew
    11 months ago

  • Propecia Side Effects Sperm Impotence Get Online Levitra Prescription [url=http://mailordervia.com]viagra online[/url] Ou Acheter Viagra France Achat De Viagra Viagra Originalverpackung Cialis Effet Placebo

    Submitted by Lessmal
    9 months ago

  • Isotretinoin Order Levitra Assuefazione [url=http://bmpha.com]levitra plus puissant[/url] Cialis Officiel

    Submitted by Lessmal
    9 months ago

  • Propecia 30 Mg Propecia Indicaciones Shelf Life Of Amoxicillin [url=http://ciali20mg.com]cialis 5 mg[/url] Cheap Non Prescription Finasteride 5mg Fluconazole Cheap

    Submitted by Lessmal
    9 months ago

  • Priligy Farmacia Prezzo [url=http://leviprix.com]levitra online overnight delivery[/url] Dosage For Amoxicillin 500mg Discount Lasix Online Levitra Zerkauen

    Submitted by Stevliva
    9 months ago

  • canadian pharmacy meds review <a href=" http://canadianpharmacystorm.com/# ">best canadian online pharmacy</a> canadian pharmacy for viagra http://canadianpharmacystorm.com/#

    Submitted by Georgenourf
    5 months ago

  • canadian online pharmacy cialis <a href=" http://canadianpharmacystorm.com/# ">canadian pharmacy levitra value pack</a> online pharmacy viagra http://canadianpharmacystorm.com/#

    Submitted by Georgenourf
    5 months ago

  • viagra vs cialis vs levitra http://genericvgrmax.com/#

    Submitted by Glenncaula
    5 months ago

  • how long for viagra to take effect http://genericvgrmax.com/#

    Submitted by Glenncaula
    5 months ago

  • cialis side effects <a href=" https://canpharmb3.com/# ">canadian pharmacy viagra</a>

    Submitted by CharlesRaw
    5 months ago

  • viagra samples <a href=" http://ciapwronline.com/# ">otc cialis</a> canadian family pharmacy http://ciapwronline.com/# [url=http://ciapwronline.com/#]how long does it take cialis to take effect[/url] daily use of cialis

    Submitted by Brianbooro
    5 months ago

  • http://canadianpharmacystorm.com a http://viagrawithoutdoctorspres.com z http://canpharmb3.com 2 http://genericvgrmax.com 0 http://cialisxtl.com

    Submitted by DouglasDrido
    4 months ago

  • http://canadianpharmacystorm.com y http://viagrawithoutdoctorspres.com 1 http://canpharmb3.com e http://genericvgrmax.com h http://cialisxtl.com

    Submitted by DouglasDrido
    4 months ago

  • Cialis Prostata [url=http://cialibuy.com]Buy Cialis[/url] Q Es Propecia <a href=http://cialibuy.com>cheapest cialis</a> Acheter Priligy Usa

    Submitted by Ellmype
    4 months ago

  • http://usabuyes.com/- herb viagra

    Submitted by gxcccgbu
    3 months ago

  • Пин Ап казино [url=https://pin-up777.ru/]Pin Up Casino[/url] официальный сайт играть на деньги или бесплатно

    Submitted by PinUp
    2 months ago

  • Anybody home? :)

    Submitted by Kristinasap
    2 months ago

  • rogerpence.com what is better buspar or xanaxusing xanax for anxiety <a href="https://xanaxnw.com/">xanax 3mg bars</a> xanax withdrawal heart ratecan xanax make you lose weight

    Submitted by getusabix
    2 months ago

  • Hi :). I am from Netherlands and i don't know how can i disable my signature? Regards :)

    Submitted by bellenom
    2 months ago

  • npg essay scholarship contest 2020 [url=http://writemyessayzt.com/]great essay writers[/url] essay about holi festival in hindi <a href="http://writemyessayzt.com/#">write my essay</a> common app essay questions word limit

    Submitted by WilliamIceds
    1 month ago

  • Hello rogerpence.com [url=http://xanaxmg.com/]xanax withdrawal[/url] xanax buildxanax kodi

    Submitted by Xusadug
    1 month ago

  • Vavada Casino [url=https://vavada777.xyz/]Вавада казино[/url] официальный сайт играть онлайн на деньги

    Submitted by vavada
    1 month ago

  • Позитивный сайт с информацией о разном - [url=https://yooweb.online]yooweb[/url] Заходите на сайт!

    Submitted by BostixRU
    1 month ago

  • levitra oder sildenafil <a href="http://levitrao.com/#">best place to buy levitra online</a> comprar levitra argentina [url=http://levitrao.com/]levitra vs viagra[/url]

    Submitted by adhqbenr
    1 month ago

  • Побеждай и получай джекпот на сайте [url=https://pin-up777.ru/]Пин Ап Казино[/url] Сумма джекпота постоянно растёт, можно сорвать нереально большой куш. Выводи средства на карту.

    Submitted by pinupcasino
    1 month ago

  • Парсер гугла без проблем. Видео смотрите сами https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka0rXoSPsV4

    Submitted by Tommyevota
    1 month ago

  • process analysis essay sample http://writemyessayzt.com/ - school bullying report essay spm <a href="http://writemyessayzt.com/#">buy an essay cheap</a> harvard college essays

    Submitted by WilliamIceds
    1 month ago

  • passing score for sat essay http://writemyessayzt.com/ - argumentative essay sample college <a href="http://writemyessayzt.com/#">essay writer online</a> oxford history essay competition 2020

    Submitted by WilliamIceds
    1 month ago

  • Hello to all In this puzzling span, I proclivity you all Rise your family and friends

    Submitted by Janecasty
    1 month ago

  • can you buy viagra in south korea [url=https://menviagraus.com/]best price on viagra[/url] medexpress viagra <a href="https://menviagraus.com/#">non prescription viagra</a> viagra azulzinho preГ§o

    Submitted by mpulpcpj
    1 month ago

  • precio de cialis 5 mg en mexico http://canadianpillsbuy.com - achat cialis luxembourg comparar viagra cialis levitra [url=http://canadianpillsbuy.com/]cialis[/url]

    Submitted by mpzhgrki
    1 month ago

  • Похудение — наиболее популярная и конкурентная тематика. К ней относятся вопросы с правильным питанием, диетами, перееданием, калорийностью и кулинарией. https://qvrwa.adsbtrk.com/c/9acb0be4d89ecf97

    Submitted by Robertaleld
    1 month ago

  • Последние новости, интерактивная карта онлайн, подробная статистика по странам в таблице. https://covid-monitor.com <a href="https://covid-monitor.com">карта распространения коронавируса 2020 онлайн</a>

    Submitted by Claudebok
    1 week ago


Add your comment
You email is never shared with anyone else.

© Copyright 2017 by Roger Pence. All rights reserved.