Ubuntu / Linux news and application reviews.

Swiftfox 3.6 Released (Optimized Firefox Linux Build)

| Date: January 24, 2010 | View Comments | Tags: firefox, linux, swiftfox, ubuntu

swiftfox 3.6


We are fans of Swiftfox here, at Web Upd8; here is why: Swiftfox is an optimized Mozilla Firefox which has different builds for different processors which makes it much faster than the normal Firefox because that's compiled to work for everybody, but not optimized for a specific processor architecture. For a lot more info on Swiftfox, see our initial article on Swiftfox.

Another reason to go for Swiftfox would be if you are having issues getting Firefox 3.6 to work (like this error). Also, Swiftfox comes with an Ubuntu repository so you can easily get updates (but only stable updates so you won't get pre or alpha builds like from Ubuntu Mozila Daily PPA - which is another great reason to use Swiftfox).

You can download Swiftfox from HERE. Ubuntu installation instructions (with a repository) can be found HERE.

Fixing Apturl For Firefox 3.5 And Later (Or Swiftfox) [Ubuntu]

| Date: October 19, 2009 | View Comments | Tags: apturl, firefox, software, swiftfox, tips n tricks, ubuntu

Firefox is able to handle one click installs in Ubuntu using a protocol called "apt: url" (Example: Playdeb.net website). On computers where apturl is enabled, clicking on a special type of link on a web page starts the installation of one or several packages available in the package repositories of this computer.

For example, from a web page, when a Ubuntu user clicks on the link apt:packageexample , the apturl protocol will launch the package manager to propose the installation of the package called "packageexample" from the repositories available on the computer.

For me, apturl wasn't enabled by default in Firefox 3.5, 3.6 or Swiftfox. But I was easily able to fix it, so I will now share with you how to do this.

How To Install Flash Player 10.0.32 The Right Way [Ubuntu Linux]

| Date: September 12, 2009 | View Comments | Tags: firefox, flash, linux, swiftfox, ubuntu

For some reason, flash doesn't want to be upgraded on my computer using Synaptic. If this also occurs for you, here is how to install the latest version of Adobe Flash Player (10.0.32) the Ubuntu way. Open a terminal and paste the following commands:

Set GMail As The Default System-Wide Email Client in Ubuntu [Howto]

| Date: August 04, 2009 | View Comments | Tags: firefox, gmail, linux, mailto, swiftfox, tips n tricks, ubuntu

If you no longer uses POP3 email and a seperate client and prefers to use web-based email clients such as GMail, then I have the simple solution for you to enable having GMail as the default system-wide email client in Ubuntu (in conjunction with Firefox or Swiftfox). There are just two simple steps you need to follow to achieve this:

Step 1:

firefox mailto

Open Firefox or Swiftfox and navigate to Edit > Preferences > Applications and in the search box enter mailto, then in the pull-down menu select 'GMail'.

Step 2:

preferred applications ubuntu

In the Ubuntu menu (Gnome), go to Preferences > Preferred Applications, on the Internet tab select Custom and in the Command field, enter:
firefox %s
(or firefox-3.5 or swiftfox instead of firefox)

Just one more thing: if clicking a mailto link opens a blank tab in Firefox, enter this in the address bar: about:config, search for:
network.protocol-handler.external.mailto
and toggle it to TRUE

and:
network.protocol-handler.warn-external.mailto
this needs to be set to FALSE.

Test it out by clicking any link to send an email either in a web page or for example in Emesene/Pidgin Messenger for sending an email to someone and you should find that Firefox / Swiftfox opens a compose email window with the recipient's email address there for you.

Credits: SketchyClown user @ Ubuntuforums.org

What Is And How To Install Swiftfox Web Browser in Ubuntu and Other Linux Distributions

| Date: July 04, 2009 | View Comments | Tags: browsers, debian, internet, linux, swiftfox, ubuntu

I am aware of the fact that probably 90% of you must already know about Swiftfox so this post is for the other 10% of WebUpd8 readers. I wrote about how to fix full-screen flash in Firefox and Swiftfox but I never mentioned what Swiftfox is.

swiftfox 3.5rc3 ubuntu

What is Swiftfox?

