Arctic Fox web browser for 10.6 (32 & 64-bit)

[Piscatorius]

Since ublock-for-firefox-legacy stopped supporting browsers like Arctic Fox with version 1.16.4.22, I simply use the same uBlock0-libre-1.16.4.8 for Arctic Fox that wicknix provided us with for SpiderWeb. In my humble opinion it works better in Arctic Fox than the ublock-for-firefox-legacy ever did.

 

[RobJos]

Since ublock-for-firefox-legacy stopped supporting browsers like Arctic Fox with version 1.16.4.22, I simply use the same uBlock0-libre-1.16.4.8 for Arctic Fox that wicknix provided us with for SpiderWeb. In my humble opinion it works better in Arctic Fox than the ublock-for-firefox-legacy ever did.

That's really interesting. Can you explain what the difference is, and possibly give some examples as to how it works better? For that matter, I've never really understood what those updates were good for — I mean, don't the filter lists get updated automatically?

 

[Piscatorius]

That's really interesting. Can you explain what the difference is, and possibly give some examples as to how it works better? For that matter, I've never really understood what those updates were good for — I mean, don't the filter lists get updated automatically?

First of all, let me say that I use Arctic Fox on my spare computer, an old iMac 5,1, which has been given new life thanks to Arctic Fox. Since my primary workstation is an iMac 14,3 and since I use the iMac 5,1 only as a secondary workstation, my requirements for the old iMac 5,1 are relatively modest. Of course, I don’t use the iMac 5,1 anymore for security related tasks that have to be done over the internet, i.e., no online banking, no online orders, etc. The iMac 5,1 is right next to the iMac 14,3 on my desk and I use it like a second, stand-alone screen where I can read the news and look up information in dictionaries or on the Internet when there’s no more room on the iMac 14.3 screen. The iMac 5,1 usually does this job quietly, silently and without any problems, thanks to Arctic Fox and an effective blocker.

As I said before, I use uBlock0-libre-1.16.4.8 since ublock-for-firefox-legacy does not support Arctic Fox anymore. The idea to use the same blocker made available to us for SpiderWeb in Arctic Fox came to my mind because I noticed that ublock-for-firefox-legacy felt heavier with every update and the loading times got longer and longer. And without further updates there was no chance for improvement. Therefore I wanted to try another blocker. First I installed Adblock Latitude from the Pale Moon Add-ons page. But I can’t recommend ABL, because it crashed my Arctic Fox several times with kernel panics and the computer had to be restarted every time. At some point I was so annoyed that I continued working with SpiderWeb, which I use as a secondary browser on my iMac 5,1. I noticed how fast, good and efficient this uBlock0-libre-1.16.4.8 works. And so I wanted to know how uBlock0-libre-1.16.4.8 behaves in combination with Arctic Fox. Well, and I can only tell you that Arctic Fox feels very comfortable with it. Most websites load reliably, lightning fast and without any advertising, and significantly better than was the case with ublock-for-firefox-legacy. I use relatively few filter lists for this. In addition to the standard filter lists, I only have the AdGuard Annoyances filter and the language specific filter lists for Dutch and German enabled.

 

[RobJos]

First of all, let me say that I use Arctic Fox on my spare computer, an old iMac 5,1, which has been given new life thanks to Arctic Fox. Since my primary workstation is an iMac 14,3 and since I use the iMac 5,1 only as a secondary workstation, my requirements for the old iMac 5,1 are relatively modest. Of course, I don’t use the iMac 5,1 anymore for security related tasks that have to be done over the internet, i.e., no online banking, no online orders, etc. The iMac 5,1 is right next to the iMac 14,3 on my desk and I use it like a second, stand-alone screen where I can read the news and look up information in dictionaries or on the Internet when there’s no more room on the iMac 14.3 screen. The iMac 5,1 usually does this job quietly, silently and without any problems, thanks to Arctic Fox and an effective blocker.

