Building a Firefox (3.5.7) Deb from pure source.

[Brooko]

Building Firefox from source
(creates debs to install in opt)

• First - I've prepare my build environment for Mepis 8 as per the wiki pages
• Next - I download the latest 3.5.7 source for Firefox, which can be found here:
  ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.or.../3.5.7/source/
• Finally - I download the last community build for Firefox3. I do this because I need the Debian folder from it to build this new version. I get it from here:
  http://main.mepis-deb.org/mepiscr/re...in/f/firefox3/
  The files I want are firefox3_3.5.6-0mlrepo1.dsc and firefox3_3.5.6-0mlrepo1.tar.gz

1. Once I'd downloaded all the files, I create a new directory called /Build1. I copy firefox3_3.5.6-0mlrepo1.dsc and firefox3_3.5.6-0mlrepo1.tar.gz into /Build1, open a konsole session and (as normal user)
   

   dpkg-source -x firefox3_3.5.6-0mlrepo1.dsc

   This creates a folder /firefox3-3.5.6 containing the old source file and the debian folder.
   
2. Now change the folder name to /firefox3-3.5.7
   
3. Delete firefox3_3.5.6-0mlrepo1.dsc and firefox3_3.5.6-0mlrepo1.tar.gz - we no longer need them. Also delete (inside /firefox3-3.5.7) the old source file firefox-3.5.6.source.tar.bz2
   
4. Copy the new source file firefox-3.5.7.source.tar.bz2 into /Build1/firefox3-3.5.7
   
5. You should now have:
   - A directory /Build1 containing a folder /firefox3-3.5.7
   - Inside /firefox3-3.5.7 you have the firefox-3.5.7.source.tar.bz2 and a /debian folder.
   
6. Open a konsole inside the /firefox3-3.5.7 folder
   

7. dch -i

   opens the debian changelog in nano. The most important thing here is to change the file name version (above the cursor). Use the arrow keys and backspace key to change
   firefox3 (3.5.6-0mlrepo2) mepis; urgency=low
   to
   firefox3 (3.5.7-0mlrepo1) mepis; urgency=low
8. You should also add a short description after the asterisk on what has changed. Mine is:
   * New upstream release
   * Reversioned to be standalone release - installs in /opt
   
9. <CTRL> + X prompts an exit. Hit "Y" and <Enter> to save the file.
   
10. The control file is already Ok - but to put your own detailes as Maintainer:
    

    cd debian && kwrite control && cd ..

    Kwrite opens the control file. You only change the Maintainer details!
    
11. Change to root, and run:
    

    /usr/lib/pbuilder/pbuilder-satisfydepends

    This will install the build dependencies requirted to build ff3.
    
12. After it has finised, exit as root back to user, and run:
    

    dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -us -uc

    This should start compiling and building your deb. I omitted building source files as you don't really need them unless compiling for the community repository. If you wnated them, you'd add -sa

At the end of the build - in your /Build1 directory, you should have a firefox3 deb that you can install with kpackage.

[Zevon]

Originally Posted by Brooko

Building Firefox from source
(creates debs to install in opt)

This all went well until the final stage, when I got this;
>>>
dpkg-buildpackage: set CFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CPPFLAGS to default value:
dpkg-buildpackage: set LDFLAGS to default value:
dpkg-buildpackage: set FFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CXXFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: source package firefox3
dpkg-buildpackage: source version 3.6.3-0mlrepo3
dpkg-buildpackage: source changed by cjn <cjn@accord>
dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture amd64
fakeroot debian/rules clean
dh_testdir
dh_testroot
rm -f build-stamp configure-stamp
# Add here commands to clean up after the build process.
rm -rf mozilla-1.9.1
dh_clean
dpkg-source -b firefox3-3.6.3
dpkg-source: info: using source format `1.0'
dpkg-source: info: building firefox3 in firefox3_3.6.3-0mlrepo3.tar.gz
dpkg-source: info: building firefox3 in firefox3_3.6.3-0mlrepo3.dsc
debian/rules build
dh_testdir
# Add here commands to configure the package
tar xjvf firefox*.tar.bz2
tar: firefox*.tar.bz2: Cannot open: No such file or directory
tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now
tar: Child returned status 2
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors
make: *** [configure-stamp] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: failure: debian/rules build gave error exit status 2
>>>

Can you help me to fix it?

[Brooko]

I'll try my own build of 3.6 later today. Sometimes when Mozilla release a vastly new incremental build, you have to get right inside their configs because they change quite a few names.

The walkthrough worked with the 3.5.x series - probably won't with 3.6.x

Give me some time to check it out. I'll advise in due course.

[Zevon]

Much obliged!

Couldn't resist going to 3.6 :)

[Stevo]

Brooko, I reused your community repo source to build my own 3.6 debs in Package Sharing, but had to tweak a few lines in the /debian folder...let me see if I can find it...OK, FF 3.6 uses xulrunner 1.9.2, so just grep or use Kfind to find all instances of 1.9.1 in the /debian folder and replace with 1.9.2, and the build should succeed.

Zevon, in addition to that, it looks like you failed at the start when the script could not find an appropriate firefox*.tar.bz2 source tarball to extract. What is the name of the file you downloaded, and where was it?

[Brooko]

Thanks Stevo

Yep I remember doing that last time going from 3.4 to 3.5. I think what I'll do is build the latest and greatest for the CR - then anyone can use the new source to build their own if they want to have a go.

[Zevon]

Originally Posted by Stevo

Zevon, in addition to that, it looks like you failed at the start when the script could not find an appropriate firefox*.tar.bz2 source tarball to extract. What is the name of the file you downloaded, and where was it?

Wow I'd overlooked that, will check now....

"firefox-3.6.3.source.tar.bz2" placed in the /Build1 directory.

[kmathern]

Originally Posted by Zevon

Wow I'd overlooked that, will check now....

"firefox-3.6.3.source.tar.bz2" placed in the /Build1 directory.

re-read Brooko's original instructions, step 4 and step 5

[Zevon]

Originally Posted by kmathern

re-read Brooko's original instructions, step 4 and step 5

Thanks, that got me further along to..

patch -p0 < debian/patches/moz_appdir.patch
can't find file to patch at input line 3
Perhaps you used the wrong -p or --strip option?
The text leading up to this was:
--------------------------
|--- mozilla-1.9.1/build/unix/mozilla.in 2007-10-05 08:29:26.000000000 +0100
|+++ mozilla-1.9.1/build/unix/mozilla.in 2008-07-06 15:43:22.000000000 +0100
--------------------------
File to patch:
Skip this patch? [y]
Skipping patch.
1 out of 1 hunk ignored
make: *** [configure-stamp] Error 1
dpkg-buildpackage: failure: debian/rules build gave error exit status 2

Too tired to do any more right now. (01:24)

[Stevo]

Well....I see some instances of 1.9.1 right there in the error that were not changed to 1.9.2.

Originally Posted by Zevon

Thanks, that got me further along to..

patch -p0 < debian/patches/moz_appdir.patch
can't find file to patch at input line 3
Perhaps you used the wrong -p or --strip option?
The text leading up to this was:
--------------------------
|--- mozilla-1.9.1/build/unix/mozilla.in 2007-10-05 08:29:26.000000000 +0100
|+++ mozilla-1.9.1/build/unix/mozilla.in 2008-07-06 15:43:22.000000000 +0100
--------------------------
File to patch:
Skip this patch? [y]
Skipping patch.
1 out of 1 hunk ignored
make: *** [configure-stamp] Error 1
dpkg-buildpackage: failure: debian/rules build gave error exit status 2

Too tired to do any more right now. (01:24)