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#1 2025-04-10 05:36:43
- ArchEr9
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Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
Is there a Firefox version that is built using QT5/QT6 libraries instead of GTK toolkit? Or a variant of Firefox like say LibreWolf which is built using QT5/QT6 libraries instead of GTK.
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#2 2025-04-10 05:51:45
- mackin_cheese
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Re: Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
Have you done any research on this or are you asking us first?
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#3 2025-04-10 06:21:59
- seth
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Re: Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
If it's just about the UX disaster that gtk passes off as file dialog, see https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Firefo … ntegration
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#4 2025-04-11 04:44:43
- ArchEr9
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Re: Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
If it's just about the UX disaster that gtk passes off as file dialog, see https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Firefo … ntegration
It is not about the UX or Desktop integration. That has already been done. The issue is that if we look at the Firefox in the Arch repo , it has been built using GTK libraries. And not QT libraries. I am looking for Firefox which has been compiled with QT5/QT6 libraries and not GTK3 libraries. I tried to find such a package in Arch repos and was not able to locate it.
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#5 2025-04-11 06:44:32
- arojas
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Re: Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
Where did you get the idea that Firefox can be built with Qt at all?
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#6 2025-04-11 07:15:12
- seth
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Re: Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
Misconception of how reality works - that sentiment is surprisingly common.
@ArchEr9, you cannot just compile stuff™ against randomtoolkit™
There were efforts to port FF or rather rebase XUL on Qt around 15+ years ago, but obviously didn't pan out.
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#7 2025-04-11 07:32:00
- icar
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Re: Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
Firefox only uses GTK for desktop integration and getting a window to draw onto. A layer in between itself and the compositor/wm.
If you want to advocate for a change, I'd recommend Firefox talking Wayland directly.
Last edited by icar (2025-04-11 07:32:19)
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#8 2025-04-14 04:28:09
- ArchEr9
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Re: Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
Firefox does directly use Wayland and not XWayland now a days. Please see the screenshot given below for more details. 
I did not know that Firefox had tried to compile its code base with XUL/QT but that did not succeed. Thanks for confirmation.
Is there some more recent attempt or ongoing attempt to do the same? i.e. compile Firefox code base with XUL/QT?
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#9 2025-04-14 06:21:38
- seth
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Re: Firefox with QT5 or QT6 instead of GTK toolkit
icars suggested to skip gtk and have a direct XUL implementation of xdg and wayland protocols instead using gtk (or Qt) as wayland backend - not xwayland.
Also please clarify what your motivation here is, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_problem
Users are frequently annoyed by the gtk file dialog, but you can (and apparently have) replaced that
Developers are frequently annoyed that the gtk developers consider API and ABI stability to be more like a hypothetical concept, but you're clearly not developing anything.
SO why do you care?
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