#### Beyond Linux® From Scratch (systemd Edition) - Version 11.1

### Chapter 41. Other X-based Programs

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# Thunderbird-91.6.1

## Introduction to Thunderbird

Thunderbird is a stand-alone mail/news client based on the Mozilla codebase. It uses the Gecko rendering engine to enable it to display and compose HTML emails.

This package is known to build and work properly using an LFS-11.1 platform.

### Package Information

- Download (HTTP): https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/releases/91.6.1/source/thunderbird-91.6.1.source.tar.xz

- Download MD5 sum: ef508246f2c90e03adb8529abaa3dccd

- Download size: 389 MB

- Estimated disk space required: 7.0 GB (202 MB installed)

- Estimated build time: 28 SBU (on a 4-core machine)

### Thunderbird Dependencies

#### Required

Autoconf-2.13, Cbindgen-0.20.0, dbus-glib-0.112, both GTK+-3.24.31 and GTK+-2.24.33, LLVM-13.0.1 including clang, nodejs-16.14.0, PulseAudio-15.0 (or alsa-lib-1.2.6.1 if you edit the mozconfig; although it is now deprecated by mozilla), Python-3.10.2 (rebuilt with the sqlite module), startup-notification-0.12, Zip-3.0, UnZip-6.0, and yasm-1.3.0

#### Recommended

ICU-70.1, libevent-2.1.12, NASM-2.15.05, NSPR-4.33, and nss-3.75

### Note

If you don't install recommended dependencies, then internal copies of those packages will be used. They might be tested to work, but they can be out of date or contain security holes.

#### Optional

Cyrus SASL-2.1.27, Doxygen-1.9.3, GConf-3.2.6, Wget-1.21.2, Wireless Tools-29, and watchman

User Notes: https://wiki.linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/wiki/Thunderbird

## Installation of Thunderbird

### Note

The build process for Thunderbird can use 8GB+ of RAM when linking. Make sure that you have adequate swap or RAM before continuing.

The configuration of Thunderbird is accomplished by creating a `mozconfig` file containing the desired configuration options. A default `mozconfig` is created below. To see the entire list of available configuration options (and a brief description of each), issue mozilla/configure --help. Create the file with the following command:

    cat > mozconfig << "EOF"
    # If you have a multicore machine, all cores will be used.

    # If you have installed wireless-tools comment out this line:
    ac_add_options --disable-necko-wifi

    # Uncomment the following option if you have not installed PulseAudio
    #ac_add_options --disable-pulseaudio
    # and uncomment this if you installed alsa-lib instead of PulseAudio
    #ac_add_options --enable-alsa

    # Comment out following options if you have not installed
    # recommended dependencies:
    ac_add_options --with-system-libevent
    ac_add_options --with-system-nspr
    ac_add_options --with-system-nss
    ac_add_options --with-system-icu

    # The elf-hack causes failed installs on some machines.
    # It is supposed to improve startup time and it shrinks libxul.so
    # by a few MB - comment this if you know your machine is not affected.
    ac_add_options --disable-elf-hack

    # The BLFS editors recommend not changing anything below this line:
    ac_add_options --prefix=/usr
    ac_add_options --enable-application=comm/mail

    ac_add_options --disable-crashreporter
    ac_add_options --disable-updater
    ac_add_options --disable-debug
    ac_add_options --disable-debug-symbols
    ac_add_options --disable-tests

    ac_add_options --enable-optimize=-O2
    ac_add_options --enable-linker=gold
    ac_add_options --enable-strip
    ac_add_options --enable-install-strip

    ac_add_options --enable-official-branding

    ac_add_options --enable-system-ffi
    ac_add_options --enable-system-pixman

    ac_add_options --with-system-jpeg
    ac_add_options --with-system-png
    ac_add_options --with-system-zlib
    EOF

If building on a 32 bit machine, the following sed works around an issue with an incompatible “double” type in one header file:

    case "$(uname -m)" in
        i?86) sed -e '/typedef[ ]*double/s/double/long double/' \
                  -i modules/fdlibm/src/math_private.h ;;
    esac

Now invoke the Python mach script to compile Thunderbird:

