A fork would imply a unique development path, with significant (and typically incompatible) changes to the source code, usually kept in a separate repository, containing the complete source code. Most of those features are disabled, simply by setting a flag in a configuration file before compiling: e.g. IceWeasel is just Mozilla Firefox, with certain features disabled, and a different name and artwork (branding) applied. The simplest explanation of why that concern is misplaced is that it is not quite appropriate to call IceWeasel a "project" at all, or even a distinct web browser fork. That concern is misplaced though because it is not really a fork - it is always built from the current Mozilla source code, and rebuilt as new Mozilla versions are released. Now that Debian no longer has a browser named IceWeasel, that misconception leads people, who know of IceWeasel only as a Debian program, to assume that "the IceWeasel project" is unmaintained legacy abandon-ware and to be skeptical and inquisitive as to whether the Parabola "fork" is up-to-date and properly maintained. The most common misconception is that IceWeasel is a web browser project that originated and was maintained by Debian and that other IceWeasels are forks of the Debian project. Throughout this article, the names IceWeasel/Firefox will be used but for the most part, the article applies to IceCat/Firefox-ESR, IceDove/ThunderBird, and IceApe/SeaMonkey as well. This article intends to clarify some of the confusion related to the IceWeasel and IceCat web browsers, their origins, and history.
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