[tor-bugs] #21912 [Applications/Tor Browser Sandbox]: Deal with the deprecation of the `hardened` channel.

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#21912: Deal with the deprecation of the `hardened` channel.
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 Reporter:  yawning                           |          Owner:  yawning
     Type:  defect                            |         Status:  new
 Priority:  High                              |      Milestone:
Component:  Applications/Tor Browser Sandbox  |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal                            |     Resolution:
 Keywords:                                    |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:                                    |         Points:
 Reviewer:                                    |        Sponsor:
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Comment (by boklm):

 Replying to [comment:2 yawning]:
 > Given the complexity of migrating users seamlessly, I'm going to opt for
 a forced reinstall, unless someone manages to convince me otherwise.
 >
 > Rationale:
 >  * It's not immediately obvious to me how to detect that a channel
 switch has happened from the update metadata
 (https://wiki.mozilla.org/Software_Update:updates.xml_Format).  This also
 applies to the bundle locale.

 Yes, it is not possible to detect it from the update metadata. You can
 detect it by looking at the file `Browser/defaults/pref/channel-prefs.js`.
 The switch will be done with a mar file updating this file and the
 `Browser/update-settings.ini` file only.

 >  * The `sandboxed-tor-browser` update code was not, and is not written
 to take into account things like channels changing, or locales
 disappearing.
 >  * It's cleaner in the long run.
 >
 > I do not know what will happen when the existing `sandboxed-tor-browser`
 has a hardened bundle installed and it encounters the update at the
 deprecation point.  My suspicion is that the update has a good chance of
 applying, but it will then fail to detect `libasan.so` and drop the user
 back to the config screen repeatedly.

 The update modifying the channel preferences files should apply correctly,
 but assuming the sandbox updater is not looking at those files to know the
 current channel, nothing else will happen and users will stay on the last
 hardened version.

 > There isn't anything I can do about this now, since code that's out
 there is code that's out there.

 Yes it seems difficult to do something.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/21912#comment:4>
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