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this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2024
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Privacy
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Arkenfox is not a fork FYI
How is it not a fork?
It is a script that automatically changes the internal flags of Firefox (accessed manually through "about:config") but isn't a recompile. A fork that uses most of the Arkenfox config is Librewolf.
That sounds like the definition of a fork
Arkenfox quite literally is not a fork. It is just changing settings. That is like saying I am making a Firefox fork by changing it to dark theme and changing the default search engine to Bing.
Arkenfox isn't a fork, even with a script it is manual for much of it. A fork requires redistributing the code, which for Firefox requires the Dev to change the name and replace icons of the application (to comply with Firefox's license), which requires modifying the source code and compiling.
Taking the latest release and then running a script to patch it with some modifications is the definition of a fork.
By your logic, Tor Browser isn't a fork of Firefox.
Tor makes changes to the FF source though for it to run, no?
Arkenfox merely makes config changes in FF
Its not modifying the code, it's changing existing settings that are already available to be changed to optimal settings for privacy...
It is not a fork you are completely wrong.
No, you're mistaken. A fork is a whole new product. This is not a whole new product. It's a patch.
It is not patching Firefox. I already explained this bit I will say it again. No source code is changed, no promo icons, and no recompile is done, therefore it is not a fork. Tor browser does a lot of stuff behind the scenes. Arkenfox is not a fork. Tor browser comes prebundled with "No Script" extension, arkenfox cannot bundle extensions because it literally only copies text from one config file to another. Tor browser patches out the phone home to the Mozilla Add-on Store, Arkenfox literally cannot because it doesn't modify the code and without recompiling it causes a crash. There are many many more differences between forks of Firefox and Arkenfox, I'll leave that research for you because I think I have said enough. Arkenfox is not a fork of Firefox by definition, it does not modify any code. It would be like saying "I forked Minecraft" because I create a text file with my fav config of keybinds and settings and then share that config. Arkenfox is just a text file config and a script that modifies the default config of an existing Firefox profile. When you create a new Firefox profile, it is generated as default without Arkenfox settings. Librewolf, which uses much of Arkenfox's user.js config, must follow the forking guidelines outlined by Mozilla, patches out phone homes, bundles extensions, changes ui, and (crucially) if you create a new profile, it is preconfigured with security and privacy settings.
My understanding is that this Arkenfox thing is a script that changes the config of your existing Firefox install. A fork would be a version of Firefox you can download that has those changes applied by default upon download.
It’s more akin to a plugin since it doesn’t change the code at all.
It's a template to help set all the security and privacy hardening features that Firefox already ships with but are disabled by default.
Arkenfox is simply a set of configuration you can (and should) apply yourself onto a clean Firefox installation.
A fork means taking the source code and modifying it directly, not providing an alternative configuration file.