GNU IceCat

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GNU IceCat
Developed by Gnuzilla team
Latest release 2.0.0.13-g1
OS GNU/Linux
Genre Web browser
License MPL/GPL/LGPL tri-license
Website http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/

GNU IceCat, formerly known as GNU IceWeasel,[1] is a web browser distributed by the GNU Project. IceCat, which is made entirely of free software, is a fork of Mozilla Firefox. It is compatible with the GNU and Linux operating systems.

The GNU Project aims with IceCat to provide a version of the Mozilla Firefox browser which is kept in synchronization with upstream development of Firefox while removing the proprietary artwork and software plugin repositories used in the official release by the Mozilla Corporation, which are classified as non-free by certain free software advocates.[2]

Contents

[edit] Features

The main advantage of GNU IceCat is that it is entirely free software.[3] Differences from the official Firefox release:

  • Contains only free software
    • Replacement of the proprietary artwork with free artwork
    • Removal of the proprietary Talkback crash reporting system (due to its non-free "binary only distribution" licensing)
    • Use of a plugin finder service that offers only free plugins
  • Added privacy features — protection from:
    • 3rd party zero-length image files resulting in 3rd party cookie (web bugs).[3] Note that in Firefox 1.0 and 1.5 3rd party cookies can be disabled completely via the UI. However the UI option was removed in 2.0. It will return in 3.0.
    • URL redirection (warning only)[3]

[edit] History

[edit] Origins of the name

As required by trademark law, in order to keep its trademark Mozilla enforces trademarks according to its stated policy and can deny the use of the name "Firefox" to unofficial builds that fall outside certain guidelines.[4] Unless distributions use the binaries supplied by Mozilla, fall within the guidelines, or else have special permission, they must compile the Firefox source with a compile-time option enabled that creates binaries without the official branding of Firefox and related artwork, using either the built-in free artwork, or artwork provided at compile time.[4]

This policy led to a long debate within the Debian Project in 2004 and 2005. During this debate, the name "Iceweasel" was coined to refer to rebranded versions of Firefox. The first known use of the name in this context is by Nathanael Nerode,[5] in reply to Eric Dorland's suggestion of "Icerabbit".[6] It was intended as a parody of "Firefox."[3] Iceweasel was subsequently used as the example name for a rebranded Firefox in the Mozilla Trademark Policy,[4] and became the most commonly used name for a hypothetical rebranded version of Firefox. By January 1, 2005, rebranding was being referred to as the "Iceweasel route".[7]

The term "ice weasel" appeared earlier in a line fictionally attributed by Matt Groening to Friedrich Nietzsche: "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come."[8]

Debian was originally given permission to use the trademarks, and adopted the Firefox name.[9] However, because the artwork in Firefox has a proprietary copyright license which is not compatible with the Debian Free Software Guidelines, the substituted logo had to remain.[10] In 2006, Mozilla withdrew their permission for Debian to use the Firefox name due to significant changes to the browser that Mozilla deemed outside the boundaries of its policy, changes which Debian felt were important enough to keep, and Iceweasel was revived in its place.

[edit] Gnuzilla IceWeasel release

In August 2005,[11] the Gnuzilla project adopted the IceWeasel name for a Firefox distribution[11] using free artwork.

The first Gnuzilla IceWeasel release was based on the 1.5.0.4[12] version of Firefox. There was no release based on Firefox 1.5.0.5 or 1.5.0.6. The current version is 2.0.0.13-g1, released in April 2008.

[edit] Change of name

On 23 September 2007, one of the developers announced on the official mailing list for Gnuzilla that the next release would be branded IceCat. The reason cited was that Debian was already using the name IceWeasel before Gnuzilla was, and to avoid confusion because both forks are independent of each other.[1] The name change took place as planned and IceCat is the current name.[3]

[edit] Distribution

IceCat is available as a free download for the 32-bit, i386 architecture. Both binaries and source are available, though the current build is available only for GNU/Linux.

[edit] Licensing

Gnuzilla is available under the MPL/GPL/LGPL tri-license that Mozilla uses for source code. Unlike Mozilla, IceCat's default icons are under the same tri-license.

[edit] Proposed improvements

There have been some suggestions made for the Google Summer of Code for 2008 to improve IceCat.[13] These include:

  • Porting IceCat to the Firefox 3 codebase
  • More support for free plugins such as Gnash
  • Privacy features changes

[edit] See also

Free software Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Re: ice weasel. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
  2. ^ List of What's Removed.
  3. ^ a b c d e Gnuzilla Homepage
  4. ^ a b c Mozilla Trademark Policy.
  5. ^ Nathanael Nerode 27 Feb 2004 email to debian-legal.
  6. ^ Eric Dorland 27 Feb 2004 email to debian-devel.
  7. ^ Joel Aelwyn 01 Jan 2005 email to debian-legal.
  8. ^ Groening, Matt (1986). Love Is Hell. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0394744543. 
  9. ^ Gervase Markham 14 Jun 2005 email to debian-devel.
  10. ^ Gervase Markham 19 Jun 2005 email to debian-devel.
  11. ^ a b Gnuzilla/IceWeasel Project Application.
  12. ^ IceWeasel 1.5.0.4 Download location.
  13. ^ Summer of Code project suggestions for GNU. Retrieved on 2008-04-13.

[edit] External links

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