A Script to Install the Tor Browser Bundle

[vitex]

https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en:

    The Tor software protects you by bouncing your communications
    around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all
    around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet
    connection from learning what sites you visit, it prevents the
    sites you visit from learning your physical location, and it lets
    you access sites which are blocked.

    The Tor Browser Bundle lets you use Tor on Windows, Mac OS X, or
    Linux without needing to install any software. It can run off a
    USB flash drive, comes with a pre-configured web browser, and is
    self-contained.

The advantage of installing the Tor Browser Bundle instead of its
individual components (Tor, Vidalia, Firefox, and Torbutton) is that
the components of the Bundle have been configured jointly by security
experts at the Tor Project and are less likely to compromise your
privacy.  (If your need for privacy is critical, consider Tails
(http://tails.boum.org/about/index.en.html), a Debian-based live CD /
USB system that provides even more protection by routing all network
connections through the Tor network.)

This script installs the Tor Browser Bundle in a subdirectory of the
current working directory.

  Usage: installTorBrowser.sh [LANG [VERSION]]
   
    LANG     Language of the browser.  The default is en-US; see
             https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en
             for other languages that are available.

    VERSION  Version of the Bundle. The default is the current release;
             see https://www.torproject.org/dist/torbrowser/linux/
             for earlier versions that are available for download.

The Bundle is about 30 MB, so download and installation will take
several minutes.  The name of the installation directory is based on
the language and version; that directory is erased at the start of the
installation process.

Here is sample output from the script:

tc@box:~$ ./installTorBrowser
===
=== The Tor Browser Bundle is installed in
===
===     /home/tc/tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-3/
===
=== The only data that might need to be backed up are in
===
===     /home/tc/tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-3/Data
===
=== To start the browser manually, execute
===
===     /home/tc/tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-3/tor-browser
===
=== To activate the wbar and menu items, execute
===
===     desktop.sh tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-3
===
=== The file /tmp/TorBrowser.qremaster contains the dependencies needed
=== to remaster using qremaster.  For example, the following command
=== will remaster the current release of Tiny Core with the Tor Browser
=== Bundle and Wi-Fi support:
===
===     qremaster -d -t 30 /path/to/tinycore_current.iso /tmp/tbb.iso \
===                $(cat /tmp/TorBrowser.qremaster) wifi.tcz
===


If you execute the Tor Browser before you remaster and if you install a
browser add-on (e.g. AdBlock Plus), that add-on will be included by
qremaster.  Be cautious since an add-on may leak information about
your identify.

[meo]

Hi vitex!

Nice script!!! Have used it and it works just fine. Would it be hard to edit the script to make an extension? That would be really great!

Have fun with TC,
meo

[vitex]

Nice script!!! Have used it and it works just fine. Would it be hard to edit the script to make an extension? That would be really great!

I am reluctant to build an formal extension for the repository due to possible licensing issues (e.g., GPL and LGPL compliance) related to the binary components in the Tor Browser Bundle.

What I think that I can do is prepare a script (cf. getFlash10.tcz) that when executed builds a personal Tor Browser Bundle extension.  (There is some uncertainty due to the way the Bundle mixes read-only and read-write files in the same directory structure, but I think that those issues can be resolved using linking and copying.)

Would a script to build a personal extension be more useful than the current script? 

[meo]

Hi again vitex!

Yes, it would most certainly do. That would be just awesome!

Have fun helping the TC community,
meo

[vitex]

As requested by meo, here is a script that builds a personal extension from the Tor Browser Bundle as well as a sample of that script's output:

===
=== This script has created the following files:
===
===     /tmp/tce/optional/tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4.tcz
===     /tmp/tce/optional/tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4.tcz.dep
===     /tmp/tce/optional/tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4.tcz.md5.txt
===
=== To install the Tor Browser Bundle immediately, execute
===
===     tce-load -wi $(cat /tmp/tce/optional/tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4.tcz.dep)
===     tce-load -i tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4.tcz
===
=== To activate the browser after installation, use its wbar or menu item
=== or execute the command
===
===     tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4
===
=== The first activation of the browser constructs the directory
===
===     $HOME/.tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4/
===
=== The only data that might need to be backed up are in
===
===     $HOME/.tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4/Data/
===
=== The the following command will remaster the current release
=== of Tiny Core with the Tor Browser Bundle and Wi-Fi support:
===
===     qremaster -d -t 30 /path/to/tinycore_current.iso /tmp/tbb.iso \
===                tor-browser_en-US_2.2.32-4.tcz wifi.tcz
===


Revised on 2011-09-11 to use a personal working directory that is hidden.
Revised on 2011-12-27 to add the -t option and support for the 4.2 release.

[meo]

Hi again vitex!

Just ran the script and it works perfect. In posting this from the Tor Browser. Thanks a lot for making this script! I really appreciate it. Thanks again!

