.deb association with gdebi doesn't work in firefox

[Jonathan Ernst]

I'm using a fresh intrepid install with an empty firefox profile.

Steps to reproduce :
1) Click on a link to a .deb package (for example one of those available http://packages.ubuntu.com/fr/intrepid/i386/pidgin/download)
2) Firefox correctly asks you if you want to use gdebi to run this file
3) Click on OK

Expected results :
gdebi is executed and can install the package

Actual results :
An error is shown saying that the helper application cannot be found (see capture)

[Francisco Javier Saavedra Plominsky (kuroyume)]

I've had this bug happen at random, but haven't found a way to replicate it on a regular basis.

Marking as incomplete until someone can confirm.

[luke hinrichsen (luke-hinrichsen)]

Hello there, I can confirm that this happens, and I have found a way to get around it. It seems firefox is looking for the correct program, but is looking in the wrong place. So, what I had to do, is when firefox brings up the download box, just choose a different program. In this case I figured the best one would probably be gdebi-gtk, which is gdebi with a gui. All you need to do is click install packages. By the way, if you, like me, had no idea where to find the program it is in /usr/bin/gdebi-gtk. Hope that helps!

[Pablo Castellano (pablocastellano)]

I can confirm it-> Marking as confirmed.
It has also happened sometimes with gedit but seems like it was fixed.
IMO this should be fixed for Intrepid.

[Baptiste Lafontaine (magnetik)]

I still have this problem on Intrepid wIth a fresh install...

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

This will not be fixed in firefox-2

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Are you able to use gdebi on its own? I also highly doubt the gedit problem isnt related to firefox at all, atleast you dont explain or give errors.

[Jonathan Ernst (jonathan.ernst)]

I cannot reproduce this bug anymore in Jaunty.

[Jonathan Ernst (jonathan.ernst)]

Sorry, spoke too soon :

I cannot reproduce it with http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/p/pidgin/pidgin_2.5.2-0ubuntu1_i386.deb
where the server sends the wrong mime type (text/plain)

But I can reproduce it with http://pidgin-facebookchat.googlecode.com/files/pidgin-facebookchat-1.47.deb where the server sends the mime type application/x-archive application/x-debian-package

I think part of the problem comes from the fact that firefox is very bad at handling external applications. It first uses it's own hardcoded database of extensions->mimetype, then uses mimeTypes.rdf, then at last uses the system's mime associations. I don't understand why it doesn't simply uses the system's extensions and mime associations...

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. However, I am closing it because the bug has been fixed in the latest development version of Ubuntu - the Jaunty Jackalope.

If you need a fix for the bug in previous versions of Ubuntu, please follow the instructions for "How to request new packages" at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuBackports#request-new-packages

[ukblacknight (tom-blacknight)]

This bug has NOT been fixed! I never actually experienced this in any version prior to Jaunty.

I can reproduce it here: http://www.getdropbox.com/downloading

I'm downloading the x86_64 9.04 version.

I've already changed the firefox handler to /usr/bin/gdebi-gtk, which helped reduce the problem occuring, however it still happens from time to time.

Firefox 3.0.10
Ubuntu 9.04 64bit

[deivid (deivid-rodriguez)]

I still have the problem in Jaunty.

Sometimes the problem occurs, sometimes firefox just asks me I a want to keep the file in my computer.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

ok, but you experience this problems just sometimes or all of the time?

[deivid (deivid-rodriguez)]

I attach one image with the first behaviour (broken association)

[deivid (deivid-rodriguez)]

And another one with the second behaviour.

[Juan Simón (simonbcn)]

Ubuntu Jaunty
Firefox 3.0.10

Same problem!! :-(

[Geoffrey Thomas (geofft)]

Changed back to "confirmed" because multiple people are reporting this and there's no evidence a fix has actually been released (although I haven't personally tested this).

[PaulReiber (paulreiber)]

OK so I'm opening a little can of worms here, but some things just need to be done.

gdebi needs to run as root to install packages. Firefox is (hopefully) NOT running as root.

This is a HUGELY important issue for everyday end-users - they click, they expect things to work.

There may well be a program out there already that works properly given nothing more than an URL.

If so, the right answer for this bug is "use that program" instead - so if you know what the right answer is, speak up.