5 ms·

Looks like the semi-official Google position is that Widevine should have been impossible to disable all along [1]. Go figure. [1]: https://bugs.chromium.org/p

Looks like the semi-official Google position is that Widevine should have been impossible to disable all along [1]. Go figure. [1]: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=615738#c31 https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=615738...

mixedCase 10y ago
Honestly? It makes sense and I see nothing wrong with it. Chrome is Google's opinionated version of Chromium, with the average user in mind. Everyone else should be using Chromium. There's nothing wrong or lacking in it now that the PDF module has been open sourced. If one wants Flash or Widevine, those can be installed separately.
- mtarnovan 10y ago
  If by "everyone else" you mean 0.5% market share...
  - mixedCase 10y ago
    Well I don't know about 0.5%, but a small minority? Absolutely. Most people who interact with computers don't know how to use them. And out of the people who do know how to use it, an even smaller percentage would care about using Chromium over Chrome.
- akjainaj 10y ago
  Is there a way to use a stable version of Chromium that automatically updates?
  - Jackneill 10y ago
    sudo pacman -S chromium. All decent distros ought to have it.
    - akjainaj 10y ago
      Thank you but I use Windows.
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
      - Lammy 10y ago
        It's available in Chocolatey https://chocolatey.org/packages/chromium https://chocolatey.org/packages/chromium
      - ndesaulniers 10y ago
        Seeing you get downvoted for asking genuine questions to a technical community reminds me that I need to find a new one. Stack Overflow 2.0, here we come. No question now what has happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which.
      - s_kilk 10y ago
        > decent distros
  - ferbivore 10y ago
    This page [1] has an overview of everything you need to know about using Chromium as a day-to-day browser, including a section on auto-updaters [2]. [1]: https://chromium.woolyss.com/ https://chromium.woolyss.com/ [2]: https://chromium.woolyss.com/#updater https://chromium.woolyss.com/#updater
- drinkjuice 10y ago
  > with the average user in mind. And what average user would have a need for there being no way to disable it?
  - mixedCase 10y ago
    The average user doesn't need to nor doesn't want to know about the existence of Widevine. And if he's told about it, he wouldn't care about it, he just wants to watch Netflix.
    - devwastaken 10y ago
      Talking about use cases when it comes to widely used software is a null argument in most contexts. It was previously disablable, preventing that now is just taking features away without a benefit. Its automatically enabled for all the people that don't know about it, but need it anyway.
    - PhasmaFelis 10y ago
      You haven't answered the question. What user benefits from removing this feature? This isn't for the benefit of any user, "average" or otherwise.
      - CJefferson 10y ago
        Users who don't understand it, disable it either accidentally, or based in bad advice, then don't know why Netflix doesn't work, probably in 2 years time when they long since forgot editing it. As the years go by, I learn every config option is going to lead to some set of users getting confused and upset.
        drinkjuice 10y ago
        So some parties pushing hard for DRM has nothing to do with it, whatsoever? It's all about preemptively avoiding horrible user pain and incredible customer support costs, correct? Then explain the million options left over in chrome://flags/ ? Oh, snap. Looks like that explanation doesn't even begin to make sense, and it's hilarious how the "average user", in their absence, gets used as an excuse to implement outright hostile things, but only then. When Google Reader shuts down or other things are done nobody likes, which not one person welcomes, that doesn't matter, it's only when it's about things no user wants but companies want to push when they suddenly do. The bug report mentions real problems caused by this change. Are there similar reports about problems that were caused by that option being available, or is that all just theoretical? > As the years go by, I learn every config option is going to lead to some set of users getting confused and upset. So? Remove all config options, or simply do good work and let the remaining complainers complain? Why not take the person who filed the bug report and is "confused and upset" for very good reasons they can argue for more seriously than some random hypothetical person?
- venomsnake 10y ago
  Just tell me where in Chromium to disable resetting user profile when it detects tampering - so I am able to migrate a profile just by copying and I will move to Chromium in a second. The not being able to copy your profile between machines is terrible terrible decision. It detects "tampering" and nukes everything :(
  - mh- 10y ago
    I've not personally used this, but it should work for your use case. http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3#RoamingProfileLocation http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3#Roaming... (note that the 'roaming location' could still just be a folder on your local drive.) > If you enable this setting, the settings stored in Google Chrome profiles like bookmarks, autofill data, passwords, etc. will also be written to a file stored in the Roaming user profile folder or a location specified by the Administrator through the Google Chrome policy.

