Ubuntu Wiki

This is a guide for compiling firefox 1.5.* on Ubuntu Breezy 5.10.

1. Install necessary development packages:

     $ sudo apt-get install build-essential libgtk2.0-dev libidl-dev libxt-dev libgnomevfs2-dev

2. Download and extract firefox source tar ball:

     $ wget \
   http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/1.5.0.1/source/firefox-1.5.0.1-source.tar.bz2
     $ tar jxvf firefox-1.5.0.1-source.tar.bz2
     $ cd mozilla

3. Create the .mozconfig file in the firefox source directory:

     $ cat > .mozconfig <<EOF
   . \$topsrcdir/browser/config/mozconfig
   
   export MOZILLA_OFFICIAL=1
   export BUILD_OFFICIAL=1
   mk_add_options MOZILLA_OFFICIAL=1
   mk_add_options BUILD_OFFICIAL=1
   ac_add_options --enable-official-branding
   
   mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/firefox-bin
   
   ac_add_options --enable-default-toolkit=gtk2
   ac_add_options --enable-pango
   ac_add_options --with-user-appdir=.mozilla
   ac_add_options --with-system-png=/usr
   ac_add_options --with-system-jpeg=/usr
   ac_add_options --enable-postscript
   ac_add_options --disable-installer
   ac_add_options --disable-xprint
   ac_add_options --enable-crypto
   ac_add_options --enable-strip-libs
   ac_add_options --enable-canvas
   ac_add_options --enable-svg
   ac_add_options --enable-svg-renderer=cairo
   ac_add_options --enable-system-cairo
   ac_add_options --enable-mathml
   ac_add_options --disable-tests
   ac_add_options --disable-gtktest
   ac_add_options --disable-debug
   ac_add_options --enable-xft
   ac_add_options --enable-optimize="-O3 -march=pentium-m -mtune=pentium-m -pipe -ftracer -fomit-frame-pointer"
   ac_add_options --with-system-zlib=/usr
   ac_add_options --without-system-nspr
   ac_add_options --enable-xinerama
   ac_add_options --enable-extensions=default
   ac_add_options --disable-pedantic
   ac_add_options --disable-long-long-warning
   ac_add_options --enable-single-profile
   ac_add_options --disable-profilesharing
   ac_add_options --enable-gnomevfs
   ac_add_options --disable-updater
   EOF

   • Note: You may need to adapt the --enable-optimize gcc parameters to your own platform. Pay special attention to the "march" and "mtune" parameters. If they are speicified for the wrong architecture, you may not be able to compile Firefox. To see what architectures are available with gcc, type:

     man gcc

     and then navigate to the section titled "Intel 386 and AMD x86-64 Options." In this section is a list of supported architectures for the "march" and "mtune" options. Choose the option closest to your CPU.

4. Build firefox:

     $ make -f client.mk build
     $ make -C firefox-bin/browser/installer/

5. Follow the instructions in FirefoxNewVersion to install your newly built firefox-1.5.*.tar.gz, which can be found in mozilla/firefox-bin/dist/.

Third Party builds

If for some reason you do not want to go through the process of compiling Firefox but would like to enjoy the benefit of a gcc4 compiled build, you can visit the Mozillazine forum Third Party/Unofficial Builds section to look for pre-compiled builds made by third parties.

For example, in Ubuntu forum there is discussion on AthlonXP optimized gcc4 build such as Swiftfox.