Did you try to create a new launcher?

It is likely that the command to launch Firefox is wrong.

Doesn't Firefox start in a terminal window if you go to the Firefox installation directory via cd and launch Firefox via ./firefox?

Do you see any error messages in the terminal?

Try the version from the official Mozilla server if you currently use a version from the repositories of your Linux distribution.

Yes, on the launcher, many, many, many times

terminal and firefox gives me this:

(process:14428): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_slice_set_config: assertion 'sys_page_size == 0' failed

(firefox:14428): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: Attempt to add property GnomeProgram::sm-connect after class was initialised

I have posted this info on ubuntu help four or five times and received lotsa' attempts to fix, none work.

All versions of firefox were from Mozilla server, all eight downloads of them !

Are you running Firefox via VMware as I see references to VMware in the graphics section in the System Details list?

Never heard of VM ware.... visual management? why would I have it? this is becoming like the dreaded hateful Microsoft (but cheaper!), did it piggy-back load itself somewhere with another download ? sounds like an Adobe tactic....

Cannot find VMware in my ubuntu as loaded... I tried removing it,

would it be hidden away somewhere? this has gone on soooo long now, after ca 18 month unexciting run of firefox, and ubuntu, one day, there it was .

The fixes include some really crazy schemes, and massive file searches, nothing makes me recognized at firefox.....

I just tried /etc/init.D/vmware install and later <stop> and <-1> a few othe rkillers...no vmware found. the dropdown firefox icon window will not let me do open private window, or choose user profile either dead!

day 300 still trying, today loaded up info from the mozilla experts webpage o get into the EZ form for firefox profile manager in linux, of course the terminal info is not valid . . . sudo cd ./firefox -profilemanager is totally bogus (the terminal code written by some guy on XP).

anything i try takes me to the page as a visitor, after i sign in, or, i get this:

(firefox:20230): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: Attempt to add property GnomeProgram::default-icon after class was initialised xauth: /tmp/libgksu-bU5LS6/.Xauthority xauth_env: /home/whazammo/.Xauthority dir: /tmp/libgksu-bU5LS6

can anyone read msdos an/or linuxese ? I can't

lost my earlier text ! , I went to Ubuntu Home folio, opened Mozilla folder, and found these. . . does this mean there are m"TWO" i.d. vying for entry? which one will get me the ability to use the unity icon for firefox to gain access to firefox as principal ,owner/root/whatever without having to load-up via terminal?

In terminal, gksudo firefox -P does exactly the same as gksudo firefox and opens my Firefox homepage

the -P (to take me to profile Manager) does nothing, the Linux directions from Mozilla are incorrect ! is this now a dead link....? does anyone read these mozilla problem pages?

terminal and firefox gives me this: (process:14428): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_slice_set_config: assertion 'sys_page_size == 0' failed

This is a warning which does not prevent Firefox from starting. You didn't explain whether Firefox did actually start or not when starting it from a terminal as cor-el suggested above.

I just tried /etc/init.D/vmware install

I have no idea what you were trying to achieve wrt VMware. The command above clearly shows you have no clue what you're doing on the CLI. From your other comments it appears you try arbitrary commands you picked up from various articles without understanding what they mean. Stop it. It won't do you any good.

whazammo said

In terminal, gksudo firefox -P does exactly the same as gksudo firefox and opens my Firefox homepage the -P (to take me to profile Manager) does nothing, the Linux directions from Mozilla are incorrect ! is this now a dead link....? does anyone read these mozilla problem pages?

Make sure Firefox is completely closed/exited first otherwise you get a new Firefox window open instead of starting Firefox with ProfileManager. This the same on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux.

The -P is indeed the switch for Firefox profilemanager on Linux.

I always shut down, and reboot from zero..... then only opening terminal and typing in gksudo firefox -P ( nothing is open anywhere) .... it takes me tomy firefox homepage, "not" to Profile Manager.

Maybe you need to be more direct like in terminal cd to firefox folder and then ./firefox -P but i think you tried that already.

It looks you have the ubuntu packaged version and not the tarball from www.mozilla.org/firefox/all

Just put it in a folder in home then create a launcher to firefox script and add -P on end or in terminal cd to Firefox folder and then ./firefox -P

I could not get that to work.,...,., I downloaded firefox38.0.5.tar to my home folder in downloads, then unzipped it there in place, i opened terminal and tried to move the firefox directory (which was created in my Downloads folder and extracted) to /opt:

this is what bi got.

whazammo@earthport1:~$ sudo mv firefox /opt/firefox38

[sudo] password for whazammo: mv: cannot stat ‘firefox’: No such file or directory whazammo@earthport1:~$

that is a tar.bz2 file.

then only opening terminal and typing in gksudo firefox -P ... it takes me tomy firefox homepage, "not" to Profile Manager.