As I said before, I use uBlock0-libre-1.16.4.8 since ublock-for-firefox-legacy does not support Arctic Fox anymore. The idea to use the same blocker made available to us for SpiderWeb in Arctic Fox came to my mind because I noticed that ublock-for-firefox-legacy felt heavier with every update and the loading times got longer and longer. And without further updates there was no chance for improvement. Therefore I wanted to try another blocker. First I installed Adblock Latitude from the Pale Moon Add-ons page. But I can’t recommend ABL, because it crashed my Arctic Fox several times with kernel panics and the computer had to be restarted every time. At some point I was so annoyed that I continued working with SpiderWeb, which I use as a secondary browser on my iMac 5,1. I noticed how fast, good and efficient this uBlock0-libre-1.16.4.8 works. And so I wanted to know how uBlock0-libre-1.16.4.8 behaves in combination with Arctic Fox. Well, and I can only tell you that Arctic Fox feels very comfortable with it. Most websites load reliably, lightning fast and without any advertising, and significantly better than was the case with ublock-for-firefox-legacy. I use relatively few filter lists for this. In addition to the standard filter lists, I only have the AdGuard Annoyances filter and the language specific filter lists for Dutch and German enabled.

Thanks for all this info, very kind of you. I'll give it a try on my secondary machine, where the latest AF has been having a tendency to crash “out of the blue” (meaning: when I wasn't even close to the machine). Meanwhile, does our friendly developer wicknix have an opinion about all this?

 

[wicknix]

No real opinion. As mentioned i don't use ad block browser add-ons. They slow the initial load time of the browser, and use extra resources. A hosts file blocks all requests at the system level before it even reaches the browser or any other "online" application for that matter. The ublock-libre package i pulled from here: https://wiki.hyperbola.info/doku.php?id=en:project:iceweasel-uxp_addons (bottom of page). They removed the non-free filter lists, but otherwise it should work about the same as the official releases. Also since ublock-legacy no longer officially supports PM27/AF i can't say if just editing the install.rdf to install it means it will work as it should. I'd stick with the older supported versions and just update your filter lists from time to time.

Cheers

 

[RobJos]

Thanks, wicknix. Never heard of "Iceweasel-UXP" (as time goes, there seem to be more and more things one has never heard of). Do you have an idea whether all the addons listed there actually work in AF a/o SW, or if they'd have to be tested one by one (and possibly edited as per your little trick)? Like, first in the list, DownThemAll! is 3.0.8, whereas I've got 2.0.18.1 currently installed in AF. It would be neat if we could just take them and go ahead and update.

 

[RobJos]

Anyone tried getting a new credit card these days without being forced to use a so-called smartphone? Much to my chagrin one of these devices had to make its way into the house, Android installed and endowed with the Ggl family up the w***o. Besides exterminating as many of them as possible, what kind of app do the security and privacy-conscious users of AF and SW recommend for elementary browsing? Pale Moon stopped in 2014, apparently.

 

[Amethyst1]

what kind of app do the security and privacy-conscious users of AF and SW recommend for elementary browsing?

I just use Firefox but am running LineageOS with microG and the F-Droid "app" store - I'm not signed into any kind of account either - in an attempt to cut down on the data that is being sent to you-know-where. Works for me.

 

[RobJos]

I just use Firefox but am running LineageOS with microG and the F-Droid "app" store - I'm not signed into any kind of account either - in an attempt to cut down on the data that is being sent to you-know-where. Works for me.

Thanks, will give those a try.

 

[z970]

@Amethyst1 I was very pleased with LineageOS 7.1 when I still had it on my Nook HD. I mainly just used F-Droid and the Android WebView browser for everything, and it always worked without a hitch.

Although I replaced it with CyanogenMod 11.2 several months back for performance, security, and device compatibility reasons, which it has also worked very well with.

 

[wicknix]

Time for the obligatory "alpha" release for snow leopard. Can you believe AF now has 5,600 commits since it was originally forked from PM27 back in late 2018? Insane.

Anyway, the upcoming 27.11.1 already has more than 1,500 commits added since the release of 27.11.0. Now... there may be issues for current OS X users. Session store and some other profile related stuff has changed (for the better), along with tons of javascript updates, but could crash if you try to use your existing profile (due to these changes). The only work around is to back up your current profile, extensions, and bookmarks and start with a fresh profile. Then import your bookmarks and extensions etc. Once done this issue should never rear it's ugly head again in future releases.

Download 27.11.1a here

 

[B S Magnet]

Time for the obligatory "alpha" release for snow leopard. Can you believe AF now has 5,600 commits since it was originally forked from PM27 back in late 2018? Insane.

Anyway, the upcoming 27.11.1 already has more than 1,500 commits added since the release of 27.11.0. Now... there may be issues for current OS X users. Session store and some other profile related stuff has changed (for the better), along with tons of javascript updates, but could crash if you try to use your existing profile (due to these changes). The only work around is to back up your current profile, extensions, and bookmarks and start with a fresh profile. Then import your bookmarks and extensions etc. Once done this issue should never rear it's ugly head again in future releases.

