Arch Linux

R@xXx

Member

Registered: 2010-10-09

Posts: 3

Website

Firefox only as sudo

Hello!

Some time ago Firefox began to start only when running "sudo firefox". Both as an ordinary user and as root (it is very strange, as for me), only "sudo firefox". Just "firefox" runs the firefox application, but it just stays doing nothing but taking some RAM. After installing and base configuring of Arch Firefox was running well for a day or two, then this happened.

I have removed ~/.mozilla, but it didn't help. I removed Firefox, then removed all folders and files named "*mozilla*" in my filesystem, then installed Firefox again, did it several times more, reinstalled xulrunner, but it didn't help too.

I'm using Chromium now (I hope it's temporarily), but I don't like any browser more than Firefox. Arch has Firefox 3.6.8, strangely named "Namoroka" (as I understood, it's the codename of Firefox, but why is it on version 3.6.8???), may upgrading it by using source codes help?

I don't want to reinstall the system again, so what should I do?

Dogmeat

Member

From: Slovak Republic

Registered: 2009-02-24

Posts: 193

Re: Firefox only as sudo

acerntb marek # pacman -Q firefox
firefox 3.6.10-1

You are probably using an out of sync mirror. Look at Mirror Status page and update your mirrorlist.

Cotton

Member

From: Cornwall, UK

Registered: 2004-09-17

Posts: 568

Re: Firefox only as sudo

Firefox in Arch is at 3.6.10 - maybe you're using an out of date mirror:  http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/i686/firefox/

Firefox may not be starting because there's still an instance in memory.  To confirm, use the following:  ps ax|grep -i firefox

Kill any existing firefox processes, then retry.

R@xXx

Member

Registered: 2010-10-09

Posts: 3

Website

Re: Firefox only as sudo

Thank you a lot, I updated my system with a correct mirror, launched "firefox" (the problem stayed), then "sudo firefox" (the problem still stayed) and deleted the newly created ~/.mozilla directory again ("sudo rm -rf ~/.mozilla"; after that everything is OK).

BTW, I used one of the Ukrainian mirrors in domain hell.org.ua, it was listed in the default Arch's pacman configuration files; and after changing a mirror (in linux.kiev.ua - I live in Kyiv) there were more than 200 packages updated - why are the mirrors like the one in hell.org.ua used and listed in Arch default installation?

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: Firefox only as sudo

There's no such thing as 'default installation'. If you refer to the images you download - they're almost half year old! You're expected to update your installation and keep your system updated. Arch is a rolling release distro, many thing have happened during the last couple months http://mailman.archlinux.org/pipermail/ … 17431.html

Edit: @ Cotton
'pgrep firefox' is much nicer as you don't need to 'ps ax | grep -i firefox | grep -v grep' to do it properly ;P

Last edited by karol (2010-10-09 14:49:55)

Cotton

Member

From: Cornwall, UK

Registered: 2004-09-17

Posts: 568

Re: Firefox only as sudo

... why are the mirrors like the one in hell.org.ua used and listed in Arch default installation?

Probably because no one has raised a bug report

http://www.archlinux.org/mirrorlist/ is useful and http://www.archlinux.org/mirrors/status/ shows the most up to date mirrors if you want to keep on the absolute bleeding edge.

EDIT: @karol - thanks for that, you learn something new every day!

Last edited by Cotton (2010-10-09 15:06:06)