How to Install Firefox 5 in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal?

If you want a secure web browser then both, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are at the top (at the moment :) ). Although it may not be the fastest + Firefox web browser had its ups and downs in the past (you know the unimpressive memory managements, etc) but few months ago they released the version 4 which was pretty impressive!.

Since the start, Google adopted the GNU/Linux way of releasing new versions within a shorter period where MS Windows has a different approach of releasing a major OS version after every few years.

Although for an operating system it could be a different case but when it comes to a Web browser, well I think having a shorter releasing time-scale does help.. as Google Chrome has proven :). This is because, people these days are working more and more with their web browser rather than the "usual" operating system.

So, having a secured browser means frequent updates + new features, which obviously should help :D.

Anyhow, Mozilla did get "inspired" by this move from Google (after seeing the success of Chrome) and decided to adapt it and announced that unlike in the past, they'll also be releasing new versions of Firefox within a shorter period of time and as a result after 3 months of the initial Firefox4 launch... they just released the Firefox version 5!.

Main/New Features...

*. Well, you won't be getting a totally rearranged GUI... and the new Firefox5 does looks almost exactly like the version4. So no, the GUI won't be able to take your breath away... but again we have to remember that it's only been 3 months ... but it ain't our fault though :/.

*. Lots of bug fixes (about 1000 of 'em, scary stuff ha ;-) ).

*. Enhanced HTML5 language support (including XHR, MathML, SMIL, and canvas).

*. Better memory management, Networking performance and JavaScript speed "gains" which are always welcome.

*. Better spell checking.

*. Do not Track - This is actually is one of the most important features of all and is certainly not new to Firefox5 since it was introduced with FF4, which is the reason that I didn't put it at the top.

Anyhow, as you can guess, Firefox is a fully open (not open-source, even better, GNU Licensed) browser thus lets you to disable any opt-out of third-party tracking which are usually used by online advertising parties + it's always more open than other competitors when it comes to privacy in general. Their web browser's mobile version (for Android) is actually the first of its kind to include this feature as far as I know.

*. Improved desktop integration for GNU/Linux users, hurray!.

*. Smoother Scrolling - Yes, like many others, if you experience bit of a slow down while scrolling, then you should see some improvements.

*. Enhanced Web page Layout support for the mobile version of the web browser.

*. Finally supports the CSS animations - If you're a web developer then you know this better than I know it... anyway for all we users who're still learning GNU/Linux and tech stuff :)... this features enables web developers to develop even better looking websites (with animations of course) which helps to make the internet more beautiful that it is now.

It's really here! :D...

These are just a few to mention. Anyhow, if you want to know how to install Firefox5 in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, then thanks to the Ubuntu PPAs (including the Debian created excellent "apt-get" package manager), we don't even have to learn GNU/Linux command line that much anymore :/.

All you gotta do is just copy the below command and enter it in your own Terminal window and the rest will be taken care of!.

sudo apt-get upgrade firefox

You can also use the below command as well but unlike with the above command this won't upgrade your Firefox related plugins (if they have updates of course). So I recommend using the first command instead.

sudo apt-get install firefox

Although this is not necessary, but if you want to perform a "fresh install", then enter the below command first to completely remove the now "old" Firefox browser from Ubuntu 11.04. Then use the first command afterwards.

sudo apt-get purge firefox

*. Note:- If you do this, first make sure to make a backup of your personal browser related things such as Bookmarks, etc.

Because of the popularity of this "package", within few hours of the official release, it's in the official Ubuntu software repositories. So I should say a big thank you for the developers who made this possible.

Enjoy the most secure web browser version of the Firefox, 5 in your Ubuntu Linux OS!.