Firefox is currently only updating to version 129.0.1 on Tumbleweed - Is this correct?

I am new to openSUSE Tumbleweed.

I am surprised to see that Firefox version 129.0.1 is currently being distributed with openSUSE Tumbleweed, as 129.0.2 was previously released by Mozilla, followed by 130.0.0, then followed by 130.0.1. There are important security updates in some of these new versions.

Is it simply a matter of openSUSE maintainers not having enough time to make the needed builds? Or is there another issue?

I do see the 130.0.1 build here: https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/mozilla/, so I’m confused as to why this update doesn’t seem to be getting pushed to Tumbleweed users. Is there something simply wrong with my installation?

When I used Linux Mint, I simply used Mozilla’s PPA to get the latest Firefox releases, as I consider having an up-to-date web browser to be essential. Is there a similar technique for openSUSE?

By following and checking OBS, the SR for Firefox 130.0.1 into factory happened 4 hours ago. So Firefox should be updated in one of the next Tumbleweed snapshots…

2 Likes

Hi. Welcome.
The repository opensuse is here:
https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/mozilla/openSUSE_Tumbleweed/
Hi

1 Like

You should mention, that this is the Mozilla developement repository for Factory.

Thanks. Do you have a link where I can see that info so I can check it in the future myself?

2 Likes

When I used Linux Mint, I simply used Mozilla’s PPA to get the latest Firefox releases, as I consider having an up-to-date web browser to be essential. Is there a similar technique for openSUSE?

Hi @suseisontheloose and welcome to the forum.

Visit:

https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/

Scroll down to the latest firefox version number (at time of writing this post the new is 130.0.1 )

So click on latest version number: 130.0.1

Note: the versions with a ‘b’ in them are beta = unfinished preview releases that may be unstable and / or with bugs.

Then click on: linux-x86_64

lick on the letters that has the language you prefer: (example: en-US)

Click on: firefox-130.0.1.tar.bz2

A save dialogue will appear.

Once downloaded go to where you saved the file with Dolphin or similar tool.

Now you need to extract the archive. There are at least 2 ways:

In a terminal: tar -xf firefox-130.0.1.tar.bz2

Right click on the file in Dolphin (or similar tool) and select:

Open with Ark (Or similar GUI archive tool)

To update this ‘Downloaded Mozilla Version’ just use the menu: Help → About Firefox

1 Like

But that is then NOT the one tested with Tumbleweed in QA.
I assume several people have different reasons for running Tumbleweed (or any other distribution), but then installing all sorts of software outside the distribution can come with drawbacks.

1 Like

The repo version of firefox is hardly ever up to date and if it is then it aint for very long.

What people do or don’t do is up to them.

Yes, but you could warn them. You should be aware of the fact that people often simply follow advice on forums they trust. Not only the OP here, but others that find this using a search engine.

To maintain the trustworthiness of the forums, warnings belong to advice that may lure people into dead alleys, etc.

2 Likes

True.

But people should also be (made) aware of the consequences (of their doing or not-doing) so that they can tell whether they can handle those consequences or not.

1 Like

We use the Flatpak version of FF (use Discover app to find it).
It’s at 130.0.1. Always up do date. Why wait?
( Sidenote: it’s not our primary browser. )

1 Like

There is no danger in using mozilla’s version of firefox. People may do as they wish.

Warning about download Firefox from Mozilla’s FTP? No reason to do so.

Do you also want me to warn people about using the internet? I see no reason to warn people about downloading firefox from mozilla.

To both of you: The distro version of firefox is almost always behind the official mozilla release. Why don’t you warn people about the potential security vulnerabilities of using the repo version (almost always behind) the official version of firefox.

So you see the argument goes both ways. I will debate this matter no further as it is off topic.

1 Like

Firefox 130.0.1 just arrived here for Tumbleweed as an update.

1 Like

Yes and 131.0 will be realeased from mozilla probably within the next 2 days. However the repo version won’t get updated to 131.0 until the mozilla realease of 132.0 is almost out.

Repo is always too far behind in my opinion.

2 Likes

Thank you for the detailed instructions.

There’s probably one step I would add, and that’s to move the extracted files from the downloaded compressed tarball to a different location before running Firefox. I’m not the most knowledgeable at Linux folder conventions, but I think anywhere is fine (some people create subfolders in ~/.var, but I prefer to just create a new subfolder in home). Feedback is welcome.

I can’t recall the reason I didn’t follow your steps in Linux Mint, and I don’t remember why I chose to use Mozilla’s PPA instead. Maybe I (perhaps mistakenly) thought the updater in About Firefox wouldn’t work for some reason? Or maybe just a simple way to get the latest version directly from Mozilla? Too long ago to remember.

Sadly, I’m having so many issues obtaining system reliability on Linux on my new computer (see System hang with black screen & iwlwifi WRT: Invalid buffer destination errors) that I may have to go back to dreaded Windows, which I haven’t used for years. I hope it doesn’t come to that!

Thanks again.

@snoopy Bear in mind that the Mozilla products are maintained by one person, plus the resources to build are extensive… It all depends on what the update achieves as well, see the changes.

1 Like

Install the Flatpak (via Discover) and be done with it. Click, done, current version, no muss no fuss. No need to jump thru a bunch of hoops.

I agree, but i can no longer edit my post.

I hope you will get your linux issues fixed.

Newer version is available with Mozilla repo.

1 Like