[Everything Shii Knows]

IceCat

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Category: GNU

GNU IceCat is the official web browser of the GNU operating system.

Contents

[edit] Regarding the difference between Firefox, Iceweasel and Icecat

[edit] It is illegal to distribute modified Firefox under the Firefox name

The Firefox source code is free software. However, the Firefox trademark protects a brand owned by the Mozilla Corporation. This is not a nitpicky "infringement of freedom" issue, but a question of protecting the Firefox name from scammers trying to sell it or modified spyware versions. To ensure protection Firefox can be distributed on other people's CDs, but only in unmodified form.

Now Debian and Ubuntu modified Firefox for some reason. Mozilla Co. themselves opened the bug for trademark violation. Rather than violate their general policy for how they distribute software, Debian decided to change the branding on their version. Ubuntu got permission to continue using the Firefox name.

[edit] What is Debian Iceweasel?

Debian Iceweasel is Firefox 2.0 rebranded for the Debian distribution, as well as Gobuntu. There are no changes from the Firefox trunk and it will stay up to date with the Firefox trunk. Debian Iceweasel does not exist as its own Subversion repository. Debian is also responsible for rebranding Mozilla Seamonkey as Iceape, and Mozilla Thunderbird as Icedove.

Now here are the Iceweasel homepages.

[edit] What is GNU IceCat, formerly Iceweasel?

GNU IceCat is a fork of Firefox 2.0. The trunk has been downloaded and modified for their purposes. GNU has its own repository that it keeps IceCat in.

[edit] What was gNewSense BurningDog?

gNewSense BurningDog was Firefox 1.5 rebranded for the gNewSense 1.x distribution. There were no changes from the Firefox trunk. gNewSense BurningDog does not exist as its own Subversion repository.

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