How to Download Firefox for Linux

If you enjoy using Linux, you might want to download Firefox to use as your Web browser. Firefox is an open source program and the source code can be downloaded from Mozilla. This will allow you to learn exactly how Firefox works and also modify it to suit your preferences.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

Download and Install Firefox on a Linux System

1. Open a Web browser on your computer. Examples include Netscape and Opera.
2. Go to the Mozilla Web site (see Resources below).
3. Find the 'Other Systems and Languages' link and click on it with your mouse.
4. Browse through the list of languages until you find English. You may also select a language other than English if you prefer.
5. Locate the 'Download' link listed under the 'Linux i686' heading and click on it. A download window will open on your computer.
6. Click the 'Save' button to begin the download. Depending on which browser you are using, you may see 'Open' or 'OK' rather than 'Save.' Choosing 'Open' or 'OK' will also cause Firefox to begin downloading.
7. Select 'Run' when the download is complete. This will launch the Mozilla Firefox Setup tool.
8. Proceed through the set-up prompts to complete the installation.

Tips & Warnings

• Download Firefox 2 at the Mozilla Web site (see Resources below).
• To use Firefox, your computer needs to meet minimum hardware requirements. If you are using Linux, the minimum requirements are a 233 Mhz processor, 64MB of RAM, 50 MB of available hard drive space and Linux kernel 2.2.14 (with glibc 2.3.2, XFree86-3.3.6, gtk+2.0, fontconfig/xft and libstdc++5).
• For the best Firefox experience using Linux, Mozilla recommends a 500 Mhz processor, 256 MB of RAM and 100 MB of hard drive space.
• Firefox 2 notifies you with a message when security updates are available to download from Mozilla. Updates are provided for Firefox to help keep you safe when using the Web. The updates will be shown in the language you've selected to use for Firefox.
• These directions were written for Firefox 2.00.2. If you are running a prior version of Firefox, some of these steps may not work for you. Consider upgrading to Firefox 2, which can be downloaded for free and run on Windows, Mac OS and Linux systems.