Download 27.11.1a here

Nice! Thank you!

Is this, by chance, built with the code included to run on SL-PPC dev builds?

 

[wicknix]

You mean the "impossible cat" unofficial powerpc snow leopard? No. That 10.4/10.5 powerpc AF build was a whole separate side project that was a mashup of AF, TFF and Aurorafox code. This is built with our official github repo code made for win32, ppc linux, x86 linux/bsd, and Intel OS X.

Cheers

 

[madbiker31]

The only work around is to back up your current profile, extensions, and bookmarks and start with a fresh profile. Then import your bookmarks and extensions etc. Once done this issue should never rear it's ugly head again in future releases.

I downloaded but didn't launch it because I need some help to backup profile and extensions.

I don't find any profile manager, so the only way I see is to save the existing profile in /Users/myname/Library/Application Support/Arctic Fox/ and then delete it ?

How to save extensions and then import them ?

For Bookmarks I'm used to with my 3 Mac.

 

[RobJos]

The only work around is to back up your current profile, extensions, and bookmarks and start with a fresh profile. Then import your bookmarks and extensions etc.

@wicknix — To be honest — as much as I am, as always, utterly grateful for the work you're doing for all of us — I'm dreading the day I'll have to go through just that. Or rather, time being in very short supply (so, sorry, no checking the α-version out here), the days it'll take, especially going through the extensions and their settings. Even using FEBE and ExtExp (hints, madbiker31!)

Trouble is, I cannot spend days without the AF I'm working with. So I have a request: can you make a duplicate version of AF 27.11.0 — meaning one that has its own folder in the Applications Support, so that I can keep on running it concurrently while fine-tuning the new one? There might be an easy trick to this effect, but if there is I don't know about it.

Another reason for this is that you do not mention the browser History — which I have a constant need to access. Whether it can get exported and re-imported, I seem to remember that at the beginning of AF it was pointed out that it couldn't be done (easier to ask you than browse through 40 pages). If this is the case (hope I'm wrong), it would make the ability to run 27.11.1 and 27.11.0 simultaneously even more useful.

Wishing you well in the tormented times over there (not to say it ain't tormented on this side of the Pond) ...

 

[wicknix]

You don't have to delete your current profile, just rename it, or compress it to an archive. Once the new profile loads you can copy over your /extensions folder from your backup to reinstall your add-ons.

@RobJos yeah I knew itd be a pita for you and others, but we could only hold back those patches for so long, and there isnt really a safe way to run 2 versions at once I'm afraid. The next full release will have the ability to use microphones and web cams for basic stuff. Riccardo has spent a lot of time on that along with numerous other additions/fixes.

Cheers

 

[madbiker31]

Thanks @wicknix for this release and your precisions.

I started with a fresh profile and restored bookmarks, extensions and cookies I picked up in the saved "old" profile I never touched since the beginning of ArcticFox.

I'm testing. I just regret to have lost the history...

 

[RobJos]

You don't have to delete your current profile, just rename it, or compress it to an archive. Once the new profile loads you can copy over your /extensions folder from your backup to reinstall your add-ons.

@RobJos yeah I knew itd be a pita for you and others, but we could only hold back those patches for so long, and there isnt really a safe way to run 2 versions at once I'm afraid. The next full release will have the ability to use microphones and web cams for basic stuff. Riccardo has spent a lot of time on that along with numerous other additions/fixes.

Wicknix, where's your substitute brain!? Well, anyway, nice to meet you in smiling person!

Nice you should pity the pithy pitas (luckily, my in-house US acronyms translator was here to explain that it's not related to the edible kind, the only one I knew of). Your explanation about dumping back the Extensions in the new Profile is truly soothing to the burnt-out victims of said pitas. And so was some mid-of-the-night intuition about deleting search engine results, webmail logins and other useless stuff out of the History, and copying what's left in a specially created Bookmark folder. While hoping the whole thing doesn't explode in the process. If anyone knows of a better way to export/import the browser's History, please tell us.

When should we expect the final version to be out, roughly?

[ADD.: how to export/import 1. Cookies 2. Passwords?]

