How to Install Firefox Developer Edition on ubuntu

While most Linux software comes through package managers, Firefox Developer Edition is distributed as a .tar.bz2 file, making its installation a bit different. This guide will walk you through the setup process, which you can also use as a reference for installing similar tools on Linux.

Download the Software

First, download the software from the official website. After the download is complete you will have a .tar.bz2 archive.

Extract the Archive

Now we need to decompress the archive and move it to a global location. For most distributions, run:

sudo tar xjvf firefox-*.tar.bz2 -C /opt

Command Explanation

Let's break down the command we're using:

1. Using sudo (SuperUser DO) to get administrative privileges for accessing the /opt directory
2. Using the tar command with these options:

• -x: Extract the archive
• -j: Handle .bz2 compression
• -v: Show verbose output (list files)
• -f: Specify the archive file
• -C: Set the target directory

Now if you run /opt/firefox/firefox you will be able to launch Firefox Developer. However, we can make it much easier to access with a few additional steps.

Create a Symlink

First, let's create a Symlink for the Firefox script and make it globally available in the terminal:

sudo ln -s /opt/firefox/firefox /usr/local/bin/firefox-dev

This will allow you to start Firefox Developer Edition by simply typing firefox-dev in your terminal.

Create a Desktop Entry

The desktop entry location might vary by distribution:

• For most distributions: /usr/share/applications/
• For some distributions: ~/.local/share/applications/

# For system-wide installation (requires sudo):
sudo nano /usr/share/applications/Firefox-Developer-Edition.desktop
 
# Alternative for user-specific installation (no sudo needed):
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications
nano ~/.local/share/applications/Firefox-Developer-Edition.desktop

Copy and paste the following into the file:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Name=Firefox Web Browser
Comment=Browse the World Wide Web
GenericName=Web Browser
Keywords=Internet;WWW;Browser;Web;Explorer
Exec=firefox-dev %u
Terminal=false
X-MultipleArgs=false
Type=Application
Icon=/opt/firefox/browser/chrome/icons/default/default128.png
Categories=GNOME;GTK;Network;WebBrowser;Utility;
MimeType=text/html;text/xml;application/xhtml+xml;application/xml;application/rss+xml;application/rdf+xml;image/gif;image/jpeg;image/png;x-scheme-handler/http;x-scheme-handler/https;x-scheme-handler/ftp;x-scheme-handler/chrome;video/webm;application/x-xpinstall;
StartupNotify=true

To save the changes:

1. Press Ctrl + S to save
2. Press Ctrl + X to exit

You should now see the Firefox Developer Edition icon in your application menu:

StartupWMClass=firefox-aurora

Troubleshooting

Common Distribution-Specific Issues

1. Permission Issues

• Debian/Ubuntu: You might need to run sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /opt/firefox
• SELinux-enabled systems (Fedora/RHEL): You might need to set correct contexts

1. Missing Dependencies

• Ubuntu/Debian: Run sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-0
• Fedora: Run sudo dnf install gtk3
• Arch: Run sudo pacman -S gtk3

1. Icon Not Showing

• Some distributions might need to rebuild their icon cache:

sudo update-desktop-database
sudo gtk-update-icon-cache

What's Next?

Here are some essential keyboard shortcuts to boost your development workflow:

• Press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I to open Developer Tools
• Press Ctrl + Shift + M for Responsive Design Mode
• Press Ctrl + Shift + C to inspect elements
• Press Shift + F5 to reload and clear cache
• Press Ctrl + Shift + E to open Network panel

Conclusion

Setting up Firefox Developer Edition on Ubuntu might seem tricky at first, but it gives you access to powerful development tools that can significantly improve your workflow. The installation process we covered also serves as a good reference for handling other tar.bz2 software installations on Linux.

If you found this guide helpful or have questions about web development tools, feel free to reach out to me on X @heyoussama. I regularly share tips about Linux, web development, and developer tools.