Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

[doctordruidphd]

I have two different OS's (kubuntu and sidux), and I want to use the same firefox .mozilla directory for both. I have a common data partition with full rwx privileges for both systems, so I tried moving ~/.mozilla to the common partition, and making a symbolic link:
ln -s /media/data/greenman/.mozilla /home/greenman/.mozilla
The link works, and I can rwx files from my home directory just fine.
Problem is, firefox refuses to start. It flashes a window up saying firefox is already in use (it isn't, I checked, no zombies) and then quits.
I then tried to make a symbolic link within ~ just to see what would happen.
ln -s /home/greenman/.mozilla-files /home/greenman/.mozilla
same problem. I also tried using non-dot directories, and I tried creating a new profile on the common partition. Same result each time. I have tried using both the repository version of firefox, and the downloaded version.
So it look like, for some reason, firefox just plain refuses to use a symbolic link for its profile, or any location other than ~ itself.
Any ideas what's going on, and how to fix? I don't think it's permissions, as I can do everything through the link with programs other than firefox.

[oshunluvr]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

I do this without issue.

Is it possible that you still have a lock file in place? This might happen if you crashed FF. Look in your default user directory

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

Nope, no lock file. If I remove the symbolic link and rename the linked file to .mozilla, it starts just fine. Something about the link it doesn't like. Shouldn't make any difference as far as I can think.

[dibl]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

Problems like this are what convinced me to stop trying to share a single /home folder -- Firefox is not the only package that gets tangled up when used by 2 different OS's. It may be hard-coded to use only the dot file (maybe won't read the symlink because it's not "looking")

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

It may be hard-coded to use only the dot file

Looks that way, though why remains a mystery.

The idea here was that, since I now have both sidux and kubuntu working the way I want, I wanted to share config files ONLY for firefox and thunderbird, so it wouldn't matter where I did my email or webbing. Guess I will have to rely on rsync instead.

[oshunluvr]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

When I did mine - i created the link, then renamed it with the dot...

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

I gave that a try. All that happens when I do it that way, is firefox crashes without any error messages at all.
I really don't understand it, as thunderbird follows symbolic links for both its data and program files. Not quite sure HOW this could be happening, unless there is some way of subverting the linux file system I don't know about (probably is).

[oshunluvr]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

That's really odd I think.

here's my link

ls -la
lrwxrwxrwx 1 stuart users 23 05.05.2010 16:32 .mozilla -> /files/stuart/.mozilla//

works like a charm for me.

The only other thing I can think of I did differently than usual was for the first time ever I use dolphin to create the symlink.

Wish I could think of something else helpful...

I share all my data, .wine, .virtualbox, .thunderbird all this way.

Also - I doubt it matters - I'm sharing all this across K9.10 and K10.04. I haven't tried another distro.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

Well it beats me. I have tried every way I can think of to create a symbolic link. It doesn't even work if I create the link within the same directory, i.e. ln -s /home/greenman/mozilla-local /home/greenman/.mozilla

[Snowhog]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

You're trying to create a symbolic link. Is there any difference if you (can) create a hard link instead?

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

Is there any difference if you (can) create a hard link instead?

Yeah, it doesn't work. Evidently hard links are for individual files only, and don't work for directories.

greenman@wolfenstein:~$ ln /media/zen/greenman/.mozilla .mozilla
ln: `/media/zen/greenman/.mozilla': hard link not allowed for directory

Great idea, though.

[toad]

Re: Symbolic link for .mozilla doesn't work?

I don't get it. I used to do this in days of sharing home between debian and kubuntu. Some time back, mind...

Anyway, a suggestion for a workaround:

Keep the real copy in ~ and put an rsync command in /etc/rc.shutdown to your data partition. That way you can be sure that it works _and_ that you have a synched copy of .mozilla every time you switch os.