1.download the lastest firefox version which is probably in the tar.gz format !!

2.extract it ; it will create new firefox folder

3.close all the firefox browser

4.now to make backup of ur old firefox i suggest u do this graphical

cut the folder ” /usr/lib/firefox-*” to any other folder say oldfirefox on desktop

* -> represents the version

cut the sh script file “/usr/bin/firefox” to oldfirefox folder

if the “firefox” sh-script not present their could be same script named “firefox.sh” cut that !! but both r not present in same folder

5.now copy the newly extract firefox folder to /usr/lib/

6.Goto terminal and type the code (which ever works)

“#ln -s /usr/lib/firefox/firefox /usr/bin/firefox”

OR

“#ln -s /usr/lib/firefox/firefox.sh /usr/bin/firefox”

(1st code worked for me)

7 thats it !! open the firefox shrotcut !!

8 special thx to “Ghooma” and “Harold M.”

Just follow the steps outlined by Harold, when it comes to symbolic link, first delete the old link present in /usr/bin.

cd /usr/bin
rm firefox
cd /usr/lib/firefox
here create your new link
ln -s /usr/lib/firefox/firefox /usr/bin/firefox

Just click on your shortcut and u see the magic.

Please let me know what I should do
thanks in advan
Satish Kumar

Everyone, I will try to break this down to a newbie level since I’m a complete newbie myself, so some of my explanations may not be official “linux” answers.

Please forgive any misteps but I’m trying to understand this process and explain it at the same time.

I’m using “Suse Linux Enterprise Server 11″.

I will give the steps listed by “Ghooma” and then try to explain what was done in each one so that you won’t feel as though you’re just pushing buttons with no idea of what you’re accomplishing.

Please make sure that you have closed all running firefox browsers before trying any of these steps.

1. Rename the “firefox” folder that is located in “/usr/lib/”.
1exp: This seems to be pretty close to the program files folder in windows and we’re renaming the folder that all of the shortcuts currently point to when you open firefox. I renamed mine to “firefox OLD”

2. Copy the folder you just extracted to “/usr/lib”
2exp: I just downloaded “firefox-3.5.3.tar.bz2″ and then ran the archiver tool “Ark” (Or file-roller) and extracted the compressed file into a new folder. I renamed the new folder “firefox” and it now contains all of my newly uncompressed files. Next I copied the newly named “firefox” folder from the downloaded and extracted location over to “/usr/lib”. This means that our firefox shortcuts will still be pointing to the same place but will be looking at our new “firefox” folder instead.

3. The folder “/usr/bin” contains a symbolic link to the original firefox file named “firefox”. ***NOTE***(This Is Where It Gets Tricky!!!)
Delete this symbolic link(“/usr/bin/firefox”) and also delete the folder “/usr/lib/firefox OLD” If you’re nervous here then just move them someplace where you can easily locate them again so the you can put the originals back if you want to.
3exp: “/usr/bin/firefox” is the symbolic link that all of the firefox shortcuts in the system point to when you click them, and they point directly to the “/usr/bin/firefox/firefox” (now “/usr/bin/firefox OLD/firefox”) shell script which launches firefox. Since we have renamed the old version and copied a newer version into its place, “Ghooma” suggests that we delete references to the old versions and get ready to make a new symbolic link pointing to the new version of firefox.

***NOTE*** My old links pointed to a file name “/usr/lib/firefox/firefox.sh” but in my new firefox folder the file was named “firefox” instead of “firefox.sh”!!! PAY ATTENTION!!!

Your old and new links will all stop working if you do not tell your symbolic link the correct filename in the new firefox installation!!!

I’m giving 2 extra versions of “Ghooma’s” next line of code because they both work depending on which scenario you have so please pay attention.

4. “Ghooma’s Original Code” ln -s /usr/lib/firefox /usr/bin/firefox (Will Probably Not Work!!!) (Sorry Ghooma)
4a. “My code” ln -s /usr/lib/firefox/firefox /usr/bin/firefox
4b. “My code variation” ln -s /usr/lib/firefox/firefox.sh /usr/bin/firefox
***NOTE*** YOU ONLY NEED TO RUN 1 LINE OF CODE BUT MAKE SURE THAT IT IS CORRECT FOR YOUR SYSTEM!!!!

4exp: This statement needs to be run from a command prompt. I ran as su.
This statement makes a symbolic link in the “/usr/bin/” folder and the link is named “firefox” (“/usr/bin/firefox”)
This symbolic link points to the file “firefox” OR “firefox.sh” located in the new folder that we copied earlier (“/usr/lib/firefox”)
The reason for multiple examples is because the file that launches firefox is a shell script file and may or may not have the “.sh” suffix but I’m almost certain that it will be nested deeper than the first 4. example.

***NOTE*** YOU NEED TO LOOK INTO THE FOLDER THAT WAS CREATED WHEN YOU EXTRACTED YOUR DOWNLOAD AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING THE PRECISE FILENAME!!! (This is the same folder that we copied to “/usr/lib/firefox”)

I clicked my firefox shortcuts immediately after performing this trick and they all open with the new version of firefox.

Once again thanks to Ghooma for shedding light on this and I’m hoping that by being a little verbose that I may help someone else start appreciating linux.

Harold M.