### Note

If you are compiling this package in chroot you must do two things. First, as the `root` user, ensure that `/dev/shm` is mounted. If you do not do this, the Python configury will fail with a traceback report referencing `/usr/lib/pythonN.N/multiprocessing/synchronize.py`. Run:

    mountpoint -q /dev/shm || mount -t tmpfs devshm /dev/shm

Second, either as the `root` user export the `$SHELL` environment variable using export SHELL=/bin/sh or else prepend `SHELL=/bin/sh` when running the ./mach commands.

    export CC=gcc CXX=g++ &&
    export MACH_USE_SYSTEM_PYTHON=1 &&
    ./mach create-mach-environment &&
    ./mach configure      &&
    ./mach build

This package does not come with a test suite.

Install Thunderbird by running the following commands as the `root` user:

    MACH_USE_SYSTEM_PYTHON=1 ./mach install

Empty the environment variables which were set above:

    unset CC CXX MACH_USE_SYSTEM_PYTHON

## Command Explanations

CC=gcc CXX=g++ ./mach configure: Thunderbird now uses this python3 script to run the configuration, build and install. Forcing GCC causes the build to come out smaller and run faster.

MACH_USE_SYSTEM_PYTHON=1: Use the system python to create a virtual environment for mach without downloading any python wheels.

`./mach build --verbose`: Use this alternative if you need details of which files are being compiled, together with any C or C++ flags being used.

## Configuring Thunderbird

###

#### Configuration Information

If your Window or Desktop Manager does not allow you to configure a default browser, you can add a configuration parameter to Thunderbird so that a browser will start when you click on an Internet/intranet/local URL. The procedure to check or modify any of the configuration parameters is quite simple and the instructions here can be used to view or modify any of the parameters.

First, open the configuration dialog by opening the “Edit” drop-down menu. Choose “Preferences” and then scroll down to the bottom of the page. Then, click the “Config Editor” button. Click on the “I accept the risk!” button. This will display a list of the configuration preferences and information related to each one. You can use the “Filter:” bar to enter search criteria and narrow down the listed items. Changing a preference can be done using two methods. One, if the preference has a boolean value (True/False), simply double-click on the preference to toggle the value and two, for other preferences simply right-click on the desired line, choose “Modify” from the menu and change the value. Creating new preference items is accomplished in the same way, except choose “New” from the menu and provide the desired data into the fields when prompted.

The configuration preference item you need to check so that Thunderbird uses a specified browser is the `network.protocol-handler.app.http` which should be set to the path of the desired browser, e.g. `/usr/bin/firefox`.

### Tip

There is a multitude of configuration parameters you can tweak to customize Thunderbird. A very extensive, but not so up-to-date list of these parameters can be found at http://preferential.mozdev.org/preferences.html.

If you use a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE, a desktop file `thunderbird.desktop` may be created, in order to include a “Thunderbird” entry in the menu. Run the following commands as the `root` user:

    mkdir -pv /usr/share/{applications,pixmaps} &&

    cat > /usr/share/applications/thunderbird.desktop << "EOF" &&
    [Desktop Entry]
    Name=Thunderbird Mail
    Comment=Send and receive mail with Thunderbird
    GenericName=Mail Client
    Exec=thunderbird %u
    Terminal=false
    Type=Application
    Icon=thunderbird
    Categories=Network;Email;
    MimeType=text/html;text/xml;application/xhtml+xml;application/xml;application/rss+xml;x-scheme-handler/mailto;
    StartupNotify=true
    EOF

    ln -sfv /usr/lib/thunderbird/chrome/icons/default/default256.png \
            /usr/share/pixmaps/thunderbird.png

## Contents

Installed Program: thunderbird
Installed Libraries: libldap60.so, libldif60.so, liblgpllibs.so, libmozgtk.so, libmozsandbox.so, libmozsqlite3.so, libmozwayland.so, libprldap60.so, librnp.so, and libxul.so, all in the /usr/lib/thunderbird directory
Installed Directory: /usr/lib/thunderbird

### Short Descriptions

thunderbird | is Mozilla's email and newsgroup client

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