Have fun moving the boundaries of TC forward,
meo

[netnomad]

hi vitex or hi to all fans of secure networking,

nice piece of work, thank you vitex.
would you be so kind and see there a chance that you package "tsocks"!?
http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,11315.0.html
your coding experience is far ahead, i read in your script...
this package could complete the tool-set or the swiss-army-knife of secure browsing...
please have a look at it, perhaps you could do us this favour, too.

[meo]

Hi once again vitex!

The extension works just fine but there is a small request I have. Don't get me wrong on this I'm very happy with this extension as is but it has a little snag. It creates when started a "visible" directory in /home/tc with a very long name. To conform to other extensions it would be nice if the directory was hidden and with a short name like TorBrowser and the versionnumber (or just TorBrowser). I don't want you to feel that this is some sort of critic as I wrote before I'm happy with the extension as is. It would just be nice with conformity when it comes to extensions, that's all.

Have fun and thanks for your effort,
meo

[netnomad]

hi meo,

i fully agree for other config-files or config-dirs, i like hidden config-dirs that are standard compliant.
but in that special topic i like this full-visible dir with the exact version in the name.
i want to see that dir that i can't oversee it:
that's for the reason that i want to delete it.
if you don't want to delete it than it's perhaps good that for a new version you have to use a new dir.
that could be more secure...
sometimes when i experience problems with the tor-bundle
i delete the dir and afterwards the restarted program works fine.

[vitex]

It creates when started a "visible" directory in /home/tc with a very long name. To conform to other extensions it would be nice if the directory was hidden and with a short name like TorBrowser and the versionnumber (or just TorBrowser).

I have revised the script getTorBrowser.sh to use a personal working directory that is hidden.

I have not changed the long form of the extension and directory name because I would like to leave open the possibility of installing several versions simultaneously.

If you edit the lines

    EXTENSION=tor-browser_${LANG}_$VERSION

    Name=Tor_Browser_${LANG}_$VERSION

in your personal copy of the script, you can change the form of the name however you wish.

[meo]

Hi vitex!

This was just what I was thinking of. A way to personalize the script and the result of it. But I didn't know how to get it right. Thanks for your help! Will try to get it like I want now and run it.

Have fun making TC more versatile,
meo

[vitex]

would you be so kind and see there a chance that you package "tsocks"!?
http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,11315.0.html
your coding experience is far ahead, i read in your script...
this package could complete the tool-set or the swiss-army-knife of secure browsing...
please have a look at it, perhaps you could do us this favour, too.

See my response to the other topic.

[meo]

Hi vitex!

I have a problem when using the Tor Browser. When Vidalia is connecting, the time of my system changes. In TC 4.0 rc1 it moves two hours back and in TC 3.8.4 it moves three hours backwards. How can that be? I've tested this with the original getTorBrowser script that you so kindly have provided. The same thing happens when renaming the extension according to your suggestion. I've compared the two scripts installTorBrowser and getTorBrowser and I can't find an explanation. I hope that you can come up with a solution. I live currently in Sweden so it's almost 10 pm here right now.

Have fun helping out in the TC community,
meo

[meo]

Hi again vitex!

Another problem occurs whan starting the Tor Browser a second time. Just the top name bar of Vidalia is shown unless you maximize it (in which case everything is visible) but then it seems that you have to correct the time for the Tor Browser to work. I'm leaving this info since I'm very interested in a flawlessly working Tor Browser. It would be a very nice extension to have using TC. I hope I have shed some light over the matter. Thanks for your work!!!

Have fun extending the possibilities of TC,
meo

PS I'm posting this from the Tor Browser so it works DS

[vitex]

I have a problem when using the Tor Browser. When Vidalia is connecting, the time of my system changes. In TC 4.0 rc1 it moves two hours back and in TC 3.8.4 it moves three hours backwards. How can that be? I've tested this with the original getTorBrowser script that you so kindly have provided. The same thing happens when renaming the extension according to your suggestion. I've compared the two scripts installTorBrowser and getTorBrowser and I can't find an explanation. I hope that you can come up with a solution. I live currently in Sweden so it's almost 10 pm here right now.

Try booting your system and executing

    tc@box:~$ hwclock ;  date ; getTime.sh -p
    Mon Sep 12 21:33:43 2011  0.000000 seconds
    Mon Sep 12 21:33:44 UTC 2011
    2011-09-12 21:33:45 UTC(NIST)
    Mon Sep 12 21:33:44 UTC 2011

These results were obtained with the hardware clock in UTC mode and Tiny Core with the default UTC time zone and without the noutc boot code.

Are you using the noutc boot code?  Have you specified a time zone?

I have seen the kind of behavior that you describe when the hardware clock has been configured to use local time but Tiny Core has not been configured with the noutc boot code and a time zone.

In my case, I really wanted to use UTC, and I corrected a similar problem on my test system by executing commands equivalent to:

    getTime.sh ; hwclock --utc --systohc

to fetch the correct time and transfer that time from the system clock to the hardware clock, which is marked as being in UTC.