Trying to Install Firefox

[Martin109]

Websites keep complaining that the Iceweasel browser on my Debian Linux machine is out-of-date, so I am trying to install Firefox, using this tutorial.  I have followed the instructions, but get the following when trying the last step:

Code: [Select]

root@esprimodebian:~# apt-get install -t jessie-backports firefox
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 firefox : Depends: libjsoncpp1 (>= 1.7.4) but 1.7.2-1~bpo8+1 is to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Any idea how to proceed?

[Afasoas]

Chances are you have something else installd dependant upon 1.7.2-1

Code: [Select]

$ apt rdepends libjsoncpp1:amd64
libjsoncpp1
Reverse Depends:
  Depends: libjsoncpp-dev (= 1.7.4-3)
  Depends: libvtk6.3 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: sysdig (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: springlobby (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: spring (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: ring-daemon (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: pdal (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libpdal-plugin-sqlite (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libpdal-plugin-python (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libpdal-plugin-pgpointcloud (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libpdal-plugin-icebridge (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libpdal-plugin-greyhound (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libpdal-plang4 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libpdal-base4 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: paraview (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: orthanc-webviewer (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: orthanc-postgresql (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: orthanc-dicomweb (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: orthanc (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: python-odil (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libodil0 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: minetest-server (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: minetest (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: llvm-4.0-dev (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: llvm-4.0 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: clang-4.0 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: llvm-3.9-dev (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: llvm-3.9 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: clang-3.9 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: llvm-3.8-dev (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: bamtools (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libjsonrpccpp-tools (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libjsonrpccpp-stub0 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libjsonrpccpp-server0 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libjsonrpccpp-common0 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libjsonrpccpp-client0 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: lgogdownloader (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: kodi-pvr-hdhomerun (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: kodi-pvr-argustv (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: ifrit (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: ginkgocadx (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: firefox-esr (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: libdublintraceroute0 (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: cmake-qt-gui (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: cmake-curses-gui (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: cmake (>= 1.7.4)
  Depends: blockattack (>= 1.7.4)

Why not run the dist-upgrade to stretch instead of relying on backports?

[Martin109]

OK.

Never upgraded version before.  Is the command just apt-get dist-upgrade?

[Martin109]

Found some help here.

Thanks for the prompt.

[philip]

There are no Debian packages of recent firefox for jessie or stretch because building such packages requires an up-to-date rust compiler that isn't available in jessie/stretch. That means only the older firefox-esr (extended support release) packages are available from Debian. If you want up-to-date firefox you will need to download/install from mozilla.org rather than Debian.

[Afasoas]

I'm still using Firefox ESR under debian - which is fine on my laptop but unbearably slow with some websites on the asthmatic Celeron N2807 brix.
We have rolled out Firefox Quantum at work and it is much snappier.

https://www.linuxbabe.com/debian/install-firefox-quantum-debian-9-stretch

[Plug1n]

My personal view is not to use an apt/dpkg repository for Firefox on Ubuntu or Debian but to rely on Firefox's built in updating, which is generally earlier than Debian's or Ubuntu's IME.

You way still get broken dependencies, but also maybe not.

Download the .bz2 file from here in your language and 32/64 bit choice and then "tar bzxf xxxx.bz2" in you home directory or, for standards compliance, in /opt/.

Firefox will download updates in the background and update itself when restarted.

Same thing works on Windows or with Thunderbird.

[Martin109]

Thanks Plug1n

Do I not need to get Firefox installed first, though, so that it can do its updating subsequently?

I have successfully upgraded to Debian stretch now, which comes with FirefoxESR, rather than Iceweasel which was causing the problem, but have run into problems with snap, one of the methods for acquiring Firefox outlined in the linuxbabe website link quoted in Afasoas's post below.

[Plug1n]

Do I not need to get Firefox installed first, though, so that it can do its updating subsequently?

Firefox needs to exist on your system but not necessarily in the version installed through Debian.

In fact, it is quite possible to have both Debian and Mozilla native versions around, although that occasionally causes profile issues If they are different versions.

All this depends a bit on how confident you are unpacking archives, creating shortcuts, using shell commands and so on.

A Debian package will do everything for you, but you have to accept what you are given.

Linux rewards those who tinker!  A bit like the about:mozilla link in Firefox