Using Linux the correct command line option to start the profile manager is: ./firefox -profilemanager http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_manager#Linux

I have no idea what you need or want the 'gksudo' for. It certainly isn't needed.

whazammo@earthport1:~$ sudo mv firefox /opt/firefox38 [sudo] password for whazammo: mv: cannot stat ‘firefox’: No such file or directory

~ is your home directory. You don't run the 'mv' command in the directory where you extracted the tar ball, so the command cannot find the 'firefox' directory.

As said before, you're trying arbitrary commands you don't understand. It is not clear to me what you're trying to achieve and which problem you're trying to solve. Therefore please clarify that, I have no intention to continue guessing.

I can see why you are confused, you do not see the earlier parts of my Mozilla support thread. Let me start from the beginning: After enduring Microsoft 3.2 through 7 and Adobe, I had a hateful separation with MS, I ordered two twin Asus nettops preloaded with Ubuntu 12/04 in May of 2013. Ubuntu/Firefox are my only OS/Browser. I only use open-source, and have three large websites I master.

Last October (I believe), I received a dropdown window advising me 14.04 was up and ready to replace my 12.04, just click here.

One computer upgraded without incident, the other fully upgraded BUT . . . . the firefox icon in Unity launcher would only "activate-roll as-if-loading, and quit".

After 18 months of trouble-free . . . Firefox was no longer available to me from Unity, or from Bluefish HTML Editor as "preview", on "ONE" computer only !

The Ubuntu support pages (and there are many) tried from November 2014 up until last week, to solve the problem with over a thousand hours of trial-and-error Terminal fixes (I had three 200 hour 14 hour-a-day work sessions) concentrated on seeking a solution for the past 7 months.

All I ever learned from the Ubuntu multiplicity of support sites was "how to open Firefox as a visitor-user" hence the gksudo firefox method.

sudo firefox does not work.

I have been using that method daily since I found the key, and have Firefox 38 up and useable daily, with bookmarks, and full functionality. EXCEPT....... Firefox is no longer available to me from the Unit icon, or from Bluefish HTML Editor, as "preview".

I approache Mozilla with the problem, got sent to your pages, and again, started the volly of Terminal commands, someone there was sure I have VMWare installed..... which took me to VMWare and Ubuntu for many many more attempts in Terminal to find..... the end result is the same as my first answer "I do not (obviously) have VMWare installed.

You got into this thread around the very last of the "lets look for VMWare testing that Ubuntu had me off on".... I do not understand the mumbo-jumbo of MSDOS ot the Terminal codes . To answer your questions (above). "What I am trying to achieve" is the same ability I have on my other identical computer, use the Unity Firefox icon to open firefox, and have my Bluefish HTML Editor recognize Firefox .

"The problem I am trying to solve" i very simple, I need access to Firefox from my Unity launcher as a "real person" not a visitor via gksudo firefox and endless sign-ins.

Looking for VMWare, ghosts, and made up things in Terminal has not worked for the past thousand hours..... I followed explicit (copy and paste) instructions on trying to download from Mozilla a fresh copy of Firefox38 via Tar.... the result I got was my last post.

How hard can this be?

Hmm on my old 32-bit Linux box (psu took down motherboard) the -P started Firefox and SeaMonkey with the profilemanager, even with nightlies.

Got a new built PC recently with 64-bit version and now I found that both Firefox and SeaMonkey from mozilla.org needs -Profilemanager switch to start up with the ProfileManager.

that does not work either.

All I ever learned from the Ubuntu multiplicity of support sites was "how to open Firefox as a visitor-user" hence the gksudo firefox method.

I don't think I understand what you're trying to say here. I'm not using Ubuntu, and I'm not sure what a 'visitor-user' is. In any case, it should be possible to run Firefox with any non-privileged account. sudo allows a non-privileged user to execute commands as root. Running Firefox as root is a really bad idea.

I do not understand the mumbo-jumbo of MSDOS ot the Terminal codes .

MSDOS isn't related to Linux. It always helps to stick to the proper terminology.

I followed explicit (copy and paste) instructions on trying to download from Mozilla a fresh copy of Firefox38 via Tar

I'm certain you did do something wrong. I'd consider instructions from a web site a guideline, but not something to follow to the letter without having a basic understanding what you're doing.

I'd assume you already had Firefox on your system, why downloading it again? What version(s) do you have installed anyway? Are these the vanilla Firefox versions from Mozilla, or the ones provided by Ubuntu?

"The problem I am trying to solve" i very simple, I need access to Firefox from my Unity launcher

I'd suggest to start with cleaning up whatever old versions of Firefox you have installed. Then determine what's the latest version you have, and make sure it's the only one installed.