diff -ur a/lib/configure.py b/lib/configure.py
--- a/lib/configure.py	2016-10-10 16:42:40.000000000 +0100
+++ b/lib/configure.py	2016-10-12 11:35:40.602241885 +0100
@@ -595,7 +595,7 @@
 \Format tiff       tif     TIFF                   "" "%s"	"%s"	""	"image/tiff"
 \Format xbm        xbm     XBM                    "" "%s"	"%s"	""	"image/x-xbitmap"
 \Format xpm        xpm     XPM                    "" "%s"	"%s"	""	"image/x-xpixmap"'''
-    path, iv = checkViewerNoRC('a raster image viewer', ['xv', 'kview', 'gimp-remote', 'gimp'], rc_entry = [imageformats])
+    path, iv = checkViewerNoRC('a raster image viewer', ['xdg-open', 'xv', 'kview', 'gimp-remote', 'gimp'], rc_entry = [imageformats])
     path, ie = checkEditorNoRC('a raster image editor', ['gimp-remote', 'gimp'], rc_entry = [imageformats])
     addToRC(imageformats % \
         (iv, ie, iv, ie, iv, ie, iv, ie, iv, ie, iv, ie, iv, ie, iv, ie, iv, ie, iv, ie) )
@@ -636,7 +636,7 @@
 \Format html_table html   "HTML Table (for spreadsheets)"      "" "" "%%"    "document"	"text/html"
 \Format oocalc     ods    "OpenDocument spreadsheet" "" "" "%%"    "document"	"application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet"'''])
  #
-    checkViewer('an HTML previewer', ['firefox', 'mozilla file://$$p$$i', 'netscape'],
+    checkViewer('an HTML previewer', ['xdg-open', 'firefox', 'mozilla file://$$p$$i', 'netscape'],
         rc_entry = [r'\Format xhtml      xhtml   "LyXHTML"              y "%%" ""    "document,menu=export"	"application/xhtml+xml"'])
  #
     checkEditor('a BibTeX editor', ['jabref', 'JabRef', \
@@ -649,14 +649,14 @@
     #
     #checkProg('a Postscript interpreter', ['gs'],
     #  rc_entry = [ r'\ps_command "%%"' ])
-    checkViewer('a Postscript previewer', ['kghostview', 'okular', 'qpdfview --unique', 'evince', 'gv', 'ghostview -swap', 'gsview64', 'gsview32'],
+    checkViewer('a Postscript previewer', ['xdg-open', 'kghostview', 'okular', 'qpdfview --unique', 'evince', 'gv', 'ghostview -swap', 'gsview64', 'gsview32'],
         rc_entry = [r'''\Format eps        eps     EPS                    "" "%%"	""	"vector"	"image/x-eps"
 \Format eps2       eps    "EPS (uncropped)"       "" "%%"	""	"vector"	""
 \Format eps3       eps    "EPS (cropped)"         "" "%%"	""	"document"	""
 \Format ps         ps      Postscript             t  "%%"	""	"document,vector,menu=export"	"application/postscript"'''])
     # for xdg-open issues look here: http://www.mail-archive.com/lyx-devel@lists.lyx.org/msg151818.html
     # the MIME type is set for pdf6, because that one needs to be autodetectable by libmime
-    checkViewer('a PDF previewer', ['pdfview', 'kpdf', 'okular', 'qpdfview --unique', 'evince', 'kghostview', 'xpdf', 'SumatraPDF', 'acrobat', 'acroread', 'mupdf', \
+    checkViewer('a PDF previewer', ['xdg-open', 'pdfview', 'kpdf', 'okular', 'qpdfview --unique', 'evince', 'kghostview', 'xpdf', 'SumatraPDF', 'acrobat', 'acroread', 'mupdf', \
 		    'gv', 'ghostview', 'AcroRd32', 'gsview64', 'gsview32'],
         rc_entry = [r'''\Format pdf        pdf    "PDF (ps2pdf)"          P  "%%"	""	"document,vector,menu=export"	""
 \Format pdf2       pdf    "PDF (pdflatex)"        F  "%%"	""	"document,vector,menu=export"	""
@@ -667,14 +667,14 @@
 \Format pdf7       pdf    "PDF (cropped)"         "" "%%"	""	"document,vector"	""
 \Format pdf8       pdf    "PDF (lower resolution)"         "" "%%"	""	"document,vector"	""'''])
     #
-    checkViewer('a DVI previewer', ['xdvi', 'kdvi', 'okular', 'yap', 'dviout -Set=!m'],
+    checkViewer('a DVI previewer', ['xdg-open', 'xdvi', 'kdvi', 'okular', 'yap', 'dviout -Set=!m'],
         rc_entry = [r'''\Format dvi        dvi     DVI                    D  "%%"	""	"document,vector,menu=export"	"application/x-dvi"
 \Format dvi3       dvi     "DVI (LuaTeX)"          V  "%%"	""	"document,vector,menu=export"	""'''])
     if dtl_tools:
         # Windows only: DraftDVI
         addToRC(r'\Format dvi2       dvi     DraftDVI               ""	""	""	"vector"	""')
     #
-    checkViewer('an HTML previewer', ['firefox', 'mozilla file://$$p$$i', 'netscape'],
+    checkViewer('an HTML previewer', ['xdg-open', 'firefox', 'mozilla file://$$p$$i', 'netscape'],
         rc_entry = [r'\Format html      "html, htm" HTML                H  "%%"	""	"document,menu=export"	"text/html"'])
     #
     checkViewerEditor('Noteedit', ['noteedit'],