Author Topic: Importing FF bookmarks under Linux (Read 637 times)

Tom · « **on:** May 31, 2012, 03:22:35 AM »

Having recently experienced (yet another) hard drive crash, this time on my Gateway notebook, I purchased a replacement drive and popped it in. Gateway (now Acer) doesn't provide recovery disks with their PCs, but does offer an e-recovery option, either using a recovery disk that the user creates (I didn't), or as a download from their support site. However, they no longer provide an e-recovery download option for my notebook.

Giving it some thought, and with some guidance from Ned, I opted to install Ubuntu (Linux) on the new drive as an alternative to Windows. This also scratches a long-time itch to get away from the boys in Redmond, WA. Ubuntu installed flawlessly, but the Ubuntu user experience is a little different from Windows, and I'm getting used to it. Some of the Linux versions of applications also act a little differently from their Windows equivalents, but that's just another learning/adaptation curve.

Meanwhile, all my data is stored on an external HDD with continuous backup to another external drive, so I merely needed to grab the Linux versions of all the applications.

One of many apps I've installed under Ubuntu is Firefox, but I can't figure out how to import my old bookmarks. I have copies of my bookmarks, but can't seem to find where to put them in Ubuntu. Any suggestions?

BTW in case anyone is wondering, I also have 3 desktops and a netbook here, so there was no interruption in my "forum admin time".

Ned · « **Reply #1 on:** May 31, 2012, 06:56:16 AM »

In your old Firefox profile folder is a file named bookmarks.html. It's a HTML file backup of your bookmarks. Import that to the new Firefox bookmarks. Here's an article on moving your entire Firefox and Thunderbird profiles from Windows to Linux.

Tom · « **Reply #2 on:** May 31, 2012, 10:11:39 AM »

Thanks Ned, useful article. It must have been past my bedtime, because it didn't occur to me that the profile would be in a hidden folder, or that it could be accessed via the FF Menu|Help|Troubleshooting.

Ned · « **Reply #3 on:** May 31, 2012, 10:49:02 AM »

You should be able to move your entire profile to Linux and retain not just bookmarks but passwords, browsing history, and addons.

Tom · « **Reply #4 on:** May 31, 2012, 11:00:19 AM »

Agreed, although the profile on my netbook has only a fraction of the stuff that was in the profile on the HHD that died.

FF offers a sync (between any machines) capability, but I haven't yet plucked up the courage to try it.

Ned · « **Reply #5 on:** May 31, 2012, 11:22:50 AM »

I don't use the Firefox sync but instead use Xmarks for bookmarks and LastPass for passwords. Both programs support all major browsers as well as OSes, including Windows, Linux, Android and IOS.

Tom · « **Reply #6 on:** May 31, 2012, 12:02:59 PM »

I'll take a peek at Xmarks. I use KeePass (now KeePass2) for passwords which are stored on a thumb drive. It's worked well across machines, but I'm seeing one idiosyncrasy with it when used with FF under Ubuntu.

Ned · « **Reply #7 on:** May 31, 2012, 12:15:15 PM »

No place to plug a thumb drive in on my phone or tablet but LastPass is there

Also, I can go to a new computer that I've never used before and log into the Xmarks and LastPass sites and have access to all of my bookmarks and passwords. Very helpful when I'm using the library public access computers. Xmarks is owned by LastPass, BTW.

Tom · « **Reply #8 on:** May 31, 2012, 12:43:58 PM »

My Samsung Galaxy tablet has the ability to plug in a thumb drive, and it works just fine. I don't log in with my phone, and won't log in from a public library. Although I haven't signed up for FF Sync, I've already disabled passwords and a few other things from the default sync settings.

Ned · « **Reply #9 on:** May 31, 2012, 01:02:42 PM »

The local (Spring Branch local) library computers are all set up to start with a clean image every time someone logs in, so no worries about malware. I trust them because I set them up that way

LastPass does have a portable version that could be used in conjunction with a portable browser, email, etc. which would be quite safe on any computer. For anyone that uses public computers a lot the software at Portable Apps is an excellent solution. For the truly paranoid, I do also have a full, bootable Linux installation on a thumb drive.

I don't let the browsers save passwords either, LastPass does it much better, and Xmarks does a great job of handling the bookmarks.

skyking1 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 31, 2012, 01:40:51 PM »

Nice info fellas, and congrats on trying out Linux. If you can get all your application needs met it will be very good for you. Now you have a console to practice on, so you can build a headless backup or fileserver, PVR, Security system, all sorts of things. The list of applications is huge, and free.
I started out the other way, building servers without Graphical User Interfaces (GUI).

Tom · « **Reply #11 on:** May 31, 2012, 02:27:45 PM »

Quote

The local (Spring Branch local) library computers are all set up to start with a clean image every time someone logs in, so no worries about malware.

I knew they'd be safe with you in charge of their computer needs

Tom · « **Reply #12 on:** May 31, 2012, 02:45:28 PM »

Quote from: skyking1

If you can get all your application needs met it will be very good for you.

Aye, I've been wanting to switch 100% to Linux for a long time. I've tried different/earlier distributions over the years, but always felt they still had a long way to go. Right now there are still a few apps that aren't available for Linux or don't have an alternative, one example being MS Publisher. So I've (reluctantly) purchased Windows and will be installing it alongside Ubuntu. I was going to create a separate partition and run a double boot machine, but Ned convinced me to look at a virtual machine option. I installed ~~Open~~ VirtualBox, which so far appears it will do the job.

Quote

I started out the other way, building servers without Graphical User Interfaces (GUI).

Many of us started long before the PC, Microsoft, or Apple, although too many years have passed for me to remember much about it. Back in the day, a computer with a fraction of today's PC capabilities took up a huge air conditioned room.

Ned · « **Reply #13 on:** May 31, 2012, 02:50:44 PM »

Some of us go back to when a server was the person that brought you food in a restaurant and had nothing to do with computers

A user interface was a bunch of toggle switches and lamps.

Tom · « **Reply #14 on:** May 31, 2012, 02:57:00 PM »

Quote

A user interface was a bunch of toggle switches and lamps.

I remember those days

carson · « **Reply #15 on:** May 31, 2012, 04:19:05 PM »

Yeah, remember the good old PDP-8 machine ?

Ned · « **Reply #16 on:** May 31, 2012, 04:26:13 PM »

Quote from: carson on May 31, 2012, 04:19:05 PM

Yeah, remember the good old PDP-8 machine ?

I was thinking about a few years earlier than that. The PDP-8 came out in 1965. I had programmed for at least 4 different computer models by then

carson · « **Reply #17 on:** May 31, 2012, 05:54:33 PM »

Good stuff, Ned. I was fairly young at the time.... 30 or so...you must be a real old geezer. Time to change your avator...

Tom · « **Reply #18 on:** June 02, 2012, 05:35:11 PM »

Quote

.... installed under Ubuntu is Firefox, but I can't figure out how to import my old bookmarks.

FWIW I finally figured this out, with a little help from Google to jog my memory. Copying the bookmarks.html file or the profile wasn't an option, because they were on the drive that crashed. However, I kept backups of my bookmarks, which were exported and stored as .json files. Copied the latest bookmarks-2012-date.json file to the Ubuntu desktop, opened the FF browser, Bookmarks|Import|Show all bookmarks, and selected the .json file. Voilla! All bookmarks imported and organized the way they were on the crashed drive.

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Author Topic: Importing FF bookmarks under Linux (Read 637 times)