How is Mullvad Browser supposed to be used in Qubes

Support
1

There is no .desktop file provided and putting /usr/bin/mulvadbrowser into a .desktop file also does not seem to work properly.

Only usable way is launching it in a terminal first then basing a dispvm on top of that appvm to use the generated .desktop file. But updating like that is a pain.

2

How are you installing Mullvad Browser? If you install it into a template using Mullvad’s deb repository, it should create a desktop file like most other applications and will be updated along with normal template updates. If you install Mullvad Browser using the browser-choice utility in Kicksecure, it will install the deb repository for you, so that’s probably the easiest way to do it. You can launch it from a template by running browser-choice in a terminal.

(Note that there is a wiki page for browser-choice at Browser Choice - Browser Selection Installer Dialog, but it is very incomplete. Most of the info about it is in the development planning page at Browser Choice which focuses more on how browser-choice works internally.)

1 Like
3

I installed kicksecure using the community template in qubes.

And installed the mullvadbrowser with tb-updater

I never knew about browser-choice will try it

EDIT: Can’t use it I am not on 4.3 yet

4

Mullvad Browser Downloader by Kicksecure developers doesn’t create a .desktop file at time of writing (yet) at time of writing indeed.

I added a new chapter just now on how to create a .desktop file.

We’re not yet on Qubes R4.3 yet either. Still on R4.2 at time of writing.

5

Thanks for response but I already tried to create a desktop file like that. When you launch in a disposable you get this error:

Mullvad Browser is currently not installed. 
(Folder /home/user/.mullvadbrowser/mullvad-browser does not exist.)
Start Mullvad Browser Downloader (by Kicksecure developers)?

You need to launch in the appvm (disposable) template first where it links from /var/cache/tb-binary to $HOME. And when updating it becomes a pain because you also always have to launch the appvm first.

Currently I just copy at startup from /var/cache to $HOME and use the “normal” desktop file that looks like this

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Mullvad Browser
GenericName=Web Browser
Comment=Mullvad Browser  is +1 for privacy and −1 for mass surveillance
Categories=Network;WebBrowser;Security;
Exec=sh -c '"/home/user/.mullvadbrowser/mullvad-browser/Browser/start-mullvad-browser" || ([ !  -x "/home/user/.mullvadbrowser/mullvad-browser/Browser/start-mullvad-browser" ] && "$(dirname "$*")"/Browser/start-mullvad-browser)' dummy %k
X-MullvadBrowser-ExecShell=./Browser/start-mullvad-browser --detach
Icon=/home/user/.mullvadbrowser/mullvad-browser/Browser/browser/chrome/icons/default/default128.png
StartupNotify=true
StartupWMClass=Mullvad Browser

I guess that kinda makes a unique fingerprint?

6

The problem is that /usr/libexec/tb-updater/dispvm does not support yet Mullvad Browser at time of writing.

Instead of only considering folder .tb it would require a loop to also consider folder .mullvadbrowser.