4 ms·

At the risk of sounding like a Linux snob, there is a right way and a wrong way to do package management in Linux. Installing binaries into your home directory

by ac29 9y ago

At the risk of sounding like a Linux snob, there is a right way and a wrong way to do package management in Linux. Installing binaries into your home directory then linking them to a system directory isn't the right way, unless it absolutely can't be avoided. Not surprised this happened -- use the package management system that comes with your distribution, especially if you have special requirements on maintaining certain versions.

justinclift 9y ago
While you're technically right :), it's pretty common for people to discover this the hard way. It sounds like jacquesm's hit that point, unfortunately at a time critical spot. Probably won't happen twice though. :) Thinking about this a bit more, it almost sounds like the Ubuntu supplied Firefox (in the base system) was updated to v57, and likely overwrote the /usr/bin/firefox link. If that's the case, then the manually downloaded v52 ESR is probably still in /myhome/ff/firefox/firefox. jacquesm, when you have time to check... see if you can launch the version in /myhome/ff/firefox/firefox directly (instead of using the /usr/bin/firefox link). It'd be interesting to see which version is in there. :)
- jacquesm 9y ago
  I realise the timeline is a bit confusing by now but here is the complete sequence: - install Ubuntu - remove OS supplied Firefox package - install Firefox ESR - have a 'surprise upgrade' - re-install Firefox ESR - have another 'surprise upgrade' - install Firefox ESR in my homedir - symlink it from /usr/bin So now if it pulls any other tricks I can restore the symlink and call it a day, but for now it looks as if that last move did the trick because since I did that (and dropped all FF domains in through /etc/hosts) it has not done any more upgrades, though there is a chance that it attempted to do that. The one saving grace in the whole story is that at least the plug-ins that got forcibly removed/disabled had their data survive the whole ordeal.
  - justinclift 9y ago
    No worries. :)
jacquesm 9y ago
I did that after the whole thing went South in the first place. So yes, obviously that's not the way to do things by default. But it's a useful way to override package management and auto-upgrade trickery. Worst case now if it happens again (which I really hope it will not) I have to restore one symlink.

by ac29 9y ago

justinclift 9y ago

While you're technically right :), it's pretty common for people to discover this the hard way. It sounds like jacquesm's hit that point, unfortunately at a time critical spot. Probably won't happen twice though. :) Thinking about this a bit more, it almost sounds like the Ubuntu supplied Firefox (in the base system) was updated to v57, and likely overwrote the /usr/bin/firefox link. If that's the case, then the manually downloaded v52 ESR is probably still in /myhome/ff/firefox/firefox. jacquesm, when you have time to check... see if you can launch the version in /myhome/ff/firefox/firefox directly (instead of using the /usr/bin/firefox link). It'd be interesting to see which version is in there. :)

jacquesm 9y ago
I realise the timeline is a bit confusing by now but here is the complete sequence: - install Ubuntu - remove OS supplied Firefox package - install Firefox ESR - have a 'surprise upgrade' - re-install Firefox ESR - have another 'surprise upgrade' - install Firefox ESR in my homedir - symlink it from /usr/bin So now if it pulls any other tricks I can restore the symlink and call it a day, but for now it looks as if that last move did the trick because since I did that (and dropped all FF domains in through /etc/hosts) it has not done any more upgrades, though there is a chance that it attempted to do that. The one saving grace in the whole story is that at least the plug-ins that got forcibly removed/disabled had their data survive the whole ordeal.
- justinclift 9y ago
  No worries. :)

jacquesm 9y ago

I did that after the whole thing went South in the first place. So yes, obviously that's not the way to do things by default. But it's a useful way to override package management and auto-upgrade trickery. Worst case now if it happens again (which I really hope it will not) I have to restore one symlink.