The standard package format is through APT (Advanced Package Tool).
Flatpak and Snap are both alternatives to APT. They both are more limited in user control.
On GnuLinux, we use sudo which sandboxes Root from the user space.
Flatpak and Snap both snadbox applications from root and from the user space, thereby double sandboxing it. Due to this, Snap and Flatpak both struggle to access system files when necessary to do so.
There is good reason to favor Flatpak over Snap:
Flatpak is more featured and versatile, allowing you to use Flatseal to manage permissions and create access points for an application.
You have a third option: Remove the snap and flatpak versions and install a standard APT supplied Firefox Build:
Although I am afraid that I will not be able to recover all of the tabs and settings, I will probably uninstall both the snap and flatpack installs. I did not know I installed those two types of installs. I thought that I always used apt to install except for when I have used the Software utility that comes with Zorin.
@JimH I was reading through your posts. I have Firefox flatpak version and a builds version (had to do that to get around a xdg-desktop-portal-gnome issue) Maybe try searching your system for two copies of "firefox" program I have one in /opt and the other in /lib
Thank-you for that. It gave me the confidence to go ahead with the apt install of firefox. However, sudo apt install firefox gives the following message:
firefox is already the newest version (1:1snap1-0ubuntu2).
jim@Jims-Ryzen-Desktop:~/.mozilla/firefox.save$ which firefox
/usr/bin/firefox
I may have to uninstall the snap version before I can install it using apt and that is the instance that has all my tabs.
No, please see the link I posted previously.
If you install Firefox from terminal on Zorin OS 17, the Gnome Software Store will try to install the Snap, due to Canonical setting it up that way, even if you use APT.
(It has a redirect without informing the user...)
Please read the links provided previously to properly set up the repository for installing the .deb package - Or you can just download the .deb package directly
and double click it to install.
I should have realized that the blue phrase was a link. I have now followed it and its instructions. I have the .deb install completed. Please note:
I ran 'firefox -P' from the terminal. None of the 3 profiles provided proved to have my latest tabs, etc. However, after some exploratory work I managed to move files around in the profile folders such that I now have all of my tabs and presentation formats back.
I have apparently tossed my cookies because the Zorin Forum website asked me to sign-in again even though it was still showing the most recent posts.
I do not know how to un-install the snap and flatpack versions.
The sudo apt update revealed 20 package updates available. I'm a bit afraid to do these updates. It seems strange that there would be so many.
As always, thanks for your help. I did the updates and uninstalled the snap and flatpak firefox installs. Software Updates reports the system to be up-to-date.
