Tor Browser

[ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès)]

ng0 <ng0@we.make.ritual.n0.is> skribis:

> On 2016-06-24(02:09:39PM+0200), Ludovic Courtès wrote:

[...]

>> > (define-public firefox
>> >   (package
>> >     (name "firefox")
>> >     (version "45.2.0esr")
>>
>> What is the goal here?
>>
>> Guix proper can provide IceCat (which modifies Firefox to comply with
>> trademark rules, to comply with the GNU FSDG¹, and to enhance privacy),
>> maybe Tor Browser (assuming it complies with the FSDG as well), but not
>> stock Firefox (unless the trademark issue and FSDG violations are
>> resolved.)
>
> Writing a base for torbrowser

Great!  Then I think you don’t need to worry about Firefox at all.
Maybe TB uses Firefox’s source and then patches it, but that doesn’t
mean we need a Firefox package.

>> Besides, I think it should be possible to (inherit icecat) rather than
>> duplicate all the recipe.
>
> True, but between 38.8 and 45.2.0 things change, patches can not be reused,
> and the reason I gave above.

Then use the Firefox 45 source as a starting point.

> I am more willing to maintain another fork of firefox than to
> wait for icecat to be recent enough to be usable as a base for
> a torbrowser package.

I think there’s a misunderstanding: if Guix provides Tor Browser, then
it should provide precisely Tor Browser, not Firecat or Icefox with 20
patches.  :-)

> Additionally I was about to get in contact with torproject and
> ask about possible trademark/confusion issues on their side,
> the unsent email:

I think we do not need to bother them.  AFAIK, we can use the name “Tor
Browser” just fine, so there’s no reason to invent another name or
anything.

The only issue that needs to be addressed (but again, we don’t need to
bother the Tor folks with that) is whether Tor Browser is FSDG-compliant
(concretely, whether it recommends non-free software, for instance.)

HTH!

Ludo’.