 

[snowy moon]

Time for the obligatory "alpha" release for snow leopard. Can you believe AF now has 5,600 commits since it was originally forked from PM27 back in late 2018? Insane.

I guess/fear that there is no chance for AF >= 27.11.1 running on SL versions below 10.6.8? Finder is showing me the "striked through"-icon on SL 10.6.5

At least there is SpiderWeb for the rescue.

 

[Amethyst1]

Finder is showing me the "striked through"-icon on SL 10.6.5

Why are you still on 10.6.5 just out of interest?

 

[snowy moon]

Why are you still on 10.6.5 just out of interest?

Short answer: it just works!
In fact, I tried several times to upgrade and ended up with an unstable 10.6.8 with erratic kernel panics. It's a Macmini3,1 and there are tweaks under the hood. At some point I should do a clean install. There was no reason to do so, until now

 

[madbiker31]

Wicknix, where's your substitute brain!? Well, anyway, nice to meet you in smiling person!
[ADD.: how to export/import 1. Cookies 2. Passwords?]

Hi @RobJos

I tried some things. First I saved my profile before launch AF 27.11.1a, then I put the extensions folder in the new, then the same for cookies.sqlite.

This way I restored my extensions and I checked my forums was recognizing me.

I didn't find how to proceed for history.

 

[RobJos]

Hi @RobJos

I tried some things. First I saved my profile before launch AF 27.11.1a, then I put the extensions folder in the new, then the same for cookies.sqlite.

This way I restored my extensions and I checked my forums was recognizing me.

I didn't find how to proceed for history.

Dumping back cookies.sqlite and Extensions in the new Profile: maybe I'll try that first when the time comes.

The extension FEBE exports cookies, passwords and lots more. Trouble is, I've never had any use for it, and so far I've only activated its regular backups. Taking a very quick look at it yesterday, offhand I couldn't see the procedure to re-import stuff in a new Profile.

Another quick look at the backed-up folder revealed a file called cookies{default}.json which, when opened in a text editor, turned out to have a structure a bit different from that of cookies.sqlite.

History, same problem about re-importing: the FEBE backup contains files named ffhistory{default}.json and history{default}.json - this one is several Mb, a size that seems to indicate that it contains the whole of current history.

As for my idea above — saving History as Bookmarks — after some cleaning up my history still contains over 20,000 entries — quite a mouthful for a bookmark folder, I should think.

OPIE2 10.0 is another potentially useful addon for “Advanced Import/Export extension preferences”. Here too, I haven't had a use for it until now.

 

[madbiker31]

@RobJos

For now, I gave up AF 27.11.1a to go back to AF 27.11.0 and back to my big history I can't support deal without it.

AF is my main and default for years, so I just need to tap one or two letters to get the URL's. Searching an old URL is quite easy browsing inside. With a fresh profile it's an headache for most of my navigation !

I'm interested if you find a way to export/import history, passwords, etc.

I keep on searching...

Edit :

• places.sqlite contains many things including history, bookmarks, downloaded files, etc.
• formhistory.sqlite contains auto completion
• cookies.sqlite the name says it
• key3.db contains passwords database
• logins.json contains saved passwords

So, the problem remains (javascript ?) compatibility.

 

[RobJos]

@RobJos

For now, I gave up AF 27.11.1a to go back to AF 27.11.0 and back to my big history I can't support deal without it.

AF is my main and default for years, so I just need to tap one or two letters to get the URL's. Searching an old URL is quite easy browsing inside. With a fresh profile it's an headache for most of my navigation !

I'm interested if you find a way to export/import history, passwords, etc.

I keep on searching...

Edit :

• places.sqlite contains many things including history, bookmarks, downloaded files, etc.
• formhistory.sqlite contains auto completion
• cookies.sqlite the name says it
• key3.db contains passwords database
• logins.json contains saved passwords

So, the problem remains (javascript ?) compatibility.

I'd have the same problem, but I should think that any bookmark will auto-complete in the URL bar, not? Assuming that History can be turned into bookmarks without the browser, or the computer, exploding. Or without having the browser slow down to a crawl while it's searching for your string

From earlier discussions and exchanges, back when I moved my Firefox profile to AF, I'd also think that the file places.sqlite in particular could cause problems. But @wicknix is our guide in such matters.

I won't have the time to attempt any new installation before the beginning of next month at the earliest. But you should really take a look at FEBE (10.3 is the version I have installed). It's very easy to install and tell it to run your first backup.