[#]: subject: (Basilisk: A Firefox Fork For The Classic Looks and Classic Extensions)
[#]: via: (https://itsfoss.com/basilisk-browser/)
[#]: author: (Ankush Das https://itsfoss.com/author/ankush/)
Basilisk: A Firefox Fork For The Classic Looks and Classic Extensions
======
_**Brief: Basilisk is a Firefox fork that supports legacy extensions and much more. Here, we take a look at its features and try it out.**_
### Basilisk: Open Source XUL-Based Web Browser
Even though it is better to stick with the regular web browsers like Firefox or Chromium available for Linux – it doesn’t hurt to know about other browsers. Recently, I stumbled upon a Firefox fork, [Basilisk][1] web browser that features the classic Firefox user interface along with legacy add-ons support (just like [Waterfox][2]).
![itsfoss.com homepage on Basilisk][3]
If you are in the dire need of using a legacy extensions or miss the classic look and feel of Firefox, the Basilisk web browser can save your day. The web browser is being maintained by the team behind [Pale Moon][4] browser (which is another Firefox fork I will be looking at next).
If you’re looking for open-source [Chrome alternatives][5], you may have a quick look at what Basilisk offers.
**Note:** _Basilisk is a development software. Even though I didn’t have any major usability issues for the time I used, you should not rely on it as the only browser to use._
### Features of Basilisk web browser
![][6]
Basilisk works out of the box. However, here are some features you might want to take a look before considering to use it:
* [XUL][7]-based web browser
* It features the ‘Australis’ Firefox interface, which was quite popular back in the time of v29 – v56 Firefox version.
* Support for XUL/Overlay Mozilla-style extensions.
* Uses [Goanna][9] open-source browser engine which is a fork of Mozilla’s [Gecko][10]
* Does not use Rust or the Photon user interface
* Supports 64-bit systems only
### Installing Basilisk on Linux
You may not find it listed in your Software Center. So, you will have to head to its official [download page][11] to get the tarball (tar.xz) file.
Once you download it, simply extract it and head inside the folders. Next, you will find a “**Basilisk**” executable file in it. You need to simply run it by double-clicking on it or performing a right-click and selecting “**Run**“.
You may check out its [GitHub page][12] for more information.
![][13]
You can also use the terminal and run the file by following the steps below while navigating to the directory you downloaded it to:
```
cd basilisk-latest.linux64
cd basilisk
./basilisk
```
[Download Basilisk][1]
### Using Basilisk browser
![][14]
Basilisk is a decent Firefox fork if you want the legacy extensions support. It is being actively developed by the team behind Pale Moon and is potentially a great option for users who want the classic look and feel of Mozilla’s Firefox (before the Quantum update) without comprising on the modern web support.
I didn’t have any issues with browsing webpages. However, I did notice that “**YouTube**” detects this as an obsolete browser and warns that it will stop supporting it soon enough.
_**So, I’m not sure if Basilisk will be a fit for every web service out there – but if you really need the archived legacy extensions that you used on Firefox’s older releases, this could be a solution for your problem.**_
**Wrapping Up**
Do you think a Firefox fork is worth trying out? What do you prefer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
