[Linux] MozillaBrowser uses deprecated "-remote" flag causing URL to be silently dropped on Firefox 57+

[vinhphamrvc]

• I verified I can reproduce this issue against latest Integration
  Build of Eclipse SDK

Steps to reproduce

• Install Firefox and Chrome on Linux
• Set Chrome as system default browser
• Preferences > General > Web Browser >
  Use external web browser > Select Firefox > Apply and Close
• Open any URL in Eclipse

I expected: Firefox opens with the URL

But got: Firefox launches but URL is not opened

Root Cause

MozillaBrowser uses deprecated "-remote openURL(...)" flag
which was removed in Firefox 57 (2017), causing URL to be
silently dropped.

Fix suggestion

// Before
parameters + " -remote openURL(" + IBrowserDescriptor.URL_PARAMETER + ")"

// After
parameters + " --new-tab " + IBrowserDescriptor.URL_PARAMETER

Tested under this environment:

• OS: Linux Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
• Eclipse version: Eclipse Platform 4.38 (2025-12) and CDT version 12.3.0.
• Firefox version: Mozilla Firefox 150.0.3

Note

The same deprecated "-remote" flag is also used in
DefaultWebBrowser.java but has not been verified whether
it is reachable in practice. It may need the same fix.

Community

• I understand reporting an issue to this OSS project does not
  mandate anyone to fix it. Other contributors may consider the
  issue, or not, at their own convenience. The most efficient way
  to get it fixed is that I fix it myself and contribute it back
  as a good quality patch to the project.

[merks]

Is this configurable via this option:

[vinhphamrvc]

No, this is not related to Workspace preferences.

The issue is in Preferences > General > Web Browser:

When selecting "Use external web browser" and choosing Firefox
(while Chrome is set as system default), opening any URL in
Eclipse launches Firefox but does not open the URL.

The root cause is in MozillaBrowser.java which uses the
deprecated "-remote openURL(...)" flag that was removed
in Firefox 57 (2017).

[merks]

Ah, yes, I mix up the system explorer with the web browser. Sorry.