Firefox

Configuring Software - firefox

Of course, you'll need a web browser, preferably one with ad blocking capability. You can choose to build firefox from source or install a binary distribution. Since there are so many releases, I recommend the binary. Before you emerge, be sure to check your USE flags.

$ sudo emerge -av firefox-bin

Once the emerge completes, you may need to configure a few options. To enable adblock plus, choose Tools -> Add Ons from the menu, then click "Browse all Add ons". Enter "Adblock" into the search box on the page that loads, and click on the returned result. Click "Install Now" to enable it. You'll need to restart Firefox to complete the installation. Once it starts again, be sure to add a subscription to keep your ad blocker up to date.

Another thing you may want is adobe flash support. In order to do so, you'll need to agree to the license. This is done using /etc/portage/package.license.

$ sudo nano -w /etc/portage/package.license

Make sure the following line exists in the file:

www-plugins/adobe-flash AdobeFlash-10.1

Now we can emerge adobe-flash.

$ sudo emerge -av adobe-flash

Once the emerge has completed, you should have a working adobe flash plugin next time you start firefox.

Firefox has an update check feature that is enabled by default. Since the latest firefox binaries are tested by the Gentoo devs before being unmasked in portage, the latest version available is usually a release or two behind, so you'll get frequent update requests and prompts for a non-Gentoo installation method. To disable this, simply choose Edit->Preferences, Select Advanced, the click the Update tab to remove the checkbox for Firefox updates.

Configuring Software - chromium

Chromium is the open-source port of Google's browser, chrome.

$ sudo emerge -av www-client/chromium

Since it is an open-source port rather than a binary like the firefox package recommended above, it will take a while longer to compile. Once you are up and running, simply type "chrome extensions" into the search/address bar, then "adblock" into the search area on the extensions page. You should see the AdBlock extension. Click the "Install" button to install it and enjoy an ad-free browsing experience.