I think a video and/or an article detailing the steps to install and set it up would be very helpful!
I am moderately tech-savvy and when I read the (thorough and well written) wiki it hurt my brain. I balked at the (perceived) complexity of the install and set-up.
I totally understand it is highly regarded and considered best practice/recommended/advisable to install it. I want to use it! But not everyone is a very tech savvy Linux terminal wizard comfortable with more complex installs like this. A lot of people are more comfortable installing things from app stores, Flathub or from the devs website. I can install apps and repos and do updates etc with terminal but the Arkenfox install process felt overwhelming for me.
I would love to see a simple install video or article, I think it would be very helpful for us regular/average moderately tech-savvy privacy enthusiasts.
I totally hear you. I remember encountering Arkenfox’s project a few years ago and I was also confused despite being tech-literate.
The main issue, I think, is not that there are no good steps for installing it, but that there are no good metaphorical explanations of the user.js config. We understand complex things in metaphors, and the steps for installation is complex to people who’ve never done that kind of stuff before. It’s easier, for example, to analogize my computer’s data of 1s and 0s as “files” that exists within “folders” with “properties” that we can see, add, edit, remove, etc.
After years of using Arkenfox, my brain has constructed a mental metaphor. That’s how learning works. If the goal is to make Arkenfox accessible to the lay public, we would have to lay out a good metal metaphor and then explain the steps for installation in terms of that metaphor. I think this would be an ideal way to look at how we should make a “simple” install video/article. Don’t simplify the steps, instead simplify the concepts.
I think it’s totally normal to feel a bit daunted reading through the wiki for the first time, you are learning something new.
In my experience the main reason the wiki can feel overwhelming at first (beyond just the information density and jargon)is mostly because–somewhat like the Arch Wiki–it’s goal is to teach you to fish, not hand you the fish, it’s oriented towards DIYers. A major goal of the wiki is to empower you to make decisions for yourself. This inevitably involves more of a learning curve. But that’s just the complexity that comes with making your own informed decisions.
If we strip away the customization aspect and focus on just the basic mechanics of installing and updating Arkenfox, it’s actually fairly straightforward.
Off the top of my head, this is what the basics look like for Linux:
Download the relevant filesfrom the Arkenfox repo (ex: git clone github.com/arkenfox/user.js.git)
This’ll give you ‘vanilla’ Arkenfox (the default configuration, w/out any of your own customizations) which is a totally valid stopping point if you are happy with AF’s defaults. Beyond this all you have to do is occasionally update (by repeating steps 4 and 5 every once in a while).
if you do want to customize, you create a text file called user-overrides.js in your profile folder, put your changes in that file and rerun the steps 4 and 5 ↩︎
Thanks so much for this! Very helpful and detailed!
I will try to tackle it again. Reading the wiki and using your steps. And then circle back and tackle the overrides later I think.
One question…since I do not currently have a vanilla Firefox [1] I assume I need to backup my Firefox profile first? Just in case. And/or do I create a new profile to run Arkenfox in?
I am currently using Celenity’s Phoenix but after reading this thread and Thorin’s response via Skewed Zeppelin I will uninstall it and use Arkenfox. ↩︎
“Arkenfox has removed all the pref changing that wasn’t a privacy concern (thus reducing hoops for users to jump through, or causing breakage/usability). Arkenfox has sane defaults and is practically FF with ETP Strict and site data sanitizing and a handful of other changes.”
Based on this, why recommend Arkenfox at all then? When checking the PG recommendation for Firefox it has a good recommended configuration for it that already does this. What more does arkenfox do that the configuration recommendation doesn’t?
I agree. Right now Arkenfox isn’t doing anything special. Since Firefox added fingerprinting protection in Strict Enhanced Tracking Protection, I think it’s time to remove Arkenfox. Users will no longer need to run third-party scripts. The configuration guide covers all necessary settings.
That really doesn’t even scratch the surface. Where do you get your facts?
Arkenfox makes approximately 140 changes to Firefox. I can’t be bothered to figure out how many are in the PG guide because I know it’s significantly fewer.
Funny, because earlier you said Firefox should be removed. Still, what’s the point of these 140 changes without RFP when the site can see Intl properties and time zone, which are extremely fingerprintable? The situation won’t improve significantly with Arkenfox, but with Arkenfox you’d need to read the entire wiki and use third-party scripts, which is unsafe. What are the important prefs in Arkenfox that are essential and cannot be changed in the settings?
Betterfox should not be considered a bad project; it is intended for users who are not as tech-savvy.
It is not a replacement for Arkenfox, but an alternative for this type of users.
For example, Ubuntu or its distros are not bad because they are just based on Debian but give more convenience.
Of course, I can just tell them to use Debian and read the wiki. It’s the same thing.
If end users can’t install or configure Arkenfox, isn’t that what Librewolf is for? At least that browser is often recommended.
And there’s no such thing as “less ‘extreme’”. Arkenfox allows you to use user-overrides.js to OVERRIDE “extreme” settings. For example, Arkenfox clears your browser tabs by default when exiting, but you can use user-overrides.js to make minor adjustments and keep your tabs.
I went through the Arkenfox wiki, and going through it is as painful as going through all Windows Group Policies. It is a high steep learning curve, maybe worth it, but not all will do it.
This is a high time investment and some users just want an easy solution like Betterfox or Librewolf who does it for you.
There is also a contradiction where Librewolf is rejected because of timely update and no auto-update features, but you do have to manually update Arkenfox as well 3 to 4 times a year as Thorin said. Not only that, but now Librewolf does have auto-updates.
To me this doesn’t make sense.
I haven’t looked up much on Betterwolf, but Librewolf is a valid option for many users.
Interesting responses. I think BetterFox is actually a very useful tool for those that don’t need to know (or don’t understand) what each individual feature flag does. I would rate arkenfox as fairly high-effort. I think “extreme” is a fair label given the reading and config required.
Betterfox offers an alternative that, while perhaps not as secure as arkenfox, still provides meaningful changes and is significantly more accessible to the vast majority of users.
I personally see quite a lot of value in such an offering, though I can understand why PG may not want to recommend it.
