Re: [Tails-dev] keeping up with pluggable transports by usin…

Hi,

Patrick Schleizer wrote (21 Nov 2014 15:17:08 GMT) :
> intrigeri wrote:
>> Patrick Schleizer wrote (15 Nov 2014 15:38:09 GMT) :
>> Unless I'm mistaken, the server-side of these PTs needs to be in
>> Debian anyway, so that people running Debian-based distros can
>> actually provide bridges supporting these PTs. And then, while one is
>> at it, I suspect that maintaining and packaging the client-side while
>> one is at it doesn't involve much more effort. So, I'm not convinced
>> by this specific argument.

> Maybe we're having different things in mind here. For meek bridges,
> there is a google and an amazon one. I guess most users just happily use
> those. Or is anyone eager to host a meek bridge? Maybe I am mistaken.
> It's also not an important point. Having meek's server component in
> Debian surely would be a nice to have. But in that particular case, I
> think it's not that important. Unless I'm mistaken.

Sure, for meek we don't really need the server side component to be in
Debian. But I believe my point still holds in general.

>>> This requires tor-launcher having a features such as:
>>
>> I'm afraid I don't understand why we would need any such changes
>> for Tails. May you please clarify?

> I try to reword/elaborate a bit.

> General idea: trying to modify/use tor-launcher so it works more like
> Vidalia (a Tor config/start/stop utility).

Well, that's already more or less how we're using it in Tails: we're
using Tor Launcher as a standalone application, not as part of the Tor
Browser. We don't use it to start/stop Tor, but we use it to configure
it whenever the user chose so in the Greeter.

> - Just start Tor Browser without configuring Tor (we already got that
> TOR_SKIP_LAUNCH). -> It's useful so you can boot with a usual desktop.
> Not autostarting a browser. And when the user wants to start the
> browser, you use that (without starting tor-launcher or Tor).

That's what we're doing in Tails already.

> - Just start Tor with current configuration (missing feature?) -> For
> users who choose "no network obstacles", Tails would just run TBB's Tor
> as the new "system Tor".

We already have this behaviour, so why would we need Tor Launcher to
do that?

> - Configure Tor (using tor-launcher), but don't
> start Tor or Tor Browser (missing feature?). -> For users who choose
> "got obstacles", Tails would start the tor-launcher add-on to let them
> configure Tor. Then Tails would use the "just start Tor with current
> configuration" feature. And if the user notices it doesn't work, go back
> to this one.

I don't understand what problem this solution is trying to solve.

Cheers,
--
intrigeri