Thunderbird Ignoring Default Browser to Use Firefox

[Square Bottle]

Using the regular, i386 version of Kubuntu Gutsy Gibbon. I have used the KDE control panel to set Opera as the default browser. In spite of this and everything else I've tried, it opens all links with Firefox. Either kcontrol is not talking to Thunderbird, or Thunderbird isn't listening to kcontrol.

First, I tried setting the default browser in kcontrol to "opera", then "/usr/bin/opera", then "opera -backgroundpage", and then finally "/usr/bin/opera -backgroundpage". Then I googled around, and saw that somebody suggested adding to the Thunderbird advanced options (about:config) the lines "network.protocol-handler.app.http" and "network.protocol-handler.app.https", and to set both to use "opera" as the value. I actually went and tried all the same things I tried plugging in to kcontrol here. Needless to say, nothing worked.

[Matthew Woerly (nattgew)]

Tried this in the latest Hardy, it very much opened Epiphany.

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Nattgew are you using kubuntu,ubuntu or xubuntu when you are seeing this issue? This issue is known in Kubuntu-desktop and im hoping for Hardy+1 this will be fixed but we will see. I will keep this on my list for when i get home and see what can be done.

[Matthew Woerly (nattgew)]

I was using Ubuntu.
I'll try testing with Kubuntu and let you know.

[Matthew Woerly (nattgew)]

I tested with Kubuntu Hardy, and no matter what I specified in System Settings > Default Applications > Web Browser, Thunderbird links always produced "Could not start GNOME Web Browser," and says that the connection was refused to some socket in /tmp...
Firefox opens fine.
Epiphany gives that error.
So I guess my testing shows that it's ignoring default browser to use Epiphany?
Maybe it goes to what you first set it as but won't change after that?

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Mattgew in system>perfered apps what browser is set to default? Also what browser is set to default in update-alternatives? These may be conflicting although they shouldnt conflict.

[Matthew Woerly (nattgew)]

Interesting, Gnome preferences are set to Epiphany. I changed it to Firefox, and it started to insist on opening Firefox.
So the bug seems to be that it's ignoring the KDE preferences and using the Gnome ones.

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Kde i expected this issue since its been like that for a while. I had asked about a KDE version of support for "Mozilla" but it hasnt happened that i know of yet but hopfuly this will correct this issue. I will ask about it or start on it for Hardy+1. There should be a place in KDE to do what you did in Gnome, please look and let me know if it can be changed (i dont remember if i saw one or not.)

 I will open up a kde-settings bug on this bug report and see if one of the KDE guys/girls can help more.

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Maybe not the more i think of it.
What version of kde are you using and seeing this issue in?

[Square Bottle (squarebottle)]

John, the issue isn't that no such option exists. The setting exists in KDE,
but is ignored. That's the issue. This is currently relevant for KDE 3.5.X,
and may or may not be relevant for KDE 4.0.X as well.

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 11:57 AM, John Vivirito <email address hidden>
wrote:

> Maybe not the more i think of it.
> What version of kde are you using and seeing this issue in?
>
> --
> Thunderbird Ignoring Default Browser to Use Firefox
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/165327
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Square this is not a new issue at allo and has been known about for last 3 or so releases. Im not home to check but when i left KDE4 had same issue that was in Jan.

Hobbsee i subscribed you so you can please take a look into this. Do you think a Mozilla-kde*-support might help. This was something i was hoping to have done for Hardy but since i left in Jan i havent been able to do anything about it. Im thinking that maybe kde ignoring defaults (including update-alternatives) would be bad if it is ignoring update-alternatives

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for mozilla-thunderbird (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[cd311 (cd311)]

hi

I got the same problem with thunderbird (version 3.1.15) on kubuntu 11.04 and chromium.

chromium is set as default browser in kde system settings, in alternatives x-www-browser and even gnome-www-browser and still thunderbird open all links in mails with firefox.
all other programms like rss owl and so on oben links in chromium.

is there any news on how to change this behavior?

[Timon Zielonka (timon)]

With a fresh install of thunderbird (version 60.2.1) on kubuntu 18.10 Firefox is still not set as a default browser.