Installing firefox-devedition and remove both firefox and firefox-esr

Kali Linux Forums Kali Linux Troubleshooting
1

Hello everyone.

I am trying to replace firefox and firefox-esr on my kali installation with firefox-devedition.
I managed to install firefox-devedition as i already know how to from debian installs.
But i cannot remove both firefox AND firefox-esr. When i try them individually, the other gets installed. If i try both, i get the dependencies error (for kali-desktop-core).
Anyway to tell the system firefox-devedition is installed and should be used for dependiencies check? or am i missing something?

I am using kali rolling (fully updated) with gnome on a Thinkpad T480 if it helps in any way.

TIA for any help.
Cheers!

2

They are considered core components for kali, and you simply don’t remove them - may I ask why you actually want to?

As a dev said “firefox-esr allows us to set it so that it does not make outside connections when it starts up, and we have a policy of no outgoing connections by default in kali”

4

Is it possible to at least remove the firefox-esr at any way? :sob: To be honest, I am having the same issue as well…

Firefox-esr uses some outdated technologies, to the point people can’t access certain websites (i.e. the Tuta email provider website).
And for certain users, for security reasons, they might not want to use Firefox-esr - and want to uninstall unnecessary software they do not use (which is my case) :anxious_face_with_sweat:

It is a bit annoying the fact firefox-esr is set to be part of kali-desktop-core* kali-desktop-gnome/other desktop enviroments - is there any way to tackle this issue and uninstall Firefox-esr?

5

As I already said - no, it is a core component.

You are free to install and use other browsers.

1 Like
6

Also, I think you have a wrong idea about firefox-esr. It does receive security updates.

And if you say you don’t need or use it, then just delete kali, cause kali does need and use it. That is why it is a core-component.

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7

Okay! Thank you for the confirmation. I just asked because I thought there might be a workaround to exclude the app from the core (since Linux is all about the freedom to choose software and modify it).

Security updates aren’t exclusive to Firefox-ESR. For example, Brave is another reputable browser with many privacy and cybersecurity experts recommending it over Firefox.

The big issue is that sometimes you can’t use Firefox-ESR for basic activities, and usually, you want to be able to use your browser for everything. I’ve seen other Kali users complaining that they couldn’t access certain websites with Firefox-ESR due to software incompatibility (e.g., logging in to the Tuta email provider website).

Kali Linux is a great OS and an extremely valuable tool for penetration testing (if not the best in the field). Not wanting a specific browser application is not the same as not wanting the entire OS. The core doesn’t need the Firefox-esr browser to function; the developers simply decided to include it as part of the kali-desktop-core. I politely disagree with this decision, but that doesn’t mean the entire OS isn’t good.

8

The core doesn’t need the Firefox-esr browser to function

The distro is designed to use firefox-esr to ensure that tools works as they are supposed to work.

I’ve seen other Kali users complaining that they couldn’t access certain websites with Firefox-ESR due to software incompatibility

You are free to use other browsers for other tasks - in fact it would be a good idea.

In fact - everything works just fine, as long as people can get over their fixation to “get rid of esr” for not understanding why it is there.

1 Like
9

I understand that the intention behind including Firefox-ESR is to ensure compatibility with various tools.

However, I believe that this approach might be too restrictive, as it limits users’ freedom to choose their software. (But this is just a personal opinion from my user experience point of view.)

I believe it is the only pragmatic approach available here - since there isn’t any chance of removing it.

I actually experienced problems with Firefox-ESR as well - I couldn’t log in to my Tuta email with it (the same issue doesn’t happen with Brave and Chromium browsers).

I wouldn’t have tried to remove it from my system if I hadn’t actually experienced user problems with it; it wasn’t just a matter of preference.

I’d like to respectfully disagree with the notion that users who want to remove Firefox-ESR are fixated on it.
Rather, they might be looking for a more customizable experience that aligns with their workflow and preferences.

By engaging with these users and understanding their concerns, we can work together to find solutions that benefit everyone - Kali is an amazing OS, and we all love it! :grinning_face:

10

" I couldn’t log in to my Tuta email with it (the same issue doesn’t happen with Brave and Chromium browsers)."

so not ‘other users’ but yourself actually…

You don’t have to use the built in browser, and if you check some browser settings you should be able to make it work with your email provider, brave and chromium are just more open by default (though I’d argue against either of them being better on many accounts, they leak data like sieves, but personal preferences)

Tuta supports the current version of the following browsers:

Firefox (desktop)
Opera (desktop, Android)
Chrome (desktop, Android)
Safari (desktop, iOS)
Microsoft Edge (desktop)

so firefox should work, you likely need to configure some settings, and they also have a desktop client;