# Adobe reader fails to launch the browser.



## shuxuef (Aug 26, 2010)

Hi, 

I am using FreBSD 8.1-release and Adobe reader 8 and Firefox 3.6. One problem I have encountered is that whenever I want to follow a hyperlink on a pdf page, adobe reader would always refuse to launch firefox browser to follow the link. The error is always:

```
The browser could not be launched. Please check configuration in Edit->Preferences->Internet.
```
But inside that tab, I have correctly written /usr/local/bin/firefox3 in the "Browser Executable" column. 

Does anyone know how to solve this problem? Thanks!


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## wblock@ (Aug 26, 2010)

Acrobat Reader is a Linux app, so runs in a chroot in /compat/linux.  That explains why it can't find firefox, it's really looking in /compat/linux/usr/local/bin/.

But I'm not sure the most correct way to fix it.  Making a link to the FreeBSD firefox in /compat/linux/usr/local/bin seems wrong, but probably would work.

If you want to use evince instead of Acrobat Reader, the gconf command line options for it to open URLs is
`# gconftool-2 -t string -s /desktop/gnome/url-handlers/http/command "firefox3 %s"`


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## shuxuef (Aug 26, 2010)

wblock said:
			
		

> Acrobat Reader is a Linux app, so runs in a chroot in /compat/linux.  That explains why it can't find firefox, it's really looking in /compat/linux/usr/local/bin/.
> 
> But I'm not sure the most correct way to fix it.  Making a link to the FreeBSD firefox in /compat/linux/usr/local/bin seems wrong, but probably would work.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the input. It still does not work.  What is confusing is, the reader is able to launch linux-opera, if I use the absolute path, although the browser is not launched with correct settings, nor does it follow the link. Furthermore, in order to render HTML content in Adobe reader, I use the absolute path "/usr/local/lib/linux-libgtkembedmoz" for the libgtkembedmoz folder, which works, while I don't have a "local" directory under /compat/linux/usr.


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## wblock@ (Aug 26, 2010)

shuxuef said:
			
		

> Thanks for the input. It still does not work.  What is confusing is, the reader is able to launch linux-opera, if I use the absolute path,



Of course; chroot(8).



> although the browser is not launched with correct settings, nor does it follow the link.



Command-line parameters, but I don't use Opera so don't know what it expects.



> Furthermore, in order to render HTML content in Adobe reader, I use the absolute path "/usr/local/lib/linux-libgtkembedmoz" for the libgtkembedmoz folder, which works, while I don't have a "local" directory under /compat/linux/usr.



No, you'd have to create one (if desired; it would just be a way of keeping the same path as in FreeBSD).  Again, I'm not sure that's the right way to go about this, just the only one I can think of at the moment.


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## shuxuef (Aug 26, 2010)

I meant: if I use the absolute path inside the colummn provided by the reader, it works for linux-opera, but it does not work for firefox. But linux-opera and firefox3 are in the folder /usr/local/bin/.


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## shuxuef (Aug 26, 2010)

I somehow also don't think the command line options matter here....not saying that I did not try before.


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## wblock@ (Aug 26, 2010)

Well, I installed acroread9 to experiment with this.  After agreeing to the license, it then croaked on startup.  That's why I use epdfview and evince.


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## shuxuef (Aug 26, 2010)

wblock said:
			
		

> Well, I installed acroread9 to experiment with this.  After agreeing to the license, it then croaked on startup.  That's why I use epdfview and evince.



Yeah, acroread9 is still not working properly on FreeBSD, I think.


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## teckk (Aug 29, 2010)

acroread9 installs with everything in
/usr/home/<user>/.adobe
owned by root for some reason. Launch it as user and it croaks or won't configure.
`# chown <user> /usr/home/<user>/.adobe/`
fixes it so it will run and configure as user.

Or that was my experience anyway.


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## shuxuef (Aug 30, 2010)

teckk said:
			
		

> acroread9 installs with everything in
> /usr/home/<user>/.adobe
> owned by root for some reason. Launch it as user and it croaks or won't configure.
> `# chown <user> /usr/home/<user>/.adobe/`
> ...



Hmm....It does not look like working for me....


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