Difference between revisions of "Gnuzilla"
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|Name=GNU IceCat | |Name=GNU IceCat | ||
|Short description=GNU version of Mozilla Firefox | |Short description=GNU version of Mozilla Firefox | ||
| − | |Full description='''GNUzilla''' is the GNU version of the Mozilla suite, and '''GNU IceCat''' is the GNU version of the Firefox browser. The GNU Project keeps IceCat in synchronization with upstream development of Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release). | + | |Full description='''GNUzilla''' is the GNU version of the Mozilla suite, and '''GNU IceCat''' is the GNU version of the Firefox browser. The GNU Project keeps IceCat in synchronization with upstream development of Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release) with scripts available at http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/gnuzilla.git. |
The goal of the IceCat project is to provide a completely free version of the popular mozilla source code. It is part of Gnuzilla, the umbrella project analogous to Mozilla. While the source code from the Mozilla project is free software, the binaries that they release include additional non-free software. Also, they distribute non-free software as plug-ins. (IceCat does keep the triple licensing used by Firefox to facilitate the reuse of code.) IceCat also includes some privacy protection features: | The goal of the IceCat project is to provide a completely free version of the popular mozilla source code. It is part of Gnuzilla, the umbrella project analogous to Mozilla. While the source code from the Mozilla project is free software, the binaries that they release include additional non-free software. Also, they distribute non-free software as plug-ins. (IceCat does keep the triple licensing used by Firefox to facilitate the reuse of code.) IceCat also includes some privacy protection features: | ||
Revision as of 02:18, 26 March 2015
GNU IceCat
GNU IceCat is the GNU version of the Firefox browser.
Since 2019, IceCat is maintained only as source code. The last IceCat binary release was version 60.7.0, and is no longer supported. Guix and Parabola have up-to-date IceCat binaries. Please ask your distro to package IceCat.
However, IceCat is not a straight fork of Firefox ESR; instead, it is a parallel effort that works closely with and re-bases in synchronization on the latest Firefox ESR as the upstream supplier, with patches merged upstream whenever possible; although it should be noted that additional security updates are customized to IceCat occasionally.
Differences between IceCat and Firefox ESR
Important differences between Mozilla's Firefox and GNU IceCat is that IceCat has a focus on freedom and privacy (see settings.js for details).
- Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) is not implemented: Whereas Firefox are being created such that they support Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) systems through their implementation of the Encrypted Media Extension (EME), GNU IceCat doesn't include an EME implementation as it opposes efforts to popularize and ease the dissemination of DRM technology.
- Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc. is not installed in about:addons > Plugins
- The Play DRM-controlled content option (used to download and enable Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.) has been removed from about:preferences > Content
- "Accept third-party cookies: Never"
- WebRTC is enabled like in Firefox but prevent leaking the LAN ip. (Test WebRTC)
- The proprietary web chat IRC client Mibbit has been removed.
- Telemetry is disabled.
- DuckDuckGo is the default search engine, which means that you can run "!Bangs" keywords in the location bar to use any search engine.
Philosophy
"We will always make IceCat block non-free JavaScript by default. If you want to permit nonfree software to run, you can easily disable LibreJS." - Richard Stallman
Customized add-ons
- SpyBlock (Adblock Plus fork) to block privacy trackers.
History
GNU IceCat was formerly known as GNU IceWeasel but changed its name in 2008 to avoid confusion with Debian IceWeasel (who was rebranded back to Firefox in 2017 after Debian was being granted special permission from Mozilla ref).
The GNU IceCat developers dropped support for IceCatMobile on Replicant after version 38.6.0 because these builds are already provided by F-Droid. See Collection:Replicant for more information about IceCatMobile in the F-Droid repository.
GNU IceCat developers dropped support for macOS, and Windows, after version 38.8.0 in 2016: "Note that building binary packages for Windows and macOS currently requires non-free software, so we no longer distribute binary releases for those platforms."
See also
Documentation
Why not recommend Firefox? As explained in our Free Software Definition, all four freedoms must be available on both a commercial and non-commercial basis. Mozilla's trademark policy serves to limit Freedom 2 to gratis distribution only, making the software nonfree.
IRC general channel- irc://irc.libera.chat/#icecat
Download
OpenPGP signature URL: https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gnuzilla/60.7.0/icecat-60.7.0-gnu1.tar.bz2.sig
User level
Beginner
Donate link
https://my.fsf.org/donate/Accepts cryptocurrency donations.
Paid support
https://www.fsf.org/resources/service/VCS Checkout
git clone git://git.savannah.gnu.org/gnuzilla.gitCategories
- Html-editor:text-based
- Interface:x-window-system
- Internet-application:privacy
- Internet-application:security
- Internet-application:web-browser
- Programming-language:C
- Programming-language:C++
- Programming-language:javascript
- Programming-language:rust
- Runs-on:GNU/Linux
- Runs-on:Windows
- Runs-on:OS X
- Runs-on:Android
- Runs-on:BSD
- UI Toolkit:xul
- Use:internet-application
- Works-with:html
- Works-with:images
- Works-with-format:mp3
- Works-with-format:ogg-vorbis
- Works-with-format:FLAC
- Works-with-format:ogg-theora
- Works-with-format:opus
- Works-with-format:webm
- Works-with-format:pdf
- Works-with-format:rdf
Related Projects
Licensing
License
Verified by
Verified on
Notes
License
Verified by
David Hedlund
Verified on
12 July 2015
Notes
"Because we hope and want our privacy enhancements to be picked up by Mozilla itself, we are keeping the same tri-licensing scheme for Gnuzilla/IceCat as GNU uses: MPL/GPL/LGPL." - README.IceCat
License
Verified by
David Hedlund
Verified on
5 October 2016
Notes
"Binaries of this product have been made available to you by the GNU Project under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL)." - Help -> About IceCat
License
Verified by
David Hedlund
Verified on
15 August 2015
Notes
"Because we hope and want our privacy enhancements to be picked up by Mozilla itself, we are keeping the same tri-licensing scheme for Gnuzilla/IceCat as GNU uses: MPL/GPL/LGPL." - README.IceCat
License
Verified by
David Hedlund
Verified on
12 July 2015
Notes
"Because we hope and want our privacy enhancements to be picked up by Mozilla itself, we are keeping the same tri-licensing scheme for Gnuzilla/IceCat as GNU uses: MPL/GPL/LGPL." - README.IceCat
Leaders and contributors
| Contact(s) | Role |
|---|---|
| Rubén Rodríguez (Quidam) | Maintainer |
Resources and communication
Software prerequisites
This entry (in part or in whole) was last reviewed on 19 January 2019.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the page “GNU Free Documentation License”.
The copyright and license notices on this page only apply to the text on this page. Any software or copyright-licenses or other similar notices described in this text has its own copyright notice and license, which can usually be found in the distribution or license text itself.