mixedCase 10y ago

Honestly? It makes sense and I see nothing wrong with it. Chrome is Google's opinionated version of Chromium, with the average user in mind. Everyone else should be using Chromium. There's nothing wrong or lacking in it now that the PDF module has been open sourced. If one wants Flash or Widevine, those can be installed separately.

mtarnovan 10y ago
If by "everyone else" you mean 0.5% market share...
- mixedCase 10y ago
  Well I don't know about 0.5%, but a small minority? Absolutely. Most people who interact with computers don't know how to use them. And out of the people who do know how to use it, an even smaller percentage would care about using Chromium over Chrome.
akjainaj 10y ago
Is there a way to use a stable version of Chromium that automatically updates?
- Jackneill 10y ago
  sudo pacman -S chromium. All decent distros ought to have it.
  - akjainaj 10y ago
    Thank you but I use Windows.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
    - Lammy 10y ago
      It's available in Chocolatey https://chocolatey.org/packages/chromium https://chocolatey.org/packages/chromium
    - ndesaulniers 10y ago
      Seeing you get downvoted for asking genuine questions to a technical community reminds me that I need to find a new one. Stack Overflow 2.0, here we come. No question now what has happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    - s_kilk 10y ago
      > decent distros
- ferbivore 10y ago
  This page [1] has an overview of everything you need to know about using Chromium as a day-to-day browser, including a section on auto-updaters [2]. [1]: https://chromium.woolyss.com/ https://chromium.woolyss.com/ [2]: https://chromium.woolyss.com/#updater https://chromium.woolyss.com/#updater
drinkjuice 10y ago
> with the average user in mind. And what average user would have a need for there being no way to disable it?
- mixedCase 10y ago
  The average user doesn't need to nor doesn't want to know about the existence of Widevine. And if he's told about it, he wouldn't care about it, he just wants to watch Netflix.
  - devwastaken 10y ago
    Talking about use cases when it comes to widely used software is a null argument in most contexts. It was previously disablable, preventing that now is just taking features away without a benefit. Its automatically enabled for all the people that don't know about it, but need it anyway.
  - PhasmaFelis 10y ago
    You haven't answered the question. What user benefits from removing this feature? This isn't for the benefit of any user, "average" or otherwise.
    - CJefferson 10y ago
      Users who don't understand it, disable it either accidentally, or based in bad advice, then don't know why Netflix doesn't work, probably in 2 years time when they long since forgot editing it. As the years go by, I learn every config option is going to lead to some set of users getting confused and upset.
      - drinkjuice 10y ago
        So some parties pushing hard for DRM has nothing to do with it, whatsoever? It's all about preemptively avoiding horrible user pain and incredible customer support costs, correct? Then explain the million options left over in chrome://flags/ ? Oh, snap. Looks like that explanation doesn't even begin to make sense, and it's hilarious how the "average user", in their absence, gets used as an excuse to implement outright hostile things, but only then. When Google Reader shuts down or other things are done nobody likes, which not one person welcomes, that doesn't matter, it's only when it's about things no user wants but companies want to push when they suddenly do. The bug report mentions real problems caused by this change. Are there similar reports about problems that were caused by that option being available, or is that all just theoretical? > As the years go by, I learn every config option is going to lead to some set of users getting confused and upset. So? Remove all config options, or simply do good work and let the remaining complainers complain? Why not take the person who filed the bug report and is "confused and upset" for very good reasons they can argue for more seriously than some random hypothetical person?
venomsnake 10y ago
Just tell me where in Chromium to disable resetting user profile when it detects tampering - so I am able to migrate a profile just by copying and I will move to Chromium in a second. The not being able to copy your profile between machines is terrible terrible decision. It detects "tampering" and nukes everything :(
- mh- 10y ago
  I've not personally used this, but it should work for your use case. http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3#RoamingProfileLocation http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3#Roaming... (note that the 'roaming location' could still just be a folder on your local drive.) > If you enable this setting, the settings stored in Google Chrome profiles like bookmarks, autofill data, passwords, etc. will also be written to a file stored in the Roaming user profile folder or a location specified by the Administrator through the Google Chrome policy.