Re: Packaging a free Firefox

[Nils Gillmann <gillmann@infotropique.org>]

Nils Gillmann transcribed 2.4K bytes:
> Clément Lassieur transcribed 1.5K bytes:
> > 
> > Clément Lassieur <clement@lassieur.org> writes:
> > 
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > I find Icecat very buggy, even if I compare it to a home-made Firefox
> > > package that inherits Icecat (and thus is very close to Icecat).  For
> > > example I can't even pay with my credit card with icecat-52-guix,
> > > whereas I can with firefox-home-52-guix.  (It looks like a javascript
> > > issue.)  Also, lots of videos don't work, and it's difficult to know
> > > whether it's because of technical issues or because of DRM.
> > >
> > > This may discourage people from using GuixSD.
> > >
> > > My understanding is that Icecat exists because of two reasons:
> > >   1. a trademark/logo issue,
> > >   2. the need to remove non-free code from Firefox.
> > >
> > > But it does more:
> > >   3. it only packages the stables versions of Firefox,
> > >   4. it adds add-ons,
> > >   5. it prevents the installation of non-free plugins,
> > >   6. probably other things that I'm not aware of.
> > >
> > > It seems to me that the trademark/logo issue and the non-free code
> > > removal could be dealt with at the Guix packaging level.  It's probably
> > > just a huge bunch of substitutes to do.  The package would be huge, but
> > > at least we would have control on it.
> > >
> > > That would remove a layer of complexity, and probably reduce bugs (that
> > > come from that layer).  That would also allow us to have a recent
> > > version of Firefox.
> > >
> > > And it would be way better than everyone (I exaggerate a bit) having his
> >                                                                 their  ^
> > > home-made non-maintened full-of-security-issues Firefox.
> > >
> > > What do you think?
> > > Clément
> > 
> > 
> Among other things I've been working on Firefox. Not exactly with the intention
> of a free one per se, but at least to have it. I've been updating Aurora Nightly
> for a while.
> Thing is, it get's tricky after 54.0 due to mandatory Rust. I wanted to give the
> Rust problem another try soon, if you are serious about this, I can try and summarize
> it or provide snippets. You'l be able to find the package definitions, but they do
> not apply to Guix package structure (also I need to relicense it. whatever you'll
> find AGPL3 licensed is in fact GPL3 licensed now. I am just too busy to fix the
> headers, will do it on the weekend).. if I have commited the recent changes to the
> wip version.
> I seem to remember that the gnuzilla mailinglist did drop some hints about the core
> issue I had with rust.
> 
Addition: I think constructing and maintaing a free, unbranded version of Firefox (Aurora)
or even a branded one with a Guix theme is possible. What icecat does is not that complex
but it requires at least more than 1 person checking the sources continuously. Furthermore
we'd need a common ground of goals what changes would be applied and what changes are a
no-go.