Well, Swiftfox is an optimized Mozilla Firefox which has different builds depending on your processor which makes it much faster than the normal Firefox because that's compiled to work for everybody, but not optimized for a specific processor architecture.

What Swiftfox version should I use?

Take a look at this chart and see which Swiftfox version is best suited for your computer based on your processor.

How do I install Swiftfox in Ubuntu / Debian?

Ubuntu (and all Debian based distribution) users will be pleased to know that it even comes with a repository which you can add by issuing the following command in a terminal:
sudo sh -c "echo 'deb http://getswiftfox.com/builds/debian unstable non-free' >> /etc/apt/sources.list"

and then, to install Swiftfox:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install <swiftfox version for your processor>
I for instance, have an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, so I have to install the Prescott version:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install swiftfox-prescott

How do I install Swiftfox on other Linux distributions?

If you don't use Ubuntu, the best way to install Swiftfox is to download and run the installer. Everything should work (Flash, etc) right out of the box, and your Firefox profile will be used:
sudo ./install-swiftfox.sh

Will my Firefox extensions and themes work with Swiftfox?

Swiftox is just an optimized build of Firefox so yeah, every add-on or theme that works with Firefox will also work with Swiftfox. Furthermore, Swiftfox will use your Firefox profile so all your Firefox settings will be kept while using Swiftfox. Also, I suggest reading this article on how to force the installation of addons not compatible with the latest version of Firefox.

How To Fix Full-Screen Flash Videos in Linux & Firefox (or Swiftfox)

| Date: July 03, 2009 | View Comments | Tags: firefox, fix, flash, internet, linux, swiftfox, ubuntu, youtube

By default, Firefox (or Swiftfox) crashes when trying to view a full-screen video on say... YouTube. At least for me it used to crash until I found a fix and from what I've understand it's got something to do with the graphic card drivers and it's affecting both nVidia and ATI. If that is the case for you also, you may want to read on.

To fix the full-screen flash videos bug, you need to preload a library called libGL.so.1 when you start Firefox or Swiftfox. Here is how to do it:

1. Create a new file in your home folder, let's call it fix_flash.sh and paste this:
#!/bin/sh
## replace firefox-3.6 with what you use, e.g. firefox, firefox-3.5, swiftfox
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libGL.so.1 firefox-3.5

Like the script says, replace "firefox-3.5" with the command used to launch your Firefox (depending on the version, etc). If you don't know the command, go to Applications > Internet and right click the version of Firefox you want to fix (Firefox, Minefield or whatever) and click "Add to panel". Then a new icon (launcher) will be displayed on your panel; right click that icon and select "Properties" -> you will then see the command used to launch your Firefox version in the "Command" field (never mind the %u):

ff

If you use Swiftfox, replace "firefox-3.5" in the file with "swiftfox" (without the quotes).

2. Make fix_flash.sh executable
Use your terminal to navigate to where fix_flash.sh is located and type this in the terminal:
chmod +x fix_flash.sh

3. Now either edit your panel Firefox/Swiftfox icon or add a new icon and in the command field, put this:
/path_to_file/fix_flash.sh %u

Obviously, replace "path_to_file" with the path to the fix_flash.sh file.

4. Close Firefox / Swiftfox and run it using the newly created launcher (icon), then go to YouTube or a similar website and click the full-screen button. Everything should be ok now, no more crashes!

Update: I found another way of using this. All you have to do is go to Applications > Internet and right click either Firefox or Swiftfox, then select "Add to panel". Then right click the newly create icon on your Gnome panel, edit it and in the "Command" field, in front of (depending on what you use):
firefox-3.5 %u
or
firefox %u
or
swiftfox %u
put this:
env LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libGL.so.1
so if you use Firefox 3.5 installed from the Mozilla Daily PPA repository, then the Command field would look like this:
env LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libGL.so.1 firefox-3.5 %u
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