Using torbrowser-launcher instead of tb-updater in Whonix

In past it was because we were installing Tor Browser by default and because torbrowser-launcher does not support batch mode ( Batch mode to only download the torbrowser · Issue #98 · torproject/torbrowser-launcher · GitHub) ( gui-less mode · Issue #39 · torproject/torbrowser-launcher · GitHub). This isn’t a reason anymore, we no longer install Tor Browser by default.

I am hoping it will be possible some time in future. I guess it needs someone contributing to it. At least reporting features we’d require for Whonix, maybe contributing code for it.

Grave bug:

It doesn’t work on Debian jessie yet - as you said - bug report link?

It doesn’t support
–new-window --newwindow -new-window -newwindow)
–new-tab --newtab -new-tab -newtab)
yet?

tb-updater runs when running in Whonix a connectivity check, sees if Tor has already established a circuit. Maybe we could ask for a hole to run that code in torbrowser-launcher (by reading a config, by running plugin code).

Does it defeat an endless data attack [suppose due to some bug or hack file sizes get apparently 100000 GB] (like max download file size)?

Multiple languages support available or on the horizon?

Could it work in conjunction with tb-default-browser ( GitHub - Kicksecure/tb-default-browser: Configures system to use /usr/bin/torbrowser as default browser) (I can look into this if the other issues become clearer as well.)?

Could it work in conjunction with open-link-confirmation ( GitHub - Kicksecure/open-link-confirmation: Asks for confirmation before opening links - For better security. - Asks before a link is (accidentally) opened in a browser to avoid linking activities.)?

In case of emergency, could you jump in, fix any critical bugs or take over maintenance of it in case Micah gives up on it?

Fixed "Error checking for updates" in debian jessie · Issue #116 · torproject/torbrowser-launcher · GitHub. (Soon in Debian.)

It doesn't work on Debian jessie yet - as you said - bug report link?
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=755684

Let me have a closer look at it before I can answer (or not) your questions.

Trying to answer some of your questions.

It doesn't work on Debian jessie yet - as you said - bug report link?

The package is available and an it had an update, bu still nor working for me. Opened an issue "Error checking for updates" cont'd in Debian jessie · Issue #118 · torproject/torbrowser-launcher · GitHub. Perhaps I should have gone directly to Debian, but I am still a little shy. It is working with wheezy in a VM.

It doesn't support --new-window --newwindow -new-window -newwindow) --new-tab --newtab -new-tab -newtab) yet?

Do you mean opening several instances of torbrowser or new tabs in a running instances? No. Any subsequent call to a running torbrowser-launcher just sets the focus to it. It does not take arguments (except -settings for running the settings GUI instead of torbrowser).

Multiple languages support available

Yes.

Could it work in conjunction with open-link-confirmation (https://github.com/Whonix/open-link-confirmation)?

Regarding open-link-confirmation, have you added $open_in_tool_extra_opts (–new-tab) and tb_start_new_tab() in /usr/bin/torbrowser for Whonix 9? I seem to remember that open-link-confirmation was opening a new window.

Anyhow, that could make it easier to get it working with torbrowser-launcher.

Was a good choice here. Micah is the one taking care of it anyway and more people read it on github.

[quote=“troubadour, post:4, topic:385”][quote]It doesn’t support
–new-window --newwindow -new-window -newwindow)
–new-tab --newtab -new-tab -newtab)
yet?[/quote]

Do you mean opening several instances of torbrowser or new tabs in a running instances?[/quote]
Yes.

Regarding open-link-confirmation, have you added $open_in_tool_extra_opts (--new-tab) and tb_start_new_tab() in /usr/bin/torbrowser for Whonix 9?

Yes. (https://github.com/Whonix/open-link-confirmation/blob/master/usr/lib/open_link_confirmation#L90)

No. Any subsequent call to a running torbrowser-launcher just sets the focus to it. It does not take arguments (except -settings for running the settings GUI instead of torbrowser).
There is now a ticket for that by the way: https://github.com/micahflee/torbrowser-launcher/issues/103

When that gets implemented, I’ll open tickets for suggesting tb-default-browser and open-link-confirmation. Not doing that right now, because it would still be blocked by that ticket.

I think tb-updater is more robust than torbrowser-launcher. I had Murphy’s law “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” in mind when developing tb-updater.

torbrowser-launcher is still going thought the learning phase how many things can go wrong and not to assume anything.

Example:
launcher tries to update to alpha branch

I think tb-updater is more robust than torbrowser-launcher. I had Murphy's law "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." in mind when developing tb-updater.

torbrowser-launcher is still going thought the learning phase how many things can go wrong and not to assume anything.


I am watching closely, and at this very moment, torbrowser-launcher is no longer working in jessie. Yes, Murphy’s law can be enduring.

Make it so you can pass URLs into torbrowser-launcher · Issue #103 · micahflee/torbrowser-launcher · GitHub is now implemented.

AppArmor permission for browser homepage #152:

add post install hooks:

TBB signing key will change?:

4.5a5 will likely not be startable because location of start-tor-browser changed:

The ticket for this is btw the following.
using torbrowser-launcher by default instead of tb-updater in Whonix:
https://phabricator.whonix.org/T18

However, it’s unlikely will be swiching from tb-updater to torbrowser-launcher.

A new feature that was added to tb-updater that is not available in torbrowser-launcher.
up to date versions of Tor Browsers in newly created AppVMs inherited from updated TemplateVMs:
https://phabricator.whonix.org/T417

More likely but still not on the horizon to get rid of tb-updater is to have Tor Browser properly packaged for Debian.