Firefox request on librem5

Firefox is awesome because of customization with extensions and with about:config
As privacy minded user i do really alot of customization and do it again is really painfull.
My request for the librem5 is to have a firefox version compatible with the desktop, so we can just copy paste the profiles and use it, the option to use multiple profile is a must too, and i think in a privacy focussed product like the librem5 should have these options

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Have you tried your profiles with PureBrowser? If the profiles are compatible with Firefox ESR I think they will probably work (~/.purism/purebrowser/).

Otherwise you could install Firefox manually, another user posted a good how-to here.

I do not use purebrowser, if someone could try your suggestion could be usefull, anyway i whould know if the librem5 firefox version will be compatible with the desktop, because for example on android is not

Note that the linux version of Firefox doesn’t have a UI suitable for a 5’ touchscreen.

I do not care about ui, just profiles compatibility to copy paste from pc to the smartphone

That would be the desktop version of firefox. The version of firefox that runs on Android Linux is suitable for a 5" touch screen but will not work on PureOS out of the box. The desktop version runs on Windows, Gnu/Linux, GNU/BSD, and MacOS so I wouldn’t call it the “linux version”.

My point was that the only version running on Linux is the desktop one. The Android one has a native Java front end, so relies heavily on Android itself (no surprise). I still don’t see an easy way forward for a gecko based browser on the Librem 5.

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Like sailfish browser? Although it will pull all the pile of silica/nemomobile QML widgets. Also it’s based on quite dated version of gecko.

I hope the librem5 firefox is the desktop version so my request will be accomplished, i want to migrate my desktop profiles in librem, not the android version

But what will you do with your profile on the librem5 if the app itself is unusable?

Why should be inusable?

As I said, the UX is not designed for a 5 inches touchscreen.

As i inow they will use arm debian/pureos so they should use the linux desktop version of firefox building a differebt ui for touch, if this is true i think profile will be compatible, but only purism know what they do

According to https://developer.puri.sm/Design/Apps_overview.html#must-have-apps they do not plan to port Firefox, but Epiphany to the Librem 5. So an adapted Firefox would probably be a 3rd party application.

That s a real bad news to me

Why? Firefox on Android is not produced by Google and works quite fine. You can find somebody to port Firefox for you or hope that someone else (e.g. from Mozilla) is interested to do the porting.

Hi @eagle,

Firefox uses GTK3 for its UI. Purism’s Adrien is developping/has developped a GTK widget to ease the porting of regular GTK apps to what Purism calls adaptive apps (read responsive).

Purism has a limited budget, which means limited manpower, to launch its Librem 5. This make sense for them to port the simplest app (i.e. Epiphany) to get a minimum viable product at launch.

Let’s keep in mind that Purism also develops and maintains PureBrowser, which is based on Firefox ESR. The latest version of Firefox ESR is not yet based on Photon UI, thus does not yet completely uses GTK, but still uses XUL (if I’m correct). It totally makes sense that Purism focuses on Epiphany for the Librem 5 launch, and then spends resources to get an adaptive version of PureBrowser after the next ESR release.

Edit: I should also mention that Purism tries to get all its change integrated upstream, mostly not to have to maintain forks. They already partnered up with the GNOME Foundation, but I do not think they have contacts at Mozilla.

Thabks for the replies
I feel firefox as the only browser i can setup for a complete privacy, i m not able to port because i m not a developer, so i can just hope someone else will do it, or to find a way to use the regular firefox for linux on librem5

Many think the same :wink:

Actually, the best you can do is to:

  • Help building a welcoming community so potential users become actual users
  • Spread gently and softly (no harrassment or agressive marketing) the awareness about why privacy matters and how Purism products can help
  • Do anything that is not harmful to anyone and helps the Librem 5 userbase to grow :slight_smile:

If there is enough demand, Mozilla might consider supporting fully the Librem 5 environment

I already spread the word because i feel purism goal important for freedom and democracy

Mozilla help open source project usually should be nice for purism to get in touch with them for a librem 5 port, they already have a linux version i think is just about UI