\documentclass{ictlab} \renewcommand*{\subject}{Operating Systems and Systems Integration} \RCS $Revision: 1.4 $ \usepackage{alltt,key} \ifx\pdftexversion\undefined \else \usepackage[pdfpagemode=None,pdfauthor={Nick Urbanik}]{hyperref} \fi \newcommand*{\labTitle}{Setting up the latest Mozilla, with the Java plugin, Flash 6 and Acrobat Plugin} \begin{document} \tableofcontents \section{Background} \label{sec:background} The current version of Mozilla (1.2.1, on 12 December 2002) is a useful improvement over the one that comes with Red Hat 8.0. Here I give a quick guide on how to install it, set up the Acrobat Reader, the \acro{JRE} plugin, and install the Macromedia Flash 6 plugin. I will also explain some of the good features of Mozilla. \subsection{The Automounter} \label{sec:automounter} There is a program called the \texttt{automounter} which automatically mounts local and network file systems. The setup is via our \LDAP directory service, and it includes the ftp site on our server \texttt{ictlab}, which is accessible on your computer when you access the directory \texttt{/home/nfs}. So for example, the \texttt{redhat-8.0} directory is at \texttt{/home/nfs/redhat-8.0}, and Red Hat updates are available at \texttt{/home/nfs/redhat-8.0/updates}. \section{Procedure} \label{sec:procedure} \subsection{Installing Mozilla} \label{sec:installing-mozilla} We have the Mozilla software packages on our server \texttt{ictlab}, but you can download them from \url{http://www.mozilla.org/releases/} if you are at home. \begin{enumerate} \item Change to the mozilla directory: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{cd /home/nfs/mozilla} \end{alltt}%$ \item and install mozilla: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{sudo rpm -Uhv *.rpm} \end{alltt}%$ \end{enumerate} \subsection{Installing the Java SDK} \label{sec:jdk} Note that here we will install the Java \acro{SDK} and Java run time environment, to be used by the browser. \begin{enumerate} \item Change to the directory on \texttt{ictlab} which contains the \acro{JDK}: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{cd /home/nfs/jdk} \end{alltt}%$ \item and install it: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{sudo rpm -Uhv j2sdk-1_4_1_01-fcs-linux-i586.rpm} \end{alltt}%$ \item Now include the executables on your \texttt{PATH} by adding these lines (shown below) to your \texttt{/etc/profile} login script: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{xhost +localhost} $ \textbf{sudo -v} $ \textbf{sudo emacs /etc/profile &} \end{alltt}%$ Before the line that says: \begin{alltt} unset pathmunge \end{alltt} add the lines: \begin{alltt} JAVA_HOME=$(echo /usr/java/j2*) pathmunge $JAVA_HOME/bin after export JAVA_HOME \end{alltt} \item Finally, add the plugin to Mozilla's plugin directory. We create a \emph{symbolic link} (see the handout on symbolic links: we cover this topic soon): \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{cd /usr/lib/mozilla-1.2.1/plugins} $ \textbf{sudo ln -s \bs ../../../java/j2sdk1.4.1_01/jre/plugin/i386/ns610/libjavaplugin_oji.so .} \end{alltt} Note: I just keep pressing the \key{tab} key; I do not memorise this file name! \end{enumerate} \subsection{Adding Macromedia Flash 6} \label{sec:flash-6} If you read the release notes for Mozilla 1.2.1, it says that we should really use Macromedia Flash version 6, not the current version 5. You can find a link to the download site for Flash 6 from the Mozilla release notes, but I reproduce it here: \url{http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashplayer/special/beta/}. To install it from our server: \begin{enumerate} \item Change to your \texttt{/tmp} directory: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{cd /tmp} \end{alltt}%$ \item unpack it: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{tar xvzf /home/nfs/mozilla/install_flash_player_6_linux.tar.gz} \end{alltt}%$ \item Then begin the installation: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{cd install_flash_player_6_linux} $ \textbf{sudo ./flashplayer-installer} \end{alltt} \item Accept defaults, except when it asks you where it should be installed (it offers \texttt{/usr/lib/mozilla}), say \texttt{/usr/lib/mozilla-1.2.1} \end{enumerate} \subsection{Installing the Acrobat reader 5.0.6} \label{sec:acrobat} Note first that Adobe's Acrobat reader does not work with Unicode; it would not work for me until I set my locale to US English\@. If that is okay for you, then proceed. I have mixed feelings about this software; sometimes I like it, othertimes I find it does not work very well. I use it nonetheless. You can download the acrobat reader from \url{http://www.adobe.com}, or you can install it from our server, \texttt{ictlab}. \begin{enumerate} \item Change to your \texttt{/tmp} directory: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{cd /tmp} \end{alltt}%$ \item untar the tarball: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{tar xvzf /home/nfs/adobe/linux-506.tar.gz} \end{alltt}%$ \item install it, accepting defaults: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{sudo ./INSTALL} \end{alltt}%$ \item Create a symbolic link to it onto your \texttt{PATH}: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{sudo ln -s /usr/local/Acrobat5/bin/acroread /usr/local/bin} \end{alltt}%$ \item Optionally, you can install the Chinese fonts: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{cd /tmp} $ \textbf{tar xvzf /home/nfs/adobe/fonts-5.0.6/chtfont.tar.gz} $ \textbf{cd CHTKIT} $ \textbf{sudo ./INSTLANG} \end{alltt} Accept defaults and you are done. \item Setting the language to \texttt{en\_US}: Edit the file \texttt{/etc/sysconfig/i18n}, and change the line: \begin{alltt} LANG=en_US.UTF8 \end{alltt} to: \begin{alltt} LANG=en_US \end{alltt} \item To apply this change permanently, you may need to reboot, but you can apply it to your present session by typing: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{export LANG=en_US} \end{alltt}%$ and try the acrobat reader on some PDF document you have: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{acroread workshop-notes.pdf} \end{alltt}%$ \item To test the plugin in the browser, you need to start mozilla with \texttt{LANG} set to \texttt{en\_US}: \begin{alltt} $ \textbf{mozilla} \end{alltt}%$ After you reboot, you can start Mozilla by clicking on the globe symbol in the panel at the bottom of your screen, and the acrobat reader should work. \end{enumerate} \subsection{Testing Mozilla} \label{sec:testing} Now you are ready to check that everything is set up right: \begin{enumerate} \item Start Mozilla by clicking on the globe in your panel (the tool bar at the bottom of your screen) \item Select \textsf{Help}$\longrightarrow$\textsf{About Plugins} \item Verify that you can see: \begin{enumerate} \item \texttt{Java(TM) Plug-in 1.4.1\_01-b01} \item \texttt{nppdf.so} \item Flash version 6 \end{enumerate} \item Verify that the acrobat reader works on web documents. \end{enumerate} \section{Selecting useful options in Mozilla} \label{sec:mozilla-options} Mozilla has some nice features that you should enable. You can also set your home page: \begin{enumerate} \item Click on \textsf{Navigator} and set your home page to \url{http://nicku.org/ossi/}. \end{enumerate} You should be aware that finally, full screen mode works in Linux\@. Press \key{F11} to toggle full screen mode. \subsection{Tabbed Browsing} \label{sec:tabbed-browsing} Tabbed browsing is a nice feature. Each web page opens in the same browser frame, but in another tab. Try it out: \begin{enumerate} \item Select \textsf{Edit}$\longrightarrow$\textsf{Preferences} \item Click on the triangle next to \textsf{Navigator} and click on \textsf{Tabbed Browsing}. \item Click on the two check boxes at the bottom under ``Open tabs instead of windows for'' \end{enumerate} Now when you click on a link with the middle mouse button (or both buttons if you have only two), the web page will open in a new tab. \subsection{Some other Miscellaneous Settings} \label{sec:misc} \begin{enumerate} \item If you are developing web pages, then it is important to increase the checking for changes in the web document. I have the setting under \textsf{Advanced}$\longrightarrow$\textsf{Cache} set to ``Compare the page in the cache to the page on the network'' to ``Every time I view the page''. \item Under \textsf{Advanced}$\longrightarrow$\textsf{Proxies}, I strongly suggest using Richard Yim's proxy configuration script. Select ``Automatic proxy configuration file'' and enter: \url{http://tyintra.vtc.edu.hk/proxy.proxy}. \item Set your search engine to Google: under \textsf{Navigator}$\longrightarrow$\textsf{Internet Search}, select ``Search using: Google''. \end{enumerate} \subsection{Additional features Mozilla has that IE Lacks} \label{sec:advantages} John Dvorak from PC Magazine makes an interesting comparison of Mozilla with IE at this article: \url{http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,715464,00.asp}. The main features he points out are (I wouldn't know; I use IE for nothing but for applying Windows updates): \begin{itemize} \item You can expand the font size for \emph{any} fonts in Mozilla \item You can block pop-up, pop-behind windows (go to \textsf{Advanced}$\longrightarrow$\textsf{Scripts \& Plugins} and deselect ``Allow scripts to: Open unrequested windows'', among other choices). \item Mozilla is standards compliant. Microsoft don't bother much with standards in IE\@. \item Printing works better in Mozilla: it doesn't cut off the right hand side of the page when you print. \end{itemize} \end{document}