Setting Fedora 11 Preferred Applications

JWilliamCupp · #1 25th July 2009, 05:09 PM

I have just installed Fedora 11 and I have a problem choosing network browsers.

My wife uses the computer and I have created launchers on her destkop for the sites she needs to view. Also, I have installed Opera (it works fine) and I have configured her user account for Preferred Applications (System -> Preferences -> Personal -> Preferred Applications). When I did so, the preinstalled launcher on the panel changed automatically from the Firefox icon to the Opera icon. The icon on the panel launches Opera when clicked.

Nevertheless, when one of the desktop launchers is used, it launches Firefox and loads the URL in that browser.

What do I need to do so the desktop location launchers point to Opera instead of to Firefox?

- Bill

scottro · #2 25th July 2009, 08:26 PM

You might try rightclicking on the launcher and seeing if properties says firefox.

I'm not a Gnome user, so I might simply be wasting your time, but it's worth a shot.

JWilliamCupp · #3 27th July 2009, 12:48 AM

Scottro,

I thought of that. I tried right-clicking on the icon on the desktop and opening Properties. It turns out that GNOME does have an "Open With" tab in the Properties window for files with a .desktop extension.

This puzzles me ... how does it know which application to call? It clear does not call the GNOME default browser because that is set to Opera. I have tested that in other ways.

So, what does do it? Are there some configuration files which use mime-type and so forth that might be pointing to Firefox, independent of the GNOME user's default browser setting?

- Bill

scottro · #4 27th July 2009, 03:25 AM

As mentioned, I don't know Gnome very well--your guess sounds reasonable to me.

There probably is some configuration file somewhere that makes this decision, but I fear that I have no idea what it is.

PabloTwo · #5 27th July 2009, 04:43 PM

It's been awhile since I've run Gnome myself (using XFCE), but in the right-click > properties of that .desktop launcher, you are not looking for "Open With". You are looking for "Command", which is the command to launch the program. In XFCE, doing a right-click > properties brings up a box that has three tabs, General, Permissions and Launcher. Under the Launcher tab is the "Command:" input box. Gnome should have basically the same thing, perhaps with a slightly different layout or tab names.

In the Command: input box, type in the full path to the Opera executable.

You can also manually edit the .desktop file itself to make the change.

Code:

gedit Desktop/name.desktop

On the line with: Exec=
type in the full path to the Opera executable file, save, and you're done.

scottro · #6 27th July 2009, 07:02 PM

Hrrm, seems Fedora loves FF the way MS loves IE.

I just tried to change mutt's behavior when handling a URL, to use opera rather than firefox. In theory, and on FreeBSD, it's easy, one edits the file url_handler.sh subbing firefox with opera.

However, Fedora still refused to use it, despite having urlview.conf explicitly say use url_handler.sh.

I found a Gnome schema in /etc/gconf/schemas/desktop_gnome_url_handlers.schemas but changing it there didn't work either.

The only way around it was to create a $HOME/.urlview file and put

COMMAND opera %s

Ah well, the more convenience offered, the less the choice. <shrug>

JWilliamCupp · #7 28th July 2009, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottro

However, Fedora still refused to use it, despite having urlview.conf explicitly say use url_handler.sh.

I found a Gnome schema in /etc/gconf/schemas/desktop_gnome_url_handlers.schemas but changing it there didn't work either.

The only way around it was to create a $HOME/.urlview file and put

COMMAND opera %s

Okay; I tried the $HOME/.urlview file and that didn't work.

Then I thought, maybe it works only after the Gnome schema has been changed and maybe the urlview.conf file changed, too.

So, I replaced the default command to call Firefox with the command to call Opera everywhere it existed in /etc/gconf/schemas/desktop_gnome_url_handlers.schemas ... and, that didn't do it, either.

I was going to try modifying the urlview.conf file, but I cannot locate that.

Where should I expect such a .conf file to be?

- Bill

scottro · #8 28th July 2009, 02:11 AM

It should be in /etc.

Many conf files are either in /etc, or in a subdirectory of /etc--e.g., in /etc/cups, there's cups.conf in /etc/samba, there's smb.conf, errm, etc.

Also, you can run the command (as root)

updatedb

This will index everything on your system. Then, run

locate urlview.conf

and if it exists, the locate command will find it.

JWilliamCupp · #9 28th July 2009, 02:38 AM

It's pretty clear that I don't have a urlview.conf file. I had already tried looking by eyeball in /etc and obvious subdirectories, and I had tried the GNOME search without success.

Just now, the locate command (even after re-indexing) did not find one, either.

Did your $HOME/.urlview file do the job of launch Opera rather than Firefox without making changes to the urlview.conf file?

- Bill

scottro · #10 28th July 2009, 05:05 AM

Actually, that's usually for programs like mutt, that don't have automatic url openers.

For example, in Sylpheed or claws (two closely related mail programs) you can set it. I'm not sure about others--I don't have evolution installed anywhere.

Min · #11 28th July 2009, 08:14 AM

How about set opera as default web browser? I don't know where to set that up in opera though (i don't have it), but should be somewhere in prefrence

scottro · #12 28th July 2009, 10:58 AM

Actually, I don't know either. However, that's a possibility, that somewhere, firefox was checked off as default in firefox's settings, and make sure that firefox is NOT set as default. I think that's under Edit=>Preferences=>General. Or maybe tell it to always check, then when it comes up, choose no, don't set it as default, then uncheck it again.

JWilliamCupp · #13 29th July 2009, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Min

How about set opera as default web browser? I don't know where to set that up in opera though (i don't have it), but should be somewhere in prefrence

Well, that was a grand idea but it didn't pan out.

According to Opera help, that option is only possible on MS Windows platforms. According to Opera, in Linux GNOME and KDE, you use "set preferred application," which as already stated I did first of all.

According to Fedora help, there is no distinguishing between platforms. You go Edit -> Preferences -> Main and "check if Firefox is the default browser." However, on my Linux version, there is nowhere to do that in the Main panel of the Preferences dialog box.

Oh well. Anyone else have any ideas?

- Bill

scottro · #14 29th July 2009, 11:53 AM

I'm out of ideas I'm afraid. As I said, urlview only seems applicable to something like mutt, and even there, I had to specifically say don't use the shell wrapper script, I want opera, and nothing but opera.

It will probably turn out to be some silly little thing we're all overlooking.

Min · #15 29th July 2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWilliamCupp

Well, that was a grand idea but it didn't pan out.

According to Opera help, that option is only possible on MS Windows platforms. According to Opera, in Linux GNOME and KDE, you use "set preferred application," which as already stated I did first of all.

According to Fedora help, there is no distinguishing between platforms. You go Edit -> Preferences -> Main and "check if Firefox is the default browser." However, on my Linux version, there is nowhere to do that in the Main panel of the Preferences dialog box.

Oh well. Anyone else have any ideas?

- Bill

That option do present even in linux version of Firefox. Maybe try installing and uninstalling firefox?