Where are application files on Ubuntu Linux?

most are in /usr/share. It’s not like Program Files though; the executable is somewhere under /usr/ , but the profile/settings for that application (or any app) is in the Home folder, hidden. To show the hidden files, hit CTRL+H.

@Truefire /agree

the binary files of the installed programs are either in usr/bin or in usr/share/bin

@Truefire and @daemonelson : But for my purposes I should be looking for the binary files in usr/share/bin like @Sebulba said, correct? I was aware of the hidden files in Home but have mostly needed to access those to delete or restore application profiles, not run the programs themselves.

/usr/bin. However, if you use gnome-open (in Ubuntu) then it will automatically open the thing with the application you configured for it. Thus, if you ever switch browsers, you don’t have to change that value again.

Not sure how to set that up. By default Thunderbird 3 asks me to browse for a – poor word choice – ‘browser.’ It doesn’t just open the link I left click on in my default browser (or any browser for that matter). Is there a way to direct it to use gnome-open/the default automatically?

I think you could set some kind of script up, but I haven’t the proper knowledge. I suggest the Ubuntu Forums.

You can point it to ”/usr/bin/gnome-open” (I’m guessing just “gnome-open” will work as well but you can use the former to be sure). That should run the default, if you want to specifically pick Firefox for Thunderbird then you’d use ”/usr/bin/firefox”.

(I don’t know where it lets you pick this but if it’s anything like Firefox you can probably click a “Browse” button, then you can click “Filesystem” on the left-hand side, click usr, click bin, then click gnome-open.)