Install firefox 15.0.1 with flash and java support on linux

This blog describes how I installed firefox 15.0.1 with java jre-7u7 and flash 11.2 on a CentOS 5.8 host. None of the installation commands were distro specific so it should work on any linux system.

This technique allows you to test different versions of firefox/java/flash without interfering with your system defaults. It also allows you to install a centralized version that can be shared by other users.

The basic steps are:

  1. Create a working directory.
  2. Download the archives.
  3. Install.
  4. Create a run script.

Here are the steps in detail
[crayon lang=”bash” toolbar=”always” title=”Setup firefox, java and flash”]
#!/bin/bash
# Install firefox, java and flash in this directory for testing.

# ========================================================
# Step 1. Create the local directory.
# ========================================================
umask 0
mkdir ~/work/firefox-15.0.1
cd ~/work/firefox-15.0.1
medir=$(readlink -f .)

# ========================================================
# Step 2. Download the archives.
# 1. firefox 15.0.1
# 2. java jre-7u7
# 3. flash 11.2
# ========================================================
mkdir repo
pushd repo
wget http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/15.0.1/linux-x86_64/en-US/firefox-15.0.1.tar.bz2
wget javadl.sun.com/webapps/download/AutoDL?BundleId=68236 -O jre-7u7-linux-x64.tar.gz
wget http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/pdc/11.2.202.238/install_flash_player_11_linux.x86_64.tar.gz
popd

# ========================================================
# Step 3. Install in the rtf (release-to-field) directory.
# ========================================================
mkdir rtf
pushd rtf
tar jxf ../repo/firefox-15.0.1.tar.bz2
tar zxf ../repo/jre-7u7-linux-x64.tar.gz
mkdir -p firefox/plugins
pushd firefox/plugins

# This installs the flash plugin. Note that you don’t need the
# usr directory.
tar zxf $medir/repo/install_flash_player_11_linux.x86_64.tar.gz

# This installs the java plugin.
ln -s $medir/rtf/jre1.7.0_07/lib/amd64/libnpjp2.so .
popd
popd

# ========================================================
# Step 4. Create a run script.
# ========================================================
cat >rtf/run.sh <here.

Enjoy!

2 thoughts on “Install firefox 15.0.1 with flash and java support on linux”

    1. What O/S are you using?

      What version of firefox is reported in the Help –> About menu?

      DId the java test work?

      I am not sure if this is relevant but I recently encountered a problem with a stale NFS mount that was causing the system to use cached version firefox.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.