Query about parasitic firefox file

[Liam Proven]

On 8 March 2018 at 17:50, Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> So, I am assuming that this problem is due to firefox v58 being
> infested with parasites (can firefoxes catch and transmit hydatids?).

I doubt it.

> Is it possible to upgrade from firefox v58 to firefox v56?

I do get your point -- I don't like Firefox 57+ myself -- but bear in
mind that this list has many non-native English speakers and this
ironic use of "upgrade" is confusing.

> Is firefox v56 still available in the Ubuntu packages repository for
> Ubuntu 16.04?

As far as I know, no. However, you can use the last ESR release. This
is what I am doing on some of my machines.

Firefox 52 is the current ESR release:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/

Here is how to install it:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/894871/how-do-i-install-firefox-52-esr-on-16-04

> Does Ubuntu have a facility where we can select replacing a current
> package version, with an earlier, more stable, version of the package,
> such as firefox v56?

Not if it has been superseded by a new release and removed, no. You
can pin obsolete packages but for something as critical as a web
browser this is *not* a good idea.

I am experimenting with Waterfox on one of my Ubuntu machines, as
Colin suggests.

However, I am experiencing some small issues -- for instance, I had to
remove the "Vertical Tabs (Simplified)" extension and replace it with
"Tree Style Tabs", which I do not like as much.

It is working fine for me on Windows and Mac OS X, though. Waterfox is
currently based on Firefox 56 and it is receiving regular updates and
security fixes.

However, so is the ESR release.

Here are some instructions on installing Waterfox:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/935466/how-do-i-install-waterfox

I strongly recommend NOT following the instructions about using tar,
as it will not get any updates.

Use the PPA.

But I warn you, using the ESR version is less hassle.

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