[SOLVED] Setting default browser (Mozilla browser)

[kle]

I have set Seamonkey as my default browser (in my system settings). However, this setting is disregarded when I click on links. (The same applied in last version of Kubuntu, Karmic, and it also applies to Firefox).

Not only do I have problems when opening links in OpenOffice documents; even the KDE application Kontact will not comply. As opposed to OpenOffice, however, it at least gives me a sensible response: "Sorry, could not find Seamonkey". it doesn't hang, it doesn't writhe and contract or behave erratically; it merely states the fact and continues its normal business.

Now this seems to indicate that the setting is in fact taken note of, but that Seamonkey is installed in such a way that the system cannot determine its path. This should be easy to remedy, but I don't know how. In old DOS-based systems, we used to have to list "paths". What does one do in Linux-based systems?

Would be grateful for any help.

[67GTA]

Re: Setting default browser (Mozilla browser)

There is still a system setting that comes from Debian that doesn't get changed from the KDE settings. Open a terminal and run

sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser

This will let you select the "system wide" browser, and not just the KDE default. There are a lot of other alternatives. Just run

sudo update-alternatives --all

to see them.

[kle]

Re: Setting default browser (Mozilla browser)

Well I'll be d___!

I had no idea! Thank you!
However, when I run update-alternate, I get an error message (highlighed by me in bold below).

QUOTE
There are 3 choices for the alternative x-www-browser (providing /usr/bin/x-www-browser).

Selection Path Priority Status
------------------------------------------------------------
* 0 /usr/bin/konqueror 100 auto mode
1 /usr/bin/firefox 40 manual mode
2 /usr/bin/konqueror 100 manual mode
3 /usr/bin/seamonkey 80 manual mode

Press enter to keep the current choice[*], or type selection number: 3
update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/seamonkey to provide /usr/bin/x-www-browser (x-www-browser) in manual mode.
update-alternatives: warning: skip creation of /usr/share/man/man1/x-www-browser.1.gz because associated file /usr/share/man/man1/seamonkey.1.gz (of link group x-www-browser) doesn't exist.
ENDQUOTE

True enough, no such file exists. So how do I make it exist? (And I still got the same error message from Kontact: no go).

However, yes, your "update-alternate" did accept Firefox. And yes, Kontact now opens links in Firefox, which is definitely headway.
Nevertheless, it still seems to me, that since Seamonkey is in the repos (while Iceape is conspicuously not there) it should be possible to make Seamonkey, too, the default.

[Snowhog]

Re: Setting default browser (Mozilla browser)

After making the change, have you logged out/rebooted?

[kle]

Re: [SOLVED] Setting default browser (Mozilla browser)

Now this is a good day.

No, Snowhog, when I wrote my previous post, I had NOT rebooted. So I did.
1) Link opened nicely Firefox.

Then I set my default browser in: System settings -> Default applications
Then I ran in Konsole (as suggested by 67GTA): sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser
I clicked "enter" for all the options save the one I wanted, browsers.
I chose the number for Seamonkey, and got the error message.

Then I REBOOTED.
And this time, yes, I was linked into Seamonkey.

Thanks, both of you!

[Snowhog]

Re: [SOLVED] Setting default browser (Mozilla browser)

[Guest]

Re: [SOLVED] Setting default browser (Mozilla browser)

Hi,
I had the same problem (trying to set Firefox as the default browser), but firefox wasn't listed by updata-alternatives. To make it an alternative, I installed it this way:

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/x-www-browser x-www-browser /usr/bin/firefox 100

Then I could do a

 sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser

And chose Firefox.