[tor-dev] tor-browser-build : any way to get it to use system packages for building?

[Pier Angelo Vendrame]

On 14/06/22 02:47, Jason Vas Dias wrote:
> Good day -
>
>    I recently attempted to check-out and build tor-browser-build -
>    MUST it download ALL the gits, if system packages
>    are found to satisfy version dependencies ?
>
>    I just don't have enough storage / network bandwidth .
>    Why am I downloading the llvm source when I already
>    have llvm and clang 13 (-devel packages also) on my
>    Fedora 36 system ?
>
>    Is there any interest in producing a version of tor-browser-build
>    to use installed system packages if they meet version requirements
>    instead of checking out GITs & building for ALL dependencies ?
>    It could be enabled with a USE_SYSTEM_PKGS=1 make
>    option or something.
Hello,

the tor-browser-build repository is used to create reproducible builds 
of the Tor Browser Bundle.

For this reason it runs on a strictly controlled environment (typically, 
Debian containers with tools such as compilers built during the process).


>    I'm going to have to develop this if I want to work on tor-browser,
>    which I do want to do.

When we develop new features on Tor Browser, we compile Firefox with our 
system compilers, and then copy the new binaries on an existing TBB.

The procedure is explained in our hacking page [0] on the wiki. It is a 
bit outdated, but it should still work. Firefox development guides 
should apply as well.

However, this procedure is a hack that should be used for testing 
purposes only and is not supported by us in any way.

Also, if you want to contribute to Tor Browser, the modifications must 
be buildable in tor-browser-build.


Best,

Pier Angelo Vendrame


[0] 
https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser/-/wikis/Hacking


> Best Regards,
> Jason
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