I realized the homepage was set by an environment variable.

/usr/lib/whonix-welcome-page/env_var.sh :

TOR_DEFAULT_HOMEPAGE="/usr/share/homepage/whonix-welcome-page/whonix.html"
export TOR_DEFAULT_HOMEPAGE

I am not sure how we can set different TBB instances to use different homepages. Any thoughts on this? :)

The starter script of the alternative TBB instance could overwrite this
global, default environment variable.

(Same syntax as quoted.)

Sounds ok?

Package tb-starter /usr/bin/torbrowser should be enhanced for the
alternative TBB instance starter (new command line switch?)?

The starter script of the alternative TBB instance could overwrite this

global, default environment variable.

I was thinking about this solution, the problem is that there maybe some confusion when two TBB instances running at the same time.

Let's say a user starts the Alt TBB, which sets the environment variable, then the user starts the normal TBB, which overwrites the environment variable again. Then when a new homepage tab is opened in Alt TBB, it actually shows the homepage of the normal TBB.

We may somehow detect if a TBB instance has been running and reject starting another TBB instance?

I don't know about running multiple Tor Browser's in parallel, but as
far as this environment variable is concerned, there won't be an issue
most likely.

iry (iry):

iry added a comment.

The starter script of the alternative TBB instance could overwrite this

global, default environment variable.

I was thinking about this solution, the problem is that there maybe some
confusion when two TBB instances running at the same time.

Let's say a user starts the Alt TBB, which sets the environment variable,

Set the environment variable only for the child process - not globally.

One cannot change environment variables globally without logout/login
(usually reboot) to my knowledge.

Like to test? Set sometest=1 in /etc/environment. Then `echo
"$sometest" in one konsole tab. Then export sometest=2`. Then `echo
"$sometest". Then Then echo "$sometest"` in another konsole tab. In
the other konsole tab it will still be set to the original value of 1.

then
the user starts the normal TBB, which overwrites the environment variable again.
Then when a new homepage tab is opened in Alt TBB, it actually shows the
homepage of the normal TBB.

I am sure we won't have this issue.

We may somehow detect if a TBB instance has been running and reject starting
another TBB instance?

This may or may not be required for other reasons but unrelated to
environment variables most likely.

I suggest a new forum thread for this.

Please reference

https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Advanced_Security_Guide#Multiple_Tor_Browser_Instances

since it might require improvements. It doesn't cover running them at
the very same time yet.

Alternatively, you could change the home page to the program's interface e.g. 127.0.0.1:7657 for I2P and start the browser with a script that creates a popup box using zenity or similar that tells the user the information.

For example:

#!/bin/bash -e

zenity --info --text="Attention: This browser is configured to use I2P only. This means it will not use clearnet connections."

/usr/bin/i2pbrowser

The browser would have ("browser.startup.homepage", "127.0.0.1:7657") in a user.js somewhere.

Would it be useful to use Freenet with a second TBB? Fingerprinting isn't an issue on Freenet as only plain HTML/CSS is allowed which means no javascript and there is no central server